By Jules Cantor ’11, Sports Section Editor
With a 65-56 victory against Seven Hills on February 9th, the Country Day Lady Indians basketball team completed an undefeated season in the Miami Valley Conference. The win secured an 11 game winning streak to finish the season, and the team’s second consecutive league championship. The Lady Indians, under the guidance of head coach John Snell, are peaking at the right time, and are quite confident going into the playoffs.
The winning machine is powered by an extremely balanced offense. The backcourt consisting of Ricci Snell ’12, Candice Keese ’12, and Jamie Huelskamp ’11 is extremely dynamic up top, while Erika Armstead ‘12 and Cassie Sachs ’13 are forces in the post. This abundance of talent prevents teams from stalemating the offense completely at any time. “If one team shuts our post players down, our guards really step up, and if our shots aren’t falling the post players step up and we go power down low,” Huelskamp explained. Additionally, the breadth of the team’s talent is not limited to its five starters. Huelskamp continued, “We have a great combination of players. Some of the girls come in and really step up on
defense and some can come in and hit that key shot.” Players such as Beverly Johnson ’12, Sydney Menifee ‘14, and Shelley Menifee ’14 have logged significant minutes for the Lady Indians. In the February 5th game against Summit, Rachel Neal ’12 was the epitome of clutch. She knocked down two key free throws late in the game as the Silver Knights were attempting a comeback, and helped lift the team to a 37-29 triumph.
For all of the girls in the program, winning has become less of a goal and more of an expectation. Every returning varsity player was a part of last year’s MVC championship team, while last year’s JV players were also crowned league champs. Even the girls in the class of 2014 led a middle school MVC championship charge last year. That habitual success has created a level of confidence among the girls, but has also instilled a sense of responsibility. “Last year’s win against CHCA to clinch the title was so exciting and empowering. It definitely made me work harder, and made all of the other girls work harder. We had not won the league in ten years, so winning it last year showed us how exciting it was. We had a target on our back from other teams which motivated us also to defend our title,” Huelskamp said on behalf of her teammates.
The Lady Indians begin their playoff push vs. St. Bernard on February 19th.
Photo by Ilana Habib ’11, Photography Section Editor
