After being pushed out of the county semifinals, the girls basketball team got ready for the first round of districts on Feb. 17, 2016. 

After things didn’t go so well in counties, it was the girls’ chance to prove where they belonged. The girls were the 4th seed in district standing, and they faced the 13th seeded Elco Raiders. The Raiders were coming into the game with a 15-7 record and were not predicted to win the game by many.

As the game started, the Raiders came ready to win by pushing a 9 point lead in the first quarter. They came to show the Warriors they meant business. At the half, the Raiders went into the locker room holding a 7 point lead over the Warriors. During the halftime huddle, the girls knew it was time to buckle down and play hard. Coach Schreiner gave the girls a pep talk during half-time. “I’ve been telling you all season don’t ever underestimate a team based off their record,” said Schreiner.

Going into the second half, the girls knew it was crunch time. In the final quarter the girls had more than 3 opportunities to tie the game up and win it. At the final minute of the game coach Schreiner called his final timeout. Elco Raider Taylor Bossert was fouled and hit two free throws to give Elco a 2 point lead with less than a minute left.

Junior Kelsey McCullough knew the loss hurt but found motivation to keep the team’s morale up.

“I was sad and reflective at how good of a season we had. We were division champions, and we made a little run in counties,” McCullough said.

With no timeouts remaining, it was up to the defense to make a stop to win the game. On the final inbound from Elco, the Warriors stole the ball and had a chance to tie it, but they missed shot at the buzzer, leaving the girls heartbroken on their home floor. Elco won the game 56-54 and went on to the next round of districts.