Mady Diago ‘22
STAFF WRITER
Ram Nation needs to be aware of some incredible accomplishments made by the Girls’ Varsity Basketball team. This team was comprised of two freshmen, three sophomores, six juniors and three seniors. Not only did these 14 girls break Riverview records, but they are also the 2021 District Champions.
The season started off strong with 14 straight wins in a row. That has never been done before in Lady Ram history. The previous record was 10 straight wins, but these Lady Rams not only met that, but they exceeded it.
After becoming District Champions, the girls moved on to the Regional Semi-Final game. The ladies put up a great fight and were extremely aggressive. Unfortunately, the Riverview Rams lost with an end record of 20-2.
The Lady Rams did not become District Champions by slacking off. Instead, they were on the court, practicing six days a week for two to three hours per day. Under Coach Gerald Perry, the girls learned how to create a cohesive environment and play basketball with intensity and passion. With the amount of dedication they all put into this sport, they completely deserved and earned this win.
This year, unlike others, was filled with twists and turns due to COVID-19. Players would get contact traced and were not allowed to practice or play in games for two weeks. One of the girls’ games was cancelled because the opposing team had an athlete that tested positive for coronavirus, leading the team to all get contact traced and forfeit the game. Luckily, the Lady Rams never had to endure something that extreme during their season, but it was always a scare when someone on the team had to test for Covid-19.
When asked about her team’s dynamic, Junior Captain Caroline King, responded with a description of how they work as a unit.
“We all play off of each other well, and we have great team chemistry,” she said. She also explained how the team worked really well together, and playing the game was fluent and fun.
A player that stands out on the Girls’ Basketball team would be Nikki Blanch ’22. This junior point guard averaged 12.6 points per game, which was the most on the team throughout the season.
Even though this season was difficult to play through, the girls grinded during practices and still loved every second of playing their game. Ram Nation can learn a whole lot from these young women. They have shown that hard work and dedication will bring great things