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Richard Rhoden
On one hand, getting hyped for a Monday afternoon tipoff at 3 p.m. could be challenging. On the other hand, it’s the freaking CRC tournament played in one of the best gymnasiums in all of Nebraska.
That’s exciting.
The High Plains girls basketball team sure provided plenty of excitement, too, completing a come-from-behind victory over Shelby-Rising City for a spot in the CRC tournament semifinals inside the beloved York City Auditorium.
The Storm girls show plenty of excitement regardless of the stage or moment, but Monday felt just a bit different.
How big of a win is that for the HPC girls? According to MaxPreps records this sports nerd could find, the Storm girls have never defeated Shelby-Rising City in basketball since the S-RC merger in 2011-12.
No joke. High Plains defeated Rising City 52-36 on Valentine’s Day in 2009. How wild is that?
How much did that moment mean to this team of 10 players and two coaches? A photo is worth a thousand words and the one on the front page of this edition shares quite a bit.
The jubilant screams from the HPC locker room after the final whistle could be heard all the way to Polk, Hordville and Clarks.
Sure, it’s just another game in the middle of January. But is it? It’s the freaking CRC tournament, baby!
Last season, HPC’s girls won its opening round game of the CRC tournament. Before that, the Storm girls hadn’t won a CRC tournament game since 2015.
To those CRC faithful, it means something.
It’s an extremely tight-knit group of friends who genuinely have a lot of fun together, seemingly smiling just as much if they’re playing ball or having fun after practice.
It’s a team without any senior leaders, something that’s almost unheard of. But, don’t mistake that for having no leadership at all.
In no particular order, start with Courtney Carlstrom. She’s passionate, intense, demanding and knows which buttons to push.
On the volleyball court, she’ll call for the ball and send it through the floor. During basketball, she’s vocal both on the floor and in the huddle. She won’t take every big shot but has a really good idea for who should.
She’s someone who makes the game fun to watch. One of Courtney’s former coaches, Mack Alspaugh, said on more than one occasion that they don’t make them tougher than her.
Whoever argues against that assumption is wrong.
Rylee Ackerson is a force in the paint. She wants the ball and if she doesn’t get it, she’ll somehow find it off the glass.
Her defensive intensity is something that can’t be taught and is nearly impossible to find. Playing defense doesn’t take any special talent. It takes effort and Rylee has that.
Peyton Hofmann is the spark plug that makes the High Plains engine run. She didn’t shoot a great percentage Monday night, but there isn’t a shot out there she won’t take.
In her first high school game, Peyton scored 13 points with 13 rebounds and five steals. Eight of those rebounds were offensive.
Gahvi Lesiak is the glue that holds the entire Storm program together. She’s a swiss army knife -- one night you need her points, the next night needing her ability to get her teammates the ball in space.
There aren’t many out there who have more fun playing sports than Gahvi. You can easily catch her smiling from ear to ear while actively running a pick and roll for no other reason than just having the time of her life.
Is this the team to break through and send the Storm to the state level? Since the HPC co-op, a girls program hasn’t qualified for a state tournament in either volleyball or basketball.
Just another one of those crazy statistics.
This group not only has a great chance to be the first, time is on their side, too, without any seniors to lose.
Winners win and this group embodies that sentiment. Go Storm!
RICHARD RHODEN can be reached at sports@hamilton.net.
