On Sunday, January 25, the Lady Red Devils basketball team learned their path in the upcoming sectional tournament. For two key senior players, Aubrey Fleming and Hayden Blocker, this draw carried extra weight as it marks the end of their high school basketball sectional experiences. The players shared their immediate reactions to the announcement.
Fleming expressed a mix of emotions, “Excitement, excited to play,” she responded. “Sad because that was my last sectional draw, but happy to play and work hard to get to the championship. Take it one game at a time.”
Blocker described a unique feeling compared to previous years, “The sectional draw this year has never meant as much to me as it did this year compared to the other years. Something about knowing you could possibly play your last ever high school basketball games makes you feel emotions you never thought you would feel before. It really makes you think and take in every last second for these final games.” Blocker went on to explain her mindset for the challenging week ahead, “During the draw I felt scared and happy for what we are about to face as a team. The best way to prepare myself is making sure I leave it all on the court so I have no regrets. At the end of the day you just have to remember it’s another game and to play with confidence and not letting the pressure get to you.”
I also spoke with Coach Kelly Chavez regarding the draw and the team’s preparation:
1. How do you feel about the draw?
“I like the draw we got! With only five teams in our sectional, I think our team would have been up for any scenario.”
2. What are you anticipating?
“It is only a two-week turnaround since we played Illiana so while they are fresh in our minds, the same can be said for them. We beat them by 20 points our previous outing, but I think it will be a tougher fought game come Tuesday. Hoping all goes well and we win, I like the idea of getting a sectional game under way before we see KV.”
3. How are you going to prepare yourself and your team for the long week ahead next week?
“Postseason brings a different energy so we will up our practice format, get our scouting on task, and just get the team mentally ready. We can make a run this postseason if we don’t let the moment be too big.”
The Lady Red Devils play their first game at Kankakee Valley against Illiana Christian on Tuesday, February 3rd at 6:30 p.m. Let’s show up and cheer for our Lady Red Devils!
