LUERS V. DWENGER GIRLS BASKETBALL – INCREDIBLE GAME

I just watched the most incredible girls high school basketball game I’ve ever seen in my entire life! Dwenger beat Luers in Bishop Dwenger’s gym by 6 points, 88-82! It was like watching a well-played, highly skilled COLLEGE game! Dwenger’s girls finally pulled away in the early to mid 4th quarter by 12. But Luers girls never quit, and tied it up briefly on a couple free throws. BD scored on the next possession, and then a BD roll player hit a huge 3 pointer to open it up again. It was the biggest shot of the game! It was her second 3 in the 4th quarter.

Both teams had roll players stepping up time and again. Plus Junior Kayla Knapke had a career high 18 points. Unfortunately, she was gone by the mid 4th on fouls. So was starter Grace Everett from my golf team, who is turning into one heck of a basketball player herself! BD also lost Fab Frosh Emily Ross, and one other, I believe. Taya Andrews had around 30 points! The last game I witnessed was her best game ever, and this one easily topped that! She never played this well for us. What an improvement! And talk about improvement, Luers’ Emma Wolfe had the finest game I’ve ever seen any high school girl have in my life! She had an UNBELIEVEABLE 49 points. She EARNED every one of them! Nothing came easy for Emma that night. She hit big threes with a perfect arc, lots of soft jump shots, and she could find a way to get fouled just about anytime she wanted. She’s so quick, and handles the ball well. And she just knows how to draw contact!

I got home to check the back cover of the Luers program for all-time records. Angie Harris, a Luers legend who played in 1992 and went to Notre Dame on a Volleyball scholarship, held the Luers girls record with 46 points for 22 years. Not any more! When I think of some of the all-time greatest players in our storied history…Stefanie Gerardot, Rachel King, Nancy Rehm, Megan Dossen, Emily Loomis, Amanda Pedro, Jessica Hathaway and Kelsey Wyss were all fabulous hoopsters at Bishop Luers High School! But none ever had a game like I just witnessed!

Even though we lost to Bishop Dwenger, I’m still excited for Emma, Kayla and the entire team, and for Taya too! What a performance! Congratulations to new Coach Mark Pixley! And I congratulate Coach Cleveland Inge and his players, too. I know that this win was a big one for their program. It’s been a long time, since 1997 I believe, a couple years before our first State Championship. Those Dwenger girls have a great future ahead of them.