St. James Girls Basketball Goes Undefeated

Cora Saftner's basketball team at School is undefeated in its section play so far this year. 

Here is what Cora had to say:

My basketball team has been playing together since we were in the third grade. For most of us who are now in eighth grade, that makes five years.

We have learned the importance of teamwork, and how it affects the way we play the game. One of our mottos adopted over the years is, “My MVP is the team.”

 We have all been working hard to stay undefeated. We try to “play like [we] practice,” as Coach Louis Bolen always says. My team and I are trying hard to finish our basketball career at St. James as we started it --- as section champions.

My team and I are trying hard to finish our basketball career at St. James as we started it --- as section champions.

My team is like a family to me. We are always looking out for each other. If one of our teammates is having a bad day, we encourage them as best we can, telling them not to give up, that they can do whatever they are trying to do.

Even though we work hard, we still manage to have fun. We find ways to make drills more exciting, whether it is naming an imaginary mascot, or using a trash can as a moving defender.

We come up with our own plays, calling them by our own original names. We are always encouraging each other to push ourselves to be the best we can be.

And, if the drill is too hard, we help each other to figure it out. Another “tradition” that we have is making up sayings to remind each other about our bad habits and how to fix them. The sayings that we have made up over the years have -- sometimes -- also come with little hand motions.

Eventually, as the bad habits wear off, the reminders we made up become little jokes for the team. At the same time, new reminders are made up.

My teammates are each special and important to the team.

My eighth-grade teammates include Katie Indovina, Heidi Langhorst, Carlyle MacDonald, Elizabeth Michalenko, Hannah Renner, Micarah Young, and me, Cora Saftner.

Hannah is very athletic and is the kind of person who likes to take charge. She is very aggressive and is a strong shooter who can make the long shots.

Carlyle MacDonald is an athletic player who likes to know exactly what to do.

She is also a good shooter, but takes the mid-range shots.

We have a great line of girls who hang out on the block. First is Elizabeth Michalenko. She is a very caring, athletic player who likes to be in the background. Elizabeth doesn't like to have all of the attention; she would rather give credit to one of the others, yet she does make great plays.

Katie Indovina is a lively girl, also very athletic. Katie loves to have fun while we practice, and becomes very aggressive on the court.

Next is Heidi Langhorst, who was new to our team last year and has brought some much-needed height to our team. Heidi is one of our hardest workers and her individual efforts are permeating the whole team. Heidi is fun to be with, both on and off the court.

Micarah Young joined our team this year and has worked hard to become a crucial part of our team. Micarah plays aggressive defense and is very protective on the court. She loves to take the three-point shot in practice to show off her athleticism.

And then there is me, Cora. I‟m usually the shortest one on the court, but I love to play tough defense.

This year our team is rounded out with two seventh graders who have contributed greatly to the team's success: Gigi Zernich and Lauren Padalino.

We are family, and at the end of each year we take our signature "family photo" for the year book by making a pyramid. This year, we hope to top it off with a trophy!

But with or without a championship trophy, my team will end this season with something much more important: memories and friendships that have been developing since the third grade. As Coach Bolen always says, “My MVP is the TEAM.”