By Tomasa Perez
In early February, the girls’ basketball team had a celebration for the 2022 Seniors: Kristen Keating, Francesca Drapeau, Alyssa Estrada, Olivia Lomeli, and Grace Tanner. Before the game, Coach Hollerbach took a few moments to introduce the seniors and list some of their achievements while attending Saint Mary’s. (In the game, the Lady Knights earned the win over Moon Valley by a score of 60-38).
For the last game of their high school adventure, Alyssa Estrada said, “It was better than I could’ve imagined. Many family members came out to watch me ball out. It was a good time, and luckily the Moon Valley players weren't bad sports about it.”
Kristen Keating added, “It was very special. All the seniors starting together and playing together was like a flashback from freshman year! We got to finish strong all together. I played the whole time, giving my all. We played together, helping each other out the whole time, and made sure we were all having fun!”
Alyssa noted, “I went all out. We seniors played well together knowing each other's strengths. I’m very proud of this senior class.”
Alyssa’s favorite memory from the last four years was when “Coach threw a joint birthday party for Kristen and me. We played games, won prizes, and even played hide and seek in the gym.” For Kristen, her favorite memory was “meeting my new teammates. I loved growing together and making new friendships through basketball — and the community that Coach and Cameron created!”
For Mrs. Ferguson, who coaches the girls JV team, this was the first group of girls she has coached at Saint Mary’s. “I was sad and proud because of their scholastic and athletic accomplishments,” Mrs. Ferguson said. “I was glad to hear that they had accomplishments not only on the court but also in class. I felt so proud to be a part of watching each of them grow.”
She added, “The fondest memories from the class of 2022 were most definitely the rides to the Baptist church (for practice) sometimes taking longer as I missed the turn because we were talking. The girls would also sing to the tops of their lungs. When at practice, because there were only seven of them, Coach Knuestle and I had to fill in on defense. Yes, this meant me on defense with high school girls, thinking I could actually keep up with Kristen. My mind said ‘yes,’ but my body said 'No.’ I guess the competitive spirit never leaves the athlete. I will always cherish those days and moments knowing what smart and great young women they have become! I will never forget my first freshmen.”
Congratulations to the class of 2022 Lady Knights basketball seniors!
