One for the Ages

A Thank You to the Lady Mustangs

by Kim Bonifas

March 08, 2009

Silver Lake finally overcame all of the what if’s, could have’s, would have’s, and should have’s of the state tournament by advancing to the girl’s Class D-1 championship game this year. The entire four-community area rallied behind this history making team that earned Silver Lake’s first State Runner-Up basketball title.

In a whirlwind of a weekend, our team played three of the most amazing basketball games spectators could have asked for. During the final minutes of Thursday night’s miraculous come from behind double overtime win over Deshler, I was moved to tears more than once by the thought of our team actually winning a game that seemed to have slipped away from us during the last quarter of regulation play (and if you are reading this and you were there, too, you might have a glint of a tear forming in your eye right now as you remember how emotional that victory was).

Then, the girls did it again on Friday night! Just as they had on Thursday, the team played with passion, guts, and bravery right up until the buzzer sounded. With the final minutes ticking away, these girls wanted the ball, they wanted to shoot, they wanted to win, and they weren’t afraid. They turned to us after the game, and we, their fanatic fans, stood together and cheered for them, cried for them, applauded them, our heroes.

Standing in line to get into the championship game, a couple of occurrences left a lasting impression on me. The first one was our fans (those fanatic fans again) shouting cheers back and forth to each other across the long hallway of the Devaney Center. The Bob Devaney Center! We were there, playing in the championship game on TV, yelling and screaming all of the Mustang and Maroon cheers we could think of! The other image I will never forget is all of the little kids in line to have their faces painted with the names and numbers of their favorite players (there’s that tear welling in my eye again).

At home after the long weekend, trying to regain a sense of normalcy in our house, my children proved to me that the state tournament events had left an impression on them as well. One of the first things my son did when he woke up was to toddle to the closet, get the basketball out, and start throwing it around the house. Shortly after, I overheard my daughter having a conversation with herself about playing basketball on TV.

Don’t let our children forget how great this moment has been for our school and for our communities! Parents, if you haven’t already, put up a basketball hoop in the driveway! Children, put the Wii remote down and go outside to shoot hoops! That could be you playing on TV someday.

Thank you, Lady Mustang players and coaches, for giving your fanatic fans an incredible journey to Lincoln and back, and congratulations on your historical season.

Post your comments for the Lady Mustang basketball team here!

Date	Subject	Posted by:
03/09/2009	This article says it all...We are so proud of you, Lady Mustangs! Thank you for making this a year to remember and one that your fans, staff members, and student body will never forget! WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!	Dana Epley depley@esu9.org
03/09/2009	Lady Mustangs!! WOW...what an incredible journey!! the 2008-2009 season was one for the books....congratulations and best wishes to the seniors!! and to the juniors, sophomores, and freshman -- you have BIG shoes to fill. i look forward to traveling to Lincoln next March...GO LADY 'STANGS	Tiffany Patrick Hastings Elementary Education
03/09/2009	WE ARE PROUD OF YOU! What an amazing weekend of Girls State Basketball for you the team and coaches. This is a part of your life that you will never forget. At the beginning of every season every team across the state sets a goal of making it to Lincoln in March, but only a few actually make it. You not only made it, you made it to the Championship Game, what an amazing accomplishment. For me personally besides watching your games, the next best thing about the weekend was scanning our crowd at each of the games. And what a great following we had. Not only was the number of fans we had there tremendous, but the excitement that was in each and every one of their eyes was just overwhelming. It didn't matter what the age was of the fan (parents, grandparents, students of ALL ages and friends) they were excited to have a SILVER LAKE team at state. This experience will instill into the younger boys and girls that if you WORK HARD and DREAM BIG you can accomplish anything. Congratulations on a GREAT season and thanks for the memories.	Jeff Grabill
03/09/2009	The girls had an awesome weekend! I agree with you about the tears. I was right with them in all of the games. . . tears and all. They gave all of us an experience we will never forget! Thank you girls for the enthusiasm and the desire to see it through to the end. We are very proud of you and CONGRATULATIONS!!!	Trish Hinrichs
03/09/2009	Great article about the Silver Lake girls basketball team and its run in the state tournament! I saw the Deshler and Elkhorn Valley games in person and the Bancroft-Rosalie game on TV, and I was so impressed with the team in so many ways. The coaches and players never gave up, and I admired their desire to win, especially when a victory might have appeared to be improbable. When people unfamiliar with Silver Lake asked me why I was at the games, I replied, "I'm here to support 'my home town team'." It was also great to see the crowd support from the area. The populations of Bladen, Campbell, Holstein and Roseland and the surrounding area shrunk on game night. Continued best wishes to the Mustangs! I am proud of you! Respectfully, Cody Vance (Bladen H.S. 1978)	Cody Vance cody.vance@doane.edu Doane College, Crete, Nebraska Associate Director of Development
03/09/2009	Congrats to all of you young ladies and your coach. You really made your communities proud. I just wish I could have been there to watch three of the most exciting games of the tourney. Its just not the same on the web. Congrats again ladies and way to go coach on a great run.	Bradley Olson bolson@panesu.org Hemingford High School
03/09/2009	Holy Cow--This article does say it all! A weekend full of emotions: including many tears and headaches from getting so excited during your spectacular games, some of which I think were the best games of girls basketball that I have ever watched!! Thank you for a wonderful season, never giving up, giving it your all, and being the best role models for younger children! (ok, tear, again!!)	Jenn tenBensel jtenbens@esu9.org
03/09/2009	I am still in awe of the performances from this weekend and this article sums it up perfectly! Not only did Silver Lake compete at such an intense level, but they did so with class. One of my favorite moments from the tournament was after the E/V game when the whole team turned and waved to the fans--how classy. We are so proud of you.	Melissa Dittmer ymdittmer@huskeraccess.com Lincoln, NE
03/09/2009	CONGRATULATIONS LADY MUSTANGS! What a terrific experience for all of us. You did a fabulous job and made us all proud. I agree, my favorite moment of the tournament was the end of the E/V game and watching the tears and excitement in everyone's eyes. It was amazing. You have made a lasting impression on my children. When Josi has to go to bed hugging the Hastings Tribune sports section because Shelby and her other favorite girls are on the front page you know you're special!	Kari Sharp ksharp@esu9.org
03/09/2009	You didn't have to be there to have tears! I wasn't ever able to make it Lincoln to watch, but there were definitely people listening to the radio and watching tv supporting SL! I know there were a couple different times that tears came to my eyes. So many people have or had the dream of playing at a state championship game, GREAT JOB GIRLS AND COACHES on a dream come true!	Sara Swanson
03/09/2009	An event like this not only showcases your team and coaches; but your student body, your school and your communities as well. The boys were awesome fans, the crowd was friendly, positive and full of energy; and the girls’ performances were remarkable (WOW!). We aren't true Mustangs yet, but glad we soon will be.	Dan Polk Clarkson Educator
03/09/2009	GREAT JOB Lady Mustangs! We have never seen so much TEAM effort and HEART in any team as we did this weekend! We are so proud of you and what you girls achieved this year. From winning TVC, Districts, and being Runner-up at state! All of you need to hold your heads up high, and be proud!!! CONGRATS to the Lady Mustangs!	Jason & Sara Mostek jsmostek@gtmc.net
03/09/2009	Who would have thought that when I was a Senior at Bladen High that a little Kindergarten kid would turn out to be a very good coach. I am proud of you Keith and very proud of the girls. They have alot of guts and they wouldn't give up. What a year!!! Colleen Kucera Bladen H.S. 1964	Colleen Kucera Deweese Ne. Travel Consultant
03/10/2009	I cannot even put into words how proud I am of Coach Crowe and his amazing girls basketball team!!! As a former Lady Mustang, I only dreamed of playing on Saturday, in Lincoln, on TV, but these girls made it a complete reality and they made it look like they belonged there without a doubt! FANTASTIC job Coach and girls!	Kayla Konen kkort_34@hotmail.com Hastings
03/10/2009	Congrats to Coach Crowe and the Lady Mustangs. Coach Crowe started coaching at Silver Lake during my time. I remember him as a great motivator. He always made sure we had a fun time while practicing, during games, and at track meets. You represented the Silver Lake Community well and you should be proud of your accomplishments! Good Luck next year.	Machelle Horton Streff mstreff@esu9.org Blue Hill, NE SL Class of '89
03/10/2009	This article does capture the weekend well. Congratulations to the Lady Mustangs and coaches on a great season. Personally your entire season was amazing but the trip to Lincoln was a terrific experience. As a mom I am taken back by the number of young children who started looking up to Shelby throughout this season. The kids who wanted to talk to her after games, the ones who wanted to write her number and name on their face and those that even wanted to dress like Shelby. This weekend I also thought about when Shelby was younger and her "friends" didn't care to include her in their fun activities. So she spent a lot of time in the driveway shooting hoops and hitting around a volleyball. It apparently paid off because she was able to experience what it is like not only to go to State but to play in the Championship game. A memory I'm sure that will stay with her for a long time, longer than the memory of whatever "friends" did over the weekend. I am so proud of each of the girls. Thanks for the great memories!	Sheila Rupprecht srupprec@esu9.org
03/11/2009	STILL ON CLOUD 9 !!!! what a weekend...We are proud of each and everyone of you... Never in our life would we of ever imagined our daughter, niece & their team playing in State tournaments...YOU made it to the BIG HOUSE !!! Congratulations on an awesome season... This shows that hard work does pay off... Always remember you are the SISTERS IN HOOPS !!!!	Kelly & Scott Timm sprint89@gtmc.net Roseland, Ne
03/11/2009	Wow, good job Mrs. Bonifas this gave me chills as I read it.	Mike Hinrichs
03/11/2009	GREAT SEASON EVERYONE! There are many things that my school could have done to go that far, but all in all, they didn't have enough team effort like the mustangs did. Lady Mustangs are all about effort! I'm glad that they went as far as they did! I rooted for them this year and I will root for them every year after this one.	Cree Cline darla_mae2012@hotmail.com Wilcox-Hildreth High School
03/12/2009	I was fortunate enough to be able to come to the game Friday night at State. One of the most impressive things I saw, was when our girls were behind, they never got in a hurry and they never got down on themselves or each other. Even Coach Crowe never got anxious. That showed me that they all believed in each other and had confidence. Congrats on a history making season and we are all very proud of every single one of you and the class you showed us. I hope when my four year old grows up, she has the same class and confidence you girls showed this season!!!	Leslie Kober koberdam@gtmc.net
03/12/2009	We watched the game on webcast.....you ladies are amazing!! You had all of us in our home yelling and cheering!! We are so proud to say we are alumni of SL after the way the girls and fans presented themselves on tv!! We'll be there in person next year!!	John & Marla Kile