It sounded like the apocalypse was raining down on Mishicot Saturday evening, but in reality, roughly 32 fire trucks and police cars were escorting the State Champion Girls Basketball team back to the school.
Hundreds of friends, family, and fans were on hand to welcome the girls home, which Athletic Director Teri Risch said was how the community has been all along. “They’ve always been supportive with every program, but I think this one they really pushed the limits,” Risch said.
The welcome home ceremony was held outside to allow for as many people to be there as possible, because as Risch explained, “They deserve this as much as the girls and the school district.”
Coach Mike Garceau spoke very fondly of the team, as well as his coaching staff. He said that while the two games they played on Friday were anything but normal games, they approached it the same way they had all year.
“All in all the basketball portion remained the same,” he said. “We went in treating it as a business trip and we had a job to do. I’m very thankful that it came together and we were able to get the job done.”
The game was sealed with less than 10 seconds left as Kylie Schmidt went to the free-throw line, and put the Indians up by 4. We asked Kylie to bring us back to that moment, and explain what was going through her mind.
“My legs were so tired!” she recalled. “I was worn out because I had to guard Malory, and she is an amazing point guard. I was a little tired and was falling short so I got nervous, but when I knocked the last one down it made it all worth it.”
Senior Desiree Kleiman couldn’t stop smiling as she celebrated with her teammates and the community.
“It’s a dream I’ve had since literally 3rd grade,” she said. “It feels amazing to bring it home, to be there with my teammates and create all these memories. Those will definitely last a lifetime. I am so thankful for this community and everything they bring to us.”
This group of seniors and Coach Mike Garceau has been together since the girls were in third grade, and have been talking since then that they were going to be state champs. They made that dream come true, and will remember this experience for the rest of their lives.
