Photo courtesy of Riley Shaner
“You don’t believe you’re actually a senior until you’re walking out and getting your name called,” senior Kristian Eanes said.
Eanes and the girls’ basketball team won 60-14 while the boys lost 68-55, as both teams held their Senior Nights against Northern Durham Feb. 7. The 2016-2017 basketball season took an unexpected turn for the girls’ team, consisting of three devastating ACL injuries. Seniors Bryn Aydt and Jazanae Billings, as well as junior Erika Nettles were all out for the year after the first two games of the season.
“It was really hard; we’ve played together since recreation years, then onto middle and for three years in high school,” Eanes said. “I would do anything for them to be back out there and know that they would too, so every night I’m out there I play my hardest for them.”
While the team has a 19-5 record and came 2nd in conference, the season was forever altered by the injuries.
“The injuries hit us hard, especially [the players] being three starters who were key assets to the team,” girls’ head coach Cameron Vernon said. “To lose them in the first game was emotionally devastating. I don’t know if we recovered or if we ever can, but as a coach, I’ll always wonder what could have been with those three.”
With the exception of not yet complete recoveries, Aydt and Billings were in the starting line-up on senior night. With limited time on the court, the girls quickly took action and had the crowd out of their seats.
“I was extremely nervous to be back on the court; I didn’t really know what to expect, even though we had a plan,” Aydt said. “Despite the plan going differently, I was able to make my three-point shot before being taken back out.”
Billings also had some nervous energy prior to the game, which was her second time on the court all season. After missing the first layup, Billings continued to follow-up and score 2 points, quickly followed by a substitution.
“I was actually really nervous, I was scared of how the other team would treat me,” Billings said. “I just had to keep calm, and know that I could do it. Making the shot was really important to me, making me feel like a player again and feel important.”
Vernon explained his admiration for the seniors and their accomplishments.
“I’ve never had three girls in one class sign college scholarships to play Division II Basketball,” Vernon said. “I think that all of the seniors will go on to do great things in the world.”
Turning the spotlight toward the boy’s team, senior Gordon Brann highlighted his most valuable take-aways from this years season.
“The thing I will miss the absolute most about playing for Northwood is how, regardless if we won or lost a game, the team bonded throughout the whole year,” Brann said.
Sophomore Brendan Harrington, also a varsity player, emphasized the seniors and their impact on the others.
“What I will miss the most out of the seniors is their compassion and love for the underclassmen,” Harrington said. “Aside from that, just their passion for the game, because they’re really setting a foundation for the program to grow better.”
In support of Brann and Harrington, the boy’s basketball head coach Alex Hart praised the seniors for their commitment to the team.
“I think our seniors did a really good job in the way that they cared about the younger guys; this has been the tightest-knit group we’ve had over the course of three years. It’s been good for us to have some stability as coaches, and we’ve now got a coaching staff that’s been here for three years.”
Whether the players had spent one, two, three or four years playing, senior night ignited emotions and feelings never felt before.
“It just kept occurring to me that, ‘Oh my god, it’s the last of everything,’” Eanes said.
