NWC boys, girls off to strong start
Winning is tough enough for one basketball team to do consistently at a local high school. When two teams do it, fans think they’ve caught lightning in a bottle.
Winning for the Northwest Christian boys’ team has almost become as regular as snow in the winter in Spokane. The second-ranked Crusaders have won back-to-back state titles and appear poised to defend their championship in March as they lead the Bi-County League.
“Experience is huge, especially at the tournament and in the playoffs,” said junior guard Chase Ramey. “If you’ve played in big games like a lot of us have, you’re going to know what to do in those crunch time situations when you need a good shot or a stop on defense. Experience is a big part of it. Also the nerves. If you’ve played in those big games, you’re nervous, but not so much that you don’t perform. I hope and I think that it will play to our advantage.”
“We’ve been lucky enough to have talented players,” said boys coach Ray Ricks. “That’s the number one factor and primarily the difference maker. One of the key parts is we have kids who have been playing for seven or eight years and that really helps build a program when you have kids like that. They come with a lot of basketball experience and from more opportunities to play basketball and that’s a huge difference.”
This year though, playing the Crusaders has become a two-edge sword for league opponents, as the fifth-ranked girls have raced off to their best start in years, leading the league and looking to join their male counterparts in going to state in Spokane.
“The girls are pretty dedicated to playing hard and winning basketball games,” said girls coach Aaron Spuler. “They’re pretty willing to focus on that and not let distractions happen. The girls program has never been to state, while the guys have been very successful. I think the girls would like to be a successful program as well.”
“It’s going really well and I’m really glad to be a part of a special team,” said freshman guard Hayley Hendricksen. “I think we have pretty good team chemistry on and off the court. This year our seniors have really stepped up. They’ve shown a great amount of leadership on and off the court, just really being encouraging and just being good leaders. We’re a really young team. It’s so great that we can be back the next couple of years. Hopefully we can keep it going.”
“I guess it means a lot more to the people who have followed the program and seen how much we’ve struggled,” said senior guard Malissa Watts. “It’s just a lot more rewarding knowing what it’s like to have a losing streak and now it feels so good to know what it’s like to have a winning streak.”
While winning on the court has been special for both the boys and girls programs at Northwest Christian this season, the camaraderie between the two teams goes beyond success in the gym.
“They encourage us and it’s nice to watch them and see how they work and what they do to succeed,” said Watts.
“The guys have been amazing the last couple of years,” said Hendricksen. “This year the girls are kind of following in their footsteps. We don’t really practice together, but we do normally stay and watch at least a part of their games. I know they’re always there to watch ours. We’re just supportive of each other and hopefully help each other to a win.”
“As for making a trip to the state tournament, it’s become expected for the boys. They just hope the girls will join them for the first time.
“That would be really good for our program and our school,” said Ramey. “It would be awesome to see the girls have the kind of success that we’ve had and get that confidence of being at state so many years in a row. Last year they kept getting better and I think they deserve to be at state this year.”
“The boys and girls are good friends,” said Spuler. “They realize they’re separate programs and each have their own individual goals. It’s really refreshing to see two programs that get along well together and rejoice in each other’s success. It’s a really great atmosphere.”