Katie, Kati Take Vc To State

It’s been a long journey from where Valley Christian’s girls basketball team was four years ago to where it is today, a first-time State B qualifier.

Two players, Kati Rosholt and Katie Arnhold, have been there every step of the way, the only remaining seniors on the team.

“They have a lot of perspective,” said first-year coach Rick Biel. “They’ve been around all four years and seen the real bad and real good.”

The 1997 Panthers, with both in the lineup, finished 6-15 overall, were 2-11 in the Bi-County League and were eliminated from the league tournament in two games.

The next year, Valley Christian chose to play a junior varsity-only schedule because its girls team was so young.

Last year, the team made the district playoffs for the first time under coach Dan Hopson. This year, the Panthers won their first BiCounty League regular season and tournament titles and have reached the finals of the District 7 B playoffs to earn their first-ever State B tournament berth.

Arnhold is a four-year starter who as a freshman said “I fouled out of every game except one. But I ran, hustled and tried.”

Rosholt came up in December of that year after playing on a jayvee team that, by her admission, lost games by scores like 30-2.

She replaced injured senior Nicole Monforton, whose freshman sister Jenae is currently on the state tournament-bound team.

“I started as a point guard not really knowing what I was doing,” Rosholt said.

Hopson did, the next year opting to play a jayvee schedule with a team of sophomores and freshman.

“We were so mad, mainly because we had lettered as freshman but wouldn’t as sophomores,” Rosholt recalled. “But that was where we learned to win.”

Last year, bouyed by the addition of freshman Carli Smith, Valley Christian became a contender.

“It was nice to finally have girls who started in elementary school,” said Arnhold. “The only reason I was halfway successful was because of soccer and other sports.”

Her job in the post, she said, is primarily to box out on rebounds and hustle on defense. Rosholt, a state-placing 800 runner in track, doesn’t start, deferring to youth.

But, said new-coach Biel, “without a doubt she is the unquestioned leader on the team.”

She’s almost a coach on the floor, pointing out things the players must do and alerting the coaches of changing situations. Arnhold called her the “team mom” for her caring ways.

Valley Christian players established four goals at the beginning of the season and have reached nearly all of them.

They have compiled a winning record at 20-2 overall, easily the best in school history.

The second and third goals were to be Bi-County champions and to play for the District 7 championship, which they will do tonight against unbeaten Saint George’s.

The fourth goal was to reach state, which they’ve done, and win a trophy.

“I thought we had a chance,” said Biel. “But I knew it would take a tremendous effort on our part.”

That meant playing with confidence, team unity and discipline and overcoming obstacles. The major obstacle came during a blowout loss to Wilbur-Creston that jarred the team and resurrected doubts from the past.

But the girls regrouped, as evidenced by their ability on Wednesday to overcome a first-half deficit and foul troubles to scoring and rebound leader Smith against Selkirk.

“They could have folded their tents, but kept battling,” said Biel.

Winning a trophy would be the final, gratifying step for the two Valley Christian seniors, who stayed the course during the journey to respectability.

“There’s nothing like being a part of that first (championship) banner,” said Arnhold.

Added Rosholt, “It means much more going to state because of the effort past girls put in to make it happen.”