Another Step Forward
FOXBURG — The members of the A-C Valley girls basketball team prefer not to look to the past.
All that is on their mind is the present and a chance to do something no Falcons' girls basketball team has ever done.
Win a Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference championship.
“I don't think we think about past seasons too much,” said senior Allison Sherman. “Since the ninth grade, we've improved every year. But we definitely do have a little of a chip on our shoulder.”
That chip has served them well this season.
A-C Valley heads into the title game at 8 p.m. Friday at Clarion University against undefeated North Clarion (22-0) with an 18-4 record and an eight-game winning streak.
“It means the world to us,” said senior forward Ellie Thompson. “It's been a long time coming. We definitely felt like we had something to prove.”
The Falcons last loss? A 43-34 setback to the Wolves.
“I think it's been building to this,” said A-C Valley girls coach Dave Sherman, who has been at the helm of the program for nine years. “When I took the job, these girls were in the fourth grade. It's an interesting group. They've put the time in and they deserve everything they've gotten.”
This group has posted a 54-37 record and all three of the program's winning seasons since 1995.
A-C Valley has had as many winless seasons as winning seasons since then, including a 47-game losing streak more than a decade ago.
“They probably know the history of the program,” Coach Sherman said. “We've had some not-so-great teams, but they just do what they do. They don't think about that stuff. They only know one way to play and that's hard.
“There's been peaks and valleys,” he added. “But that's small school sports. I just try to get out of their way and let them play. This group is outstanding.”
And motivated.
And dangerous.
It starts with Thompson, who went over 1,000 career points earlier this season and is averaging nearly 20 points per game this year.
But the forward has a lot of help around her.
Junior Kylee Eaton is a big inside presence. Junior Olivia Boocks, before she was lost to the season with a knee injury, was an exceptional point guard and scoring threat. Seniors Emma Fox and Allison Sherman are a defensive stars. Junior Cami McNany and senior Annie Viertel have also provided invaluable contributions, especially after the Boocks injury.
The team has rallied around Boocks after she went down several weeks ago.
“Every game I go out and think about her,” Thompson said. “I play for her. She's at every practice, at every game, cheering us on.”
She'll be there Friday at Tippin Gymnasium as the Falcons try to take another step forward.
“Just from talking to my teammates, we're all super excited,” Allison Sherman said. “We've been playing since elementary school and I think we work really well together as a team.
“There will definitely be nerves,” she added. “The nerves have already set in. We need to shake that before (Friday) and realize making it there is a great accomplishment.”
