A slam dunk of a season

The Bomber Girls Basketball Team finished their season with a strong team bond.

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Claire Dicke

Kyra Schoenfelder tricks her opponent before making a pass to her teammate.

This year for the Cannon Falls Bomber Girls Basketball team was one with lots of ups and downs. The season kicked off to a rocky start, with them losing all 7 games in the month of December, which started the team off with a record of 0 wins and 7 losses. However, the team ended with 8 wins and 19 losses, with all 8 wins coming in the second half of the season.

Going into the second half of the season without a win was discouraging, but after a couple of wins to gain momentum, things really picked up. The team went on a 5 game win streak, which was the highlight of the season for head coach Joel Rustad. During the winning streak, the team first defeated Dover-Eyota, then Lewiston-Altura, Byron, Zumbrota-Mazeppa, and lastly La Crescent-Hokah. 

The biggest win in the mix was against the Byron Bears. The first time the two teams faced off, the Bears took down the Bombers winning by 40 points, so as senior captain Kyra Schoenfelder described, “we previously lost to them by 40 points early in the season, so to play them again and win was incredible.” She also stated that the win over the Bears in their second meeting was a big confidence booster for the team which helped them to win games later in the season.

This season was Schoenfelder’s last season playing for the Bombers, as she was a senior. Being a senior this year, Schoenfelder was put into a larger role than she had been previously, but she mentioned that she felt as the season progressed she began to fill her role, which was felt by her teammates. Also, she noted that she grew into her role in the team’s offense. Her role on the offensive side of the game helped the team tremendously and was felt by everyone. It also helped the team to win close games.

Going into the postseason with the confidence boost of the 5 game win streak and the help of Schoenfleder on offense, the team had confidence that they could give their playoff opponent a run for their money. 

On February 23rd the team faced off with the number 3 seed, the Caledonia Warriors. Only six days before the playoff game against the Warriors, the Bombers finished their regular season by facing the Warriors, but they suffered a devastating loss, losing by 41 points. However, in the playoff game against the Warriors, the Bombers only lost by 14 points with the score being Warriors 57, and Bombers 43. 

Although the team finished with a losing record and a short playoff run, throughout the season, as coach Rustad stated, the team gelled together and gained confidence.