It’s been a long road for the Norwood girls’ basketball team to make it back to the final four as the Lady Pirates haven’t been there in 24 years.
Norwood’s eyes weren’t necessarily set on the final four last fall.
“Honestly, no idea at the beginning of the season we could make it this far and this is just super exciting,” said Norwood senior Kaytlynn Drake.
Sometimes winning takes time.
“It’s the first time our girl’s program has made it since 1998 I believe, and they’ve come a long way,” said Norwood girls basketball coach Wayne Jessen.
No one has come further, nor waited longer than Kaytlynn Drake.
“It was a long process but I’m glad to be back,” she said.
Being back on the court was never guaranteed for Kaytlynn, who tore her ACL during the summer before her sophomore year.
“I was out for about 10 months, came back for close to a month and a half. I was in a summer game, and I jump stopped,” Drake said.
That’s when Kaytlynn suffered another torn ACL, this time to her other knee. That began another 10-month absence from games.
“I was at every practice unless I was at physical therapy for two years, so it was hard for me to watch my team doing what I couldn’t do and knowing that I couldn’t help them,” Drake said.
The dark days for Kaytlynn came with dark times for the program, as the Lady Pirates won just three games total during the two years without her.
“Those last two years have just pushed me to be the best leader that I can be for my teammates and just be the best team player that I can be,” she added.
“She’s a great leader on and off the floor, a great kid. She can shoot. They have to come out and guard her and if they don’t, she can stroke it she’s a nice player,” Jessen said.
Why did she come back after all of that?
“The love for the game and my teammates. I just wanted to be the best that I can be for them,” Drake said.
It’s a love that no injury can break.
