If any team – healthy or not, full strength or not – had accomplished what the Annville-Cleona girls’ basketball team has this season, it would be characterized as incredible. But what the Dutchmen have achieved without one of its star players, would have to be considered.
Wait, what’s a good word for greater than incredible? Astonishing? Unfathomable? Super stupendous?
Here we are during the early days of February and Annville-Cleona is 12-7 overall and positioned sixth in a District Three AAA classification, which takes six teams for its upcoming postseason tournament. And the Dutchmen have gotten to this point without senior Ava Hoover, one of the top female performers in Lebanon County.
“I’m very pleased,” said Wee Sanchez, Annville-Cleona’s fourth-year head coach. “We have four seniors on the team who play, and Ava Hoover hasn’t stepped on the court. The other three seniors have really stepped it up and taken that leadership role. These kids have come in, and day in and day out, worked hard. These kids are hungry for the postseason.”
If the Dutchmen were able to find their way into the District Three Class AAA playoffs, which begin Feb. 18, there’s a chance that Hoover could return from injury in time to make her initial appearance of the season.
“The team is very tight, very close and they support each other,” said Sanchez. “Ava has been here at every practice and the kids have seen that. I think it shows her character. She’s in it and it’s helped us.
“This senior class is very athletic. When I took over the program, they were freshmen and there were a lot of expectations. The expectation was there that we needed to do this. At the beginning of the season, we had a team meeting, and we said, ‘This is it. We’ve got to do this,’ and they (the players) have. We’ve gotten to this point and they’re excited. Now it’s in our hands to lose. We need to do what we need to do.”
With five straight triumphs, Annville-Cleona opened the season 5-0. The Dutchmen also pieced together a similar four-game winning skein in the middle of January.
“We’ve been consistent defensively,” said Sanchez. “On the offensive side, we haven’t been as consistent. I’ve seen players miss one or two shots and they put their heads down. As coaches, we try to talk them through it and get them to the next play. We’ve had some bad nights shooting and we started to second guess ourselves. But we always bring the energy and the effort on defense.”
“It’s a long season and it’s hard to stay focused,” he added. “They (the players) know where they’re at in the standings, and I think it’s helped us stay motivated and not become complacent. Winning is fun. If you’re not winning, it’s harder to motivate players. They signed up for it and they don’t want to let me down.”
In Hoover’s absence, fellow senior Kendall Cooper has really come into her own as a scorer and leader for the Dutchmen. Cooper has been supported by Audrey Sider and Lilliana Sanchez, two more 12th-graders, as well as junior Savannah Kleinfelter and junior Caitlin Shay, and Valeria Russo, Dana Hoover and Addison Sanchez, all sophomores.
“I’m a firm believer that being part of a team game goes a long way,” said Sanchez. “It teaches you how to work well with each other. It teaches you how to overcome adversity. When these girls leave Annville-Cleona, we want them to have success in the real world. Us coaches want these players to have the tools they need to be successful.
“I have awesome, awesome basketball individuals on this team. They just want to be the best that they can be. They hold themselves accountable and not just on the basketball floor. They’re top-notch characters. I’m proud to coach them. Character goes a long, long way.”
Since taking over four years ago, Sanchez’s Annville-Cleona girls’ basketball teams have enjoyed a 12-win season, a 15-win season and last year a 13-win season. But none of those campaigns were good enough to get the Dutchmen into the District Three postseason.
“We haven’t cracked districts yet,” said Sanchez. “It’s been in our hands. Our destiny is in our hands. The girls are focused on that. We’ve all got to be together. We have to jell. We have to be in-synch. I think that’s the No. 1 thing. When we’re in-synch it’s fun to watch and we’re hard to play against.
“All I want for this team is to make districts. They’ve worked their butts off, and I want them to taste it. If we do, what happens is there becomes an expectation next year.”
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