Junior Mackenzie Reese’s adrenaline was pumping.  Her heart was racing.  There were five minutes left in the 2011 IAAM ‘B’ championship game, and the women’s varsity basketball team was down by two points after coming back from a 16 point deficit.  One more basket and they would be able to tie the game.

Ultimately, the team came up short and lost to Notre Dame Preparatory School.  Reese, a point guard, recalls the game as the greatest achievement in her basketball career, a moment when her team mutually worked together for a common goal. 

“We worked so hard to get there and we all came together at the end.  We fell short, but we almost came back, which only means more work for this year because we have some unfinished business,” Reese said.

According to Reese, a competitor in the sport for eight years, her favorite aspect of the game is the team itself.  “We all are close and we’re always there for each other no matter what,” Reese said.

Although she stopped playing club basketball her sophomore year, Reese believes that basketball is a big commitment.  “I honestly think any sport is a huge commitment, but it is a commitment I chose because I love the sport,” she said.

Reese credits her mom for helping fulfill the commitment that basketball entails.  “She has always driven me around everywhere and signed me up for camps that have gotten me to where I am today,” Reese said.

But her mom isn’t the only person she credits her basketball success to.  “I also have to give a lot of credit to Coach Blizzard.  He is tough on all of us sometimes, but he knows what he is doing and really cares about all of us,” Reese said.

Reese is also an avid lacrosse player, and she is able find the similarities between lacrosse and basketball. “I actually think they are a lot alike.  Playing lacrosse really transfers over when helping with my basketball,” Reese said.

Looking into the future, Reese doesn’t think that she will play basketball in college, but would love to continue with the sport and still play even if it’s not at a college level.

Kailey Tracy is a Copy Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.