SOUTH WHITLEY – In sports, statistics measure production. For the 2014-15 Whitko High School girls basketball team, there’s only one number that really matters, and ideally it would be used several times over. “We’ve talked about it all summer,” said head coach Brandon Bradley. “Over and over, it’s ‘numbers on the banner.’” Whitko has enjoyed at least modest success in every sport, and some teams have made some postseason noise. But on the girls basketball banner hanging on the north end of the gymnasium, there’s only “08,” representing the 2007-08 Three Rivers Conference title. While having played for a sectional title in girls basketball on several occasions, the Lady Wildcats have never won one. This year’s team wants to be the beginning of a new tradition, where putting up numbers is more literal, and more meaningful, than any game statistic could ever be. “Not only do they want to do it for themselves, they want to put numbers on the banner for their sisters, who came close but maybe fell just a little short,” said Bradley. “They want to do it for the alumni, and for their community, so it’s a point of pride here.” Just to be clear, the coach added that a sectional title isn’t a be-all, end-all, cure-all goal. “I want them to be greedy,” he smiled. “Winning a conference championship and a sectional title would be great, but if we won the sectional then came out and laid an egg in the regional the next week, I think that would be a disappointment to this group of girls.” Whitko brings to the floor a combination of upperclassmen, underclassmen and experience with winning. Four seniors, three juniors and five sophomores will provide the foundation to, according to plan, be the beginning of many numbers on the banner, according to Bradley. Returning from last year’s sectional runner-up team are cousins Aly and Jennifer Reiff, a sophomore and junior, respectively, as well as seniors Aly Nicodemus and Reghan Craig, and sophomore Brianna Cumberland. The quintet averaged 39 points and 18 points per game during the 2013-14 campaign. Seniors Maddie Gawthorp and Michelle Kelsey, juniors Avaree Freel and Emily Day, and sophomores Hanna Yohe, her twin sister Haley and Kennedy Krull are all expected to see significant playing time this season. With the mix comes the potential for discord, but Bradley says that isn’t the case with his team. “The thing about this team is they’ll all hold themselves accountable, hold each other accountable, and are committed to each other like crazy,” he said. “They all want to succeed, and while every team has some players that are more talented than others, we don’t have anyone not giving an all-out effort every day in practice. “It’s a different mindset than it was when I first got here four years ago. They’re all self-motivated, and a lot of times they’re correcting and encouraging each other in practice before I can say anything to them. They’re different people, but they hang out with each other in school. They really care about each other. “They’re used to winning; the senior and sophomore classes lost just two games each in three seasons when they were in middle school. They know what it takes to succeed, and they’re willing to do the work.”
