After a long season, the St. Olaf Women’s Basketball team played their season finale game against Carleton on Feb. 21 in the Skoglund Athletic Center. With one of their biggest crowds in attendance, the team ended their season with an incredible 62-52 victory against their crosstown rivals.
This was a great moment for the Oles.
Joy Brandenstein ’27 led St. Olaf with a career-high of 24 game points, alongside Erin Schauer ’29, who made three three-pointers as a part of her 12 points.
Elise Hahn ’28 had her 10th double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and securing 16 rebounds.
In the third quarter, with the game tied, the Oles scored seven points, five of which were scored by Brandenstein. Going into the fourth quarter, St. Olaf made that gap a little bit bigger with three-pointers by Schauer and Norah Bickett ’29.
Ending this season with a memorable win was exactly what this team needed after a season with many ups and downs. After six players were out due to season-ending injuries and plenty of other players were out for sickness, the team had an extra level of stress on them this season.
“Our numbers were so limited, so you had to play more minutes than normal … we felt that pressure to stay out there and just keep playing,” Bree Wilkerson ’27 said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. But while there was pressure, there was also a commitment to work harder for their fellow teammates.
“With injuries and sickness keeping people out, we knew we were limited, but at the same time, we want to persevere, knowing that these people who are out would want to be in the position I am in right now,” Hahn said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “So, go out there, play well, and give it your all for the people that can’t. [This] is something that our team used to push us forward this season.”
“Seeing all the people who aren’t able to play makes you more grateful for the position you are in,” Schauer said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “Even though you might be tired or maybe not having the best game, you are motivated by the people on the sideline who still showed up, even [with everything] we have been through this season.”
With no seniors on the team this year, the Women’s Basketball team is looking forward to next season and trying to move past the hardships of this one.
“We are gonna keep building off of what we were building on this year; leaving all of the injuries and difficulties in the past, [and] moving forward to the new year,” Wilkerson said. The team is excited for another opportunity to continue to play together, as well as welcoming new members who will join next season.
“The idea that — even when there [were] struggles — we were still together as a team and playing for each other, helped to not focus on winning or losing … and just [keep] playing for next year,” Brandenstein said.
At the heart of this team was a true commitment to each other and the strong connections that they have developed throughout this season.
“I want us to be described as hardworking and unselfish, and you can definitely say that about our team this year,” Head Coach Megan Lueck said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “They care not only about themselves being successful, but also their teammates being successful.”
What kept the team going through it all was each other — they played for their teammates, and made every moment count. “For freshmen, they are starting their last four years of basketball, and for juniors, we are going into the last season we are going to play,” said Wilkerson. “So, we are trying to be in the present moment, playing as a team together.”
