Naomi Wolf, the author, once said, “Obstacles, of course, are developmentally necessary: they teach kids strategy, patience, critical thinking, resilience and resourcefulness.” Gever Tulley, the writer and speaker, gave it to us like this, “Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work though difficult problems.” Then Jamais Cascio, the author, put it where the goats could get it when he spit, “Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive.”
Well playas…the Warren Central Lady Warriors overcame the unexpected and not only survived but they thrived in the moment. With the Class 4A State Championship on the line they reached down deep inside of themselves and found that Warren Central “Pride” that they sing about and walked outta the joint with the hardware. They knocked off Zionsville 50-46 in a thriller at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
They struggled out of the gate in the first quarter and couldn’t buy a field goal. They shot a miserable 27 percent from the field but they’ve been livin’ their motto “Can’t Fold Won’t Fold” and quickly turned it around in the second. They quickly improved to 60 percent from the field to go up 25-23 despite gettin’ out rebounded 17-12 at the break.
The resilience of these kids is what got them through. They Struggled from the foul line shootin’ 19 of 28 but they’ve been battle tested. How many times have you heard me say or write that if you can survive in the hood you can survive anywhere? That means in a state championship game too.
There were plenty of times durin’ the course of this game that these young ladies could have folded but they didn’t. They relied on their leader Shaila Beeler to keep bein’ aggressive at gettin’ to the rack and drawin’ fouls. She led all scorers with 21 points and knocked down 12 of 16 free throws, more than anyone else even attempted.
K’ja Talley packed her lunch and ate everybody else’s as she dropped off 14 points. Talk about bein’ a spark and makin’ big plays! She came up with 3 steals at critical moments of the game to help the Lady Warriors push pass a pesky Zionsville team down the stretch. Melody Johnson came out of the back seat with 7 points just to let ‘um know that she was definitely in the ride.
Remember when I told you that they were out rebounded in the first half? Well…they jumped out of the whip like some real hustlas in the second half. Cydni Dodd led all players with 7 rebounds to push the Warren Central total rebounds to 26 one shy of Zionsville’s 27 for the game.
The East Side is lit tonight and the Pit was rockin’ at Bankers Life!! It’s so refreshin’ to see our kids accomplish greatness because it’s contagious. Look what can happen when adults, teachers and administrators believe in the next generation of leaders.
It’s a powerful moment when kids reach the pinnacle. They’ve now unlocked the door to understandin’ what’s on the other side if you actually put in the work. Enjoy this state championship and allow it to be the beginnin’ of your succes in life and not the only highlight.
Salute these young ladies because they deserve every bit of it and when you see coach Mitchell give him a pound and a hug and then keep it movin’! Stop me when I start lyin’!
Playas Thesaurus:
1) Spit: verb – to say
2) Dun: noun – the person in question, dude, guy, etc. It’s whoever I’m talkin’ about and its non-gender specific.
3) Put it where the goats can get it: verb phrase – to make it as elementary as possible. To put it at ground level so everyone can understand it.
4) Ride: noun – automobile
The G is excluded from the endings of all words because the G is near and dear to my heart because I’m from “The G” which is Gary, Indiana. So I only use the G when I’m talkin’ about “The G!”
The caption under the photo isn’t real but its real talk!