Your 2006-07 Lady Wolfpack has made history.
After a 12-2 conference record and a 20-point, come-from-behind, record-setting 62-60 win over LSU-Shreveport on Feb. 12, they’ve merited their highest ranking ever – No.23 in the country, the program’s first top 25 ranking ever.
And when the highest stakes hung in the balance, Kiely Schork and Dani Holland, hauling the most experience on coach Dobee Plaisance’s top-tier squad (17-8 overall), were the ones that came through.
“It’s certainly a testament to their character,” Plaisance said. “Any player can get themselves down and start making excuses. But these two, when they make mistakes, they own up to them and take ownership of their issues. But when they are playing right, they are humble.”
Against LSU-Shreveport, Schork, to say the least, was “playing right” – the Lady Wolfpack, which set a school record with its tenth straight win, trailed 45-25 with 17:13 to go in the contest. With 2:46 left, she capped off a 27-7 run in ice cold fashion to tie the score at 52, knocking down one of her five three-pointers in the game’s most crucial possession.
Working against a 60-57 deficit, Schork knotted the score up for the sixth time with a triple, tallying the last of her 19 points. On the next possession, Christine Mainguy dispossessed LSU-S’s Janai Sells and found an unmarked Holland under the Lady Pilots’ basket.
Holland, with the sure hands of a veteran, nailed the winning layup.
With the clock winding down on the Lady Wolfpack’s momentous Feb. 10 Hall of Fame game win over then-No. 23 Xavier University (the Lady Wolfpack knocked them out of the Top 25), there weren’t many issues for Holland and Schork to own up to but plenty of “playing right” – what the explosive and young Smith twins (psychology sophomore Trenese scored 22 points and earned her fourth GCAC player of the week the week of Feb. 9; psychology sophomore Trenell scored 14) got going, the two veterans ushered to its historic conclusion with level-headed, experienced and downright clutch play. It was the second time Loyola beat Xavier.
As Xavier threatened to close in on a 59-51 deficit with 3:57 to go, Schork (20 points) connected on a kilometric three-point bomb that forced a frenzied Xavier to take a timeout and detonated volcanic elation in The Den’s packed stands. As Xavier advanced the ball on their next possession, she forced Xavier’s Jarryn Cleaves (led all scorers with 24 points) into a carry.
At 2:27, with the score still 62-51 after the two teams traded stops, Holland (who recorded a double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds) buried a 20-foot jumper from the top of the key that forced Xavier into another timeout. But Xavier fought back to a 64-57 deficit with 1:22 to go and looked to have shaken the Lady Wolfpack from its composure on the court.
At that moment, Holland delivered a three-pointer that had The Den reaching decibel levels never before chartered as Xavier took its final timeout. She pumped her fists and howled in glee as she joined the huddle by Loyola’s bench.
“Dani hit some huge, huge shots,” Schork said. “It was very exciting.” As was evident by the standing ovation she merited in the last 8.3 seconds of the game, as Holland walked to the foul line to shoot for and score Loyola’s last two points of the evening.
Schork then absorbed a charge on the defensive end to guard the 10-point lead Holland’s shot afforded the Wolfpack. From there, Xavier sent Schork to the foul line twice and Trenell Smith, psychology freshman, to the foul line four times.
They both hit all six attempts as thunderous applause sustained long after the buzzer sounded and Plaisance’s ladies had marched off the court, kicking off the weekend’s festivities by securing sole possession of the GCAC lead from Xavier.
“Today was one of the biggest,” a breathless Holland said afterward. “I’ve been waiting for this day since my freshman year, and I’ve known that we could make it this far, and we’ve finally done it.”
And finally, for Schork and Holland (who started the season sidelined with a torn meniscus and recovering from surgery), what had once been banter reserved for the locker room is finally reality.
“It’s something we talk about all the time – winning conference championships and being No. 1. And we’re finally right there,” Schork said.
Ramon Antonio Vargas can be reached at [email protected].
