Immanuel Lutheran boys, girls runners-up at national tourney
The Immanuel boys and girls basketball teams participated in the Lutheran Basketball Association National Championships March 22-24. Both teams got off to a great start, beating their first three opponents easily in play on Friday and Saturday.
The game was a nail biter for the girls team, who sunk a last minute basket to win the game 35-34 in overtime. That put them in the championship game against a quick team from Emanuel Lutheran School in Hamburg, Minnesota. Emanuel took the lead early and the Bobcats fought hard to make their way out of a 12-point deficit. They lost 26-34 to become the National Runner Up (second place).
The boys' team won its semifinal game 41-32 against a tough Faith Lutheran team from Las Vegas, In the championship game, they faced off against St. Paul's Lutheran School from Fort Wayne, Indiana, with a 6' 7" power forward on the team. The boys lost their final game 43-30 to also place second as Runner Up in the National Championship.
Heather Glaser, the girls varsity coach said, "While I know this team would have loved to have brought home a championship, we couldn't be more proud of all of their effort and all of their growth this year. This group of 8th graders in particular struggled with believing in their potential. I hope their successes this season showed them that they are stronger than they think so they'll go into future challenges a little braver. They showed a toughness that makes us excited to see how much more they'll grow, both as players and as people."
Principal Dave Ingwersen would simply like to thank the coaches and parents for their support of all of the players.
Both teams worked hard and used their God-given talents to the best of their abilities. Jeremiah Hernandez (eighth grade) and Margueret Spear (seventh grade) were named to the All-Tournament Team. Hernandez was named Tournament MVP.
For information, contact Immanuel Lutheran School at (847) 359-1936 or visit their website at www.immanuelpalatine.org.
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