Gators remain unbeaten
Shania Hintenberger is not surprised the Lakeshore Catholic Gators senior girls basketball team sits atop the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association standings with a perfect 5-0 record.
“We thought we were going to be this good this year because we all came back and I came back from an injury. All of us girls have been really close from a young age and we decided to play as a team,” said Hintenberger Tuesday, moments after netting 28 points to lead her team to an 84-32 victory over the Holy Cross Raiders. “Coach Shy (Shyian McFarland) has brought us tougher. We do a lot of development and practice all the time. All of us are supportive of each other and everyone has each others’ backs.”
Prior to Tuesday’s win over Holy Cross, the Gators beat Notre Dame 41-39 Monday.
“It was really exciting. We walked in with our head up high and said ‘It’s just another game. Don’t worry about it.’ We knew there was going to be one loser and we didn’t want it to be us,” she said. “We just went out and played.”
The Grade 11 student is back on the court after battling the injury bug which included a hairline fracture in her ankle and two stress fractures in her shins.
“I decided to come back and do a sport that I love. It brings me out of all the stuff that is happening outside,” the 16-year-old Port Colborne resident said.
The future looks bright for the Gators as only three players will be lost to graduation.
Hintenberger loves helping Lakeshore Catholic regain its status as a sports school.
“It’s really great and I am excited to not be the laughing (stock) team. We have changed it and now everyone is scared to play us.”
McFarland is thrilled that his team is unbeaten so deep into the season.
“It’s absolutely amazing.”
The reasons for it are many.
“It’s having Shania be a part of the team and the culture we build last season when we came a little bit short. We knew this year we were going to have a solid program just because we had a lot of girls returning,” he said. “We have had some Grade 9s who have entered the school as well and they are really giving us a punch off the bench. Every girl plays their role the way that it is meant to be played and they are focused in practice. We are trying some different things this year offensively and defensively and everyone is buying into everything that we are doing. They are out there having fun, playing with each other and they are all friends. I don’t have to yell at them to share the ball because they share the ball nice and they take the shots that are there when they are needed. They are able to play free and they are not restricted. We have had a few tough games this season that have shown the grit and the heart the girls have been putting into the season.”
The team’s aforementioned culture is a big part of that.
“It’s freedom, togetherness, energy, being humble and just going out there and playing as a team and not as individuals. It’s not worrying about individual numbers but more so worrying about the team and the reputation of the school,” McFarland said. “The girls understand they are out there playing to build a program, to get themselves out there and put the school’s reputation up there because for a long time when you heard Lakeshore it hasn’t notoriously been a good sports school.”
He feels that is evolving throughout the school.
“Program by program, things are changing. New students are coming in to the school who are taking sports more seriously.”
The Raiders struggled against the size and athleticism of the Gators but to their credit, they never stopped working hard. Claire Martires did a good job at point guard and netted 12 points while Grade 9 player Grace Vani was fearless going to the net and finished with a team-high 15 points.
STATS PACK
Gators 84 Raiders 32
Cat’s Caboose Player of the Game: Lakeshore’s Shania Hintenberger with 28 points.
For the Lakeshore Catholic Gators: Hintenberger 28; Addison Thornton 17; Reagan Cassan 10; Lidia Roach 7; Lexi Snider 6; Bridget Peazel 5; Marley Pyke 4; Miracle Francis 2. Five points unaccounted for.
For the Holy Cross Raiders: Grace Vani 15; Claire Martires 12; Leah Briscall 5.
