Although they came up short in the state title game in Normal Thursday night, falling to state champion Quincy, the 2022 North Ridge 8th Grade Girls Basketball Team will be remembered for a 23-3 season, a second place finish in the state tournament, and some amazing victories. Along the way, Coach Drew O’Connell’s team defeated defending state champion (7th grade title last year) Taylorville, along with a win over Jane Addams Middle School from girls basketball powerhouse Bolingbrook.
After placing the 2nd place trophy in the North Ridge trophy case Friday morning; Coach O’Connell said that following the ride home from the title game, and a chance to sleep on it, everyone was realizing what an amazing season it was.
AUDIO: I see a lot more smiling faces today, realizing how good we did, and this is going to go down as the best team in North Ridge history. So we’re pretty proud of that. We definitely earned it, you now what I mean? We went through some powerhouses that had been to state before; we never had. We always took care of ourselves. We always talked about ‘we just do what we do, we’ll end up winning games.’ And that’s what we did all the way to the state championship game; just came up a little short.
It was a big morning at North Ridge this final day before the Winter Break. The team walked through students who lined the hallway, the band was in the hallway to play Christmas music as everyone arrived this morning, and Michael Remole from Gateway Family Services of Illinois in Potomac was there with one of his miniature horses for the students to meet, Callie.
