By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
The Timothy Christian girls basketball team’s successful season was punctuated by the recent announcement Jordyn Strube and Olivia Schuringa made the Class 2A all-state honorable-mention team.
Strube and Schuringa helped the Trojans go 20-10, finish 8-4 in Metro Suburban Conference Red Division play, win a Class 2A regional title and advance to a Class 2A sectional title game.
“The fact we won regionals made our season special,” said Strube. “We played very well. We played some close games and won some close games we weren’t supposed to. The regional title and everything else made it such a good season.”
Strube said the team’s attitude played a big role in what was accomplished. “We all got along very well,” she said. “We all worked very well together and that makes everything work out well. When we got into the post, our post players caught the passes, especially Liv (Olivia), Emily (DeBoer) and Hannah (Schuringa).”
Strube noted the Trojans also excelled thanks to the contributions of freshmen Sureya Alex and Hannah Schuringa. “The two freshman helped us big-time,” she said.
Strube said she had an inkling this year’s group could have success. “I definitely expected us to do well,” she said. “I’m happy we did as well as I expected.”
On the individual front, Strube said passing improvement helped her take the next step. “I got better at passing,” she said. “My ball-handling skills also improved. There were times I had to take the ball up and keep things under control. Last year I had some crazy passes. This year I was more under control.”
Strube noted the all-state honorable-mention award she received with Olivia Schuringa has strong meaning. “I didn’t expect to receive that,” she said. “I’m only a junior and to receive that is a nice accomplishment that I’m thankful for.”
Strube, who would like to play the sport in college, will be one of many returning players for the Trojans next season.
“Almost everybody is coming back,” she said. “Besides Olivia and Emily graduating, the two freshmen will be sophomores and they were big contributors. Our big thing is we need to get our turnovers under control and stop turning the ball over. Turning the ball over during important times leads to extra points for the other team. We lost several games because of that. If we keep working hard, we can be just as good as this year. We’re so excited for next year.”
