Eastview Lightning return to Minnesota girls basketball tournament after 6-year absence
The No. 2 seed Eastview Lightning are back in the Minnesota State Girls Basketball Tournament for the first time in six years, defeating Anoka 62-39 on Wednesday.
These Apple Valley girls are prepping for the highest level of game play they've ever achieved.
The last time the Lightning made a state tournament run was 2019, before any of the current players were on the team.
"We struggled a lot our freshmen year, even our sophomore year," said senior guard and captain Kyndall Purcell.
The seniors only won eight games their freshman year, followed by another year riddled with injuries and setbacks. It was time for the Lightning to rebuild and refocus.
"It took everybody on the team to buy in," said senior guard and captain Myah Maull.
The "buy in" — fueled by Purcell and Winona State-commit Maull — ended in 23 regular season wins, and a whole lot of motivation to go all the way in the state tournament.
"One of our biggest mottos going into state and kind of into sections was 'love over fear,'" Purcell said. "So kind of just remembering we're here for each other."
"We don't care what like social media says or like anything," Maull said. "We know what we're capable of and, you know, we know what we can do as a team."
Head coach Molly Kasper led this program to their last state title in 2018, but this season feels particularly special.
"No matter what happens, this is going to be one of my proudest coaching moments, no matter where we end up just because of the growth and the rebuild," Kasper said.
To bounce back from their low seasons and get back to the tourney is a lesson of resilience for these players.
"Nothing worth having comes easy. They don't know it now but that will take them a really far way someday in life," Kasper said.
The Lightning pride themselves as a defensive team, only allowing their opponents an average of 45.7 points per game.
They will take on No. 3 seed Hopkins Thursday at 8 p.m. at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
