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COLUMBIA — Determined to play her final game, Skyline girls' basketball star Ashlen Garrett warmed up with her teammates minutes before the Lady Tigers attempted to repeat as Missouri Class 2 state champions.
The night before, Garrett had hurt her knee. The star senior, who is destined to be named the state's player of the year, wanted to play one last time alongside the sisters she had grown to love over the years.
Garrett was announced as a starter, and she gave it a go. After playing for five minutes, she decided she didn't have it. As much as she wanted to play, Garrett didn't want to negatively impact her team. She wiped away tears as she sat next to a coach on the sideline for the remainder of the night.
"I didn't want to slow the team down and cost them a championship," Garrett said. "I knew if I couldn't be there on the court, I was going to be there for them on the bench."
Garrett was often the first one off the bench, encouraging her teammates not to give up. The Lady Tigers trailed by as many as 10 points late in the second quarter before storming back to retake the lead late in the fourth.
When the clock was ticking down and a 53-45 win over St. Vincent was in hand, Garrett's eyes started to swell up again. This time, it was with happiness as she hobbled her way onto the court to celebrate Skyline's second Class 2 state championship in a row.
"I'm so proud of Ashlen," Skyline coach Kevin Cheek said. "She could have sat there and felt sorry for herself and not been in it. I think she's the best player in the state, and that's probably the hardest decision she's ever had to make."
Garrett's selflessness proved critical in Skyline securing its eighth championship in program history and its first since 2017. When individual medals were awarded after the game, no one received a larger ovation than Garrett, who hugged Cheek on Saturday afternoon at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
It took seemingly every player on the Skyline roster to get it done, and the Redd sisters, Shelby and Sadie, combined for 30 points. Kenzi Cheek, the head coach's senior daughter, scored 13 points with four rebounds.
Shelby Redd made the Lady Tigers' go-ahead 3 with 3:33 left, giving them their first lead of the second half. It's a lead they didn't give up.
"We talk a lot about being able to look yourself in the mirror when it's over and said and say 'I did all I could,'" Kevin Cheek said. "I think at halftime, they looked inside of them and said that's not all they had, and then they went out and gave all they had."
The victory marked the end for six seniors who led the Lady Tigers to three consecutive state semifinal appearances. In 2023, their season ended in the semifinals when losing to Fair Grove, which completed a Class 3 three-peat on Thursday night.
It also marked the end of Kevin Cheek coaching his daughter, Kenzi Cheek playing alongside her sisters, and the end of a remarkable high school career for one of the best players in the state.
Kevin Cheek walked down the line after the game, awarding medals to the girls who had given him more than he had given them. There wasn't a single dry eye, but for happiness of what had been accomplished. There was also some sadness, knowing it was over.
"I'm probably just going to get to college and cry myself to sleep," Garrett laughed.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Skyline girls basketball rallies to beat St. Vincent in Class 2 championship
Continue reading...
The night before, Garrett had hurt her knee. The star senior, who is destined to be named the state's player of the year, wanted to play one last time alongside the sisters she had grown to love over the years.
Garrett was announced as a starter, and she gave it a go. After playing for five minutes, she decided she didn't have it. As much as she wanted to play, Garrett didn't want to negatively impact her team. She wiped away tears as she sat next to a coach on the sideline for the remainder of the night.
"I didn't want to slow the team down and cost them a championship," Garrett said. "I knew if I couldn't be there on the court, I was going to be there for them on the bench."
Garrett was often the first one off the bench, encouraging her teammates not to give up. The Lady Tigers trailed by as many as 10 points late in the second quarter before storming back to retake the lead late in the fourth.
When the clock was ticking down and a 53-45 win over St. Vincent was in hand, Garrett's eyes started to swell up again. This time, it was with happiness as she hobbled her way onto the court to celebrate Skyline's second Class 2 state championship in a row.
"I'm so proud of Ashlen," Skyline coach Kevin Cheek said. "She could have sat there and felt sorry for herself and not been in it. I think she's the best player in the state, and that's probably the hardest decision she's ever had to make."
Garrett's selflessness proved critical in Skyline securing its eighth championship in program history and its first since 2017. When individual medals were awarded after the game, no one received a larger ovation than Garrett, who hugged Cheek on Saturday afternoon at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
It took seemingly every player on the Skyline roster to get it done, and the Redd sisters, Shelby and Sadie, combined for 30 points. Kenzi Cheek, the head coach's senior daughter, scored 13 points with four rebounds.
Shelby Redd made the Lady Tigers' go-ahead 3 with 3:33 left, giving them their first lead of the second half. It's a lead they didn't give up.
"We talk a lot about being able to look yourself in the mirror when it's over and said and say 'I did all I could,'" Kevin Cheek said. "I think at halftime, they looked inside of them and said that's not all they had, and then they went out and gave all they had."
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The victory marked the end for six seniors who led the Lady Tigers to three consecutive state semifinal appearances. In 2023, their season ended in the semifinals when losing to Fair Grove, which completed a Class 3 three-peat on Thursday night.
It also marked the end of Kevin Cheek coaching his daughter, Kenzi Cheek playing alongside her sisters, and the end of a remarkable high school career for one of the best players in the state.
Kevin Cheek walked down the line after the game, awarding medals to the girls who had given him more than he had given them. There wasn't a single dry eye, but for happiness of what had been accomplished. There was also some sadness, knowing it was over.
"I'm probably just going to get to college and cry myself to sleep," Garrett laughed.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Skyline girls basketball rallies to beat St. Vincent in Class 2 championship
Continue reading...
