By Nate Beutel
GRAND ISLAND — Her team had just suffered a second loss to Lockport. It was a defeat marred by a slow start, a lack of defense and limited focus. All aspects of the game that the Grand Island girls basketball program prides itself on.
After the game, veteran Vikings coach Jen Banker went around the locker room looking for insight from her team. What she got from junior reserve Jess Yarnes was a line that would carry the Vikings deep into March.
“I let all the kids talk and Jess said we didn’t have a sense of urgency,” Banker said. “As soon as she said it, everyone agreed that she was right. A sense of urgency was exactly what we were missing.”
Since then GI has ripped off six straight victories, won a second consecutive Class A-1 championship and advanced to the Class A Far West Regional for the first time since back-to-back trips in 2003-04 and 04-05.
“Thank God she said that,” sophomore point guard Kallie Banker said of Yarnes’ thoughts. “It was kind of a kick in the butt for us. It really pinpointed exactly what we were missing.”
Yarnes, who is a top-notch practice player, added, “I felt like we would always be real flat, especially at the beginning of games. After I said something it all seemed to make sense for everyone. We saw things from a different perspective.”
The same could be said when senior captain Kristin Wegrzyn went down with a season and career-ending knee injury, according to the elder Banker.
“When she got hurt, we all said ‘we have to go for this now because the future is promised to no one,’” the coach said.
That message becomes as important as ever at 2 p.m. Saturday when the Vikings battle Section V Class A champion Greece Arcadia at Gates Chili High School for an opportunity to play in the state semifinals for the first time in school history.
“We need to go out there and get it done,” Yarnes said. “We know what we want. There’s no turning back now. We’ve got to do it. It’s our time.”
Contact reporter Nate Beutel at 282-2311, ext. 2262.
TIME TO TIP
• WHO: Grand Island vs. V-Greece Arcadia
• WHAT: Class A Far West Regional
• WHEN: 2 p.m. Saturday
• WHERE: Gates Chili High School
