By Diana Hammell
Argus Sportswriter
Caledonia was well represented at the Class AA state girlsí basketball tournament on Thursday, March 15 at the University of Minnesota Pavilion ñ by its athletes, by its students, and by its fans.

Caledonia was ahead for most of the game, and even had a 16-0 lead in the first period; but when the clock stopped at the end of the game, it was during one of the few minutes when the Warriors were not leading. The final score was Caledonia 38, Pipestone Area 40.

Although Pipestone is a very physical team, the Warriors gave as good as they got. The next day, Pipestone defeated Jordan 62-57 in overtime, then went on to defeat Albany 50-49 for the state title on Saturday.

Coach Scott Sorenson said that another step was taken in building this program to where they feel it belongs.

"A berth in the state tournament was quite an accomplishment for these girls," said Sorenson. "They worked very hard and really bought into what we as a coaching staff were teaching them. The week before the game the girls were again focused to get better and give their best effort.

"We attended the State tournament banquet the night before, which was wonderful and the parents and community should be very proud of their girls as they represented our school with class.

"When Thursday came the girls were ready to go as was shown from the start we had in the game, getting out to a 16-0 lead. We knew that they were too good of a team to go away and we needed to keep pushing. As expected, they worked their way back into the game. The wheels just seemed to come off and our shots were not falling and we were just not getting to the boards the way we had in the previous games.

I give a lot of credit to Pipestone they were more physical than we were and they took us out of our game. We had our chances, but it just was not meant to be. I was very proud of how the girls kept battling all the way down to the final horn. There was never a doubt in their eyes that we were not going to win this game. With three seconds left and the game tied, they hit a shot to put them ahead by 2 and our final attempt at a shot just fell a little short.

"The girls know after walking off the court that we are the better team and sometimes the better team does not win. This was a great experience for these players, a lot of which will be back next year with one goal in mind. They expect to get back to the state tournament and finish what they have started.

"Throughout the course of the year this team improved so much, and that credit goes to them. We as coaches can try to teach them and try to make them better, but if they donít want it in their hearts, it wonít happen. This team believed they could win, but they also believed they had to work hard to accomplish it.

"Yes it hurts to lose a game in which we thought we could win, but in a few weeks these girls will be proud of what they accomplished. What may help or hurt a bit for these girls is the fact that Pipestone went on to win a State title.

"I would like to thank everyone who supported us. The fan support was awesome. We on the bench could really hear the support. Thank you!

"I also give a lot of credit for the success of the season to our three seniors who really stepped up as leaders and kept the team believing. Jane Pettit, Ashley King and Danielle Frank, you are true leaders and I am proud of you. Thanks for a great season!"

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