Believe

The following article appeared in today's Aberdeen American news. Our girls lost to an EXCELLENT Dell Rapids team in the first round at State A's in Watertown today, but hopefully they can win tomorrow! Good luck, girls! I am proud of you!!

**Pics taken from the Aberdeen American News and the Marshall County Journal

Britton-Hecla custodian inspired state-bound basketball girls
BY Deb Smith, dsmith@aberdeennews.com
Published on Thursday, March 12, 2009

A note left on a chalkboard by a school custodian has served as the inspiration for the Britton-Hecla girls' basketball team's run through the post season and a state tournament appearance.The Braves beat Tiospa Zina 45-37 in the opening round of District 1A two weeks ago, but faced perennial district and Northeast Conference powerhouse Sisseton in the district final. Sisseton was ranked among the top 10 teams in the state, had only three losses all season and had beaten Britton-Hecla by 28 points earlier in the season.“Not a person in the gym thought we had a chance against Sisseton - except for us,” said Britton-Hecla coach Dan Olson. “A school custodian (Treva Oland) left a note for the girls on the blackboard in the locker room about believing in themselves and the only ones that needed to believe was them. When I showed the team the note, Morgan Storley (eighth-grade player) said, 'I believe, Coach.' Treva had watched us all year and knew we had talent.”Britton-Hecla won the district game 39-34 over highly favored Sisseton.“Every girl off the bench made plays, and we stuck around and made plays at the end of the game. We gained a lot of confidence,” Olson said.The Braves' next opponent was Groton, a team that beat them twice during the regular season. The winner of the Region 1A game would advance to the state tournament. Britton-Hecla kept the dream alive with a close 42-41 win over Groton and the second trip to state in school history. The other time was 2005.“Every year, I talk to the girls about going to the state tournament and winning a state tournament,” said Olson. “The dream goal of every team that starts practice in November is a chance to win the state title. We're happy to be going to the state tournament. It's been a whirlwind. We've won some close ones and exciting ones.”The girls' team, which has no seniors on the roster, started the season with two wins and five losses. The Braves' lineup is jam packed with juniors and sophomores, and a handful of eighth-graders. The young Braves even lost the last two games of the regular season to finish at 10-10.The momentum changed in the post season as Britton-Hecla won district and region titles and a berth in the State A tournament today through Saturday at the Watertown Civic Arena. Britton-Hecla (13-10) plays the number one seed Dell Rapids (23-0) at 1 this afternoon.“Now, they have the confidence to go out and play hard,” said Olson, who is in his third season as the girls' basketball coach. “They do what they're told and execute everything they can. We (coaches) threw a lot of things at them and weeded out the things that didn't work and perfected the things that did work. The first 20 games are practice. You start playing games that count at the district tournament.”