CARDIAC KIDS

          Down 18 at the half to a team that they had beat twice in the regular season, Johnston was facing real trouble. Urbandale was hitting whatever shot they wanted, and was stifling the Dragons high-powered offense. Yet the team knew that it wasn’t over yet. “It didn’t matter what we did, they hit almost every shot in the first half,” coach Chad Jilek said. 

          The girls’ basketball team has developed into one of the powerhouses in 5A, becoming a mainstay at the state tournament. This year was no different, with five of the seven leading scorers returning. Ready to compete for their first state championship, the Dragons reeled off a season for the ages, going 21-2 and earning the #1 seed at the state tournament.

          Urbandale came out on fire, shooting 59% from the field and going up 41-23 at half. Senior Regan Nesheim knew that they had to step up the intensity in the second half. “In the first half our defense was one of the things that got us down, so we knew we had to play our best defense and best half of the year in the second half.”

          Johnston did just that. A stifling full court press with junior Kendall Nead started the run. Nead made offense for Urbandale star senior DeeDee Pryor near impossible, holding her to seven points in the second half. 

          Nead’s defense helped jumpstart a offensive assault by the Dragons. Nead (15 pts.) hit a 3. Nesheim (14 pts.) had an and one. Junior Maddie Mock and senior Macy Thompson knocked down free throws and gathered rebounds (4 pts. each). And junior Maya McDermott (22 pts.) got hot. She attacked the defense getting her team open looks and getting her own as well. This all led to a sequence that will go down in Johnston athletics history. 

          Down 48-52, Nead got a steal and made a fast break layup to cut the deficit to two. Mock then stole a pass from Pryor, who gave it to McDermott. She passed to Thompson who passed to McDermott for an open three. Nothing but net. McDermott had a smile as big as the sun on her face. The Johnston student section was in pandemonium. Urbandale called a time out. Johnston was up 53-52, and they didn’t stop there. They won 66-57. One of the great comebacks in IGHSAU history was complete.

          Three days later, Johnston lost to WDM Valley 76-64 in overtime in the state semifinals. Yet that would not define the season. What was said to be the biggest student section at a state game (the semifinal game) left school to watch them. They made a school all come together and show that sports can unite everyone. McDermott summed it up best after the lost, saying, “We all looked at each other in the locker room, and we don’t want this feeling next year, so we’re gonna come back stronger.”