ARCADIA, Indiana — Hamilton Heights is in the girls basketball semi-states this weekend, trying to move on to the state title game.
Reaching any lofty goal takes struggle and commitment to the very end. The Huskies are reaping the reward for that hard work.
13Sports was there as the team went through its final practice this week, this time against the boys freshman team as they try to advance.
"I'm extremely happy for the girls," said head coach Keegan Cherry. "We had a great offseason, we've worked hard all year. It's a great group of kids. They're friends on the floor and they're even better friends, you know, off the court, so it's special."
Most of the girls on this team have played together since elementary school. They know each other like sisters.
The team runs through Camryn Runner. She averages 19 points per game.
"She's humble. She works hard. There's no ego. She's a year-round kid. She puts the time in to be really good. She's not one that's going to jump to social media and tout and brag and do all these things, and she's just a heads down type of kid that's all about winning. It's all about the team, all about the program," Cherry said.
Runner and her friends have rattled off 20 wins with just five losses, and now they face undefeated Twin Lakes, a 3A powerhouse.
"We're the underdogs," said Runner. "Again, we have nothing to lose, just as coach says. They're feeling pretty confident, we've seen that and, you know, we just do our thing for this week, game prep, and go out there and hopefully execute and maybe we can win one."
The Huskies have never won a basketball state championship, and now they're just a few wins away from breaking that jinx.
"It would be incredible," Runner said. "I mean, it would be a feeling I could never describe. It would be something we've never done before, obviously, and to bring that home to a community like this, that would be incredible.
Cool and calm, focused on finishing what they started years ago.
The Huskies play at 10 a.m. on Saturday in LaPorte. If they win, they'll advance to the semi-state championship game at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of Tippecanoe Valley and Fairfield.