When the ball floats in the air, it looks like that of any other shot in a basketball game. When it eventually lands in the net for a 3-pointer, the Prairie fans erupt in cheers.
Megan Lindsley has scored again.
Her release is unorthodox, a long motion that is difficult to properly explain. Lindsley has a word for it.
“It’s weird,” Lindsley said.
But it’s so money, too.
“I love to shoot, and (coach) Al (Aldridge) tells me that shooters shoot,” she said. “If I don’t shoot, I get in trouble. So I shoot.”
A sophomore, Lindsley is one of the keys to Prairie’s run to the Class 3A state quarterfinals. The Falcons play Kennedy of Burien at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Tacoma Dome, and Lindsley hopes to cash in again from long range.
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Jackie Lanz is the epitome of the ultimate Prairie basketball player, a young athlete who already understands that if one part of the game is struggling, she can contribute in other ways.
In the bi-district title game last week, her shot was off. But she took three charges to lead the defense. In the opening round of the 3A state tournament Friday in Auburn, Lanz made two 3-pointers and scored 10 points.
“You just gotta play like you want it,” Lanz said.
A sophomore, Lanz is a two-year starter who has now helped the program make it to state for the 14th consecutive season.
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Cori Woodward did not expect to be in the game in the closing minutes of the that bi-district championship game.
“It was nerve-racking. My heart was pounding. I was so nervous,” said the reserve point guard, who was forced into action after foul trouble hit the Falcons.
A senior, Angela Gelhar, calmly told Woodward that this was her time.
“That was great, knowing my team was there for me,” Woodward said.
A sophomore — yes another sophomore — Woodward not only got past her nerves to play quality minutes in the bi-district game, she also scored 10 crucial points in the opening round of state, helping the Falcons remain undefeated this season.
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This is, indeed, their time, the three sophomores on the roster who have provided a huge lift to the Falcons, especially since junior Heather Corral went down with a knee injury.
Lindsley, the sharpshooter, has led her team in scoring in both games — starting in place of Corral. Lanz, the glue, has maintained her intensity. And Woodward, fearless, has shown to herself that she belongs.
None of this is a surprise to their coach.
“A great group. I love them to death,” Aldridge said. “They bring great enthusiasm to the sport, for our program. They come ready to go every day. They all truly love basketball.”
Moments later, with practice in full swing, Aldridge had to get on one of those sophomores who was having a rough start to a drill. Soon after, another mistake, another pointed comment from the coach.
The sophomores also have already learned the Prairie way. Aldridge is demanding, and the trio of youngsters have a taste for it.
“You have to love (basketball) to play for Al,” Woodward said. “I like having him as my coach because if he gives you a compliment, you know you’ve done something good.”
“If he was easy on us, we wouldn’t be where we’re at,” Lindsley added.
Then Lindsley and Lanz said, at the same time, that their coach’s passion for the game is “inspiring.”
They will take the long practices and the harsh criticism, because they know it will work out in the games.
“We want to play how we practice,” Lanz said. “The harder we work in practice, the more beneficial it is when we’re playing teams.”
The games can be easier than the practices. By the time they are in the games, the players are told not to think too much, to just naturally play within the system.
“I’m a lot more confident in my shot,” Lindsley said. “When your coach yells at you to shoot, you have the green light.”
Lanz, as the two-year starter, and Lindsley, as the first person off the bench most of the season, knew they would see quality minutes in the playoffs. Woodward got a lot of minutes in the many blowout victories for Prairie in the regular season, but she had no idea that she would be playing crunch time in the playoffs.
“He always tells me we need good minutes from me,” Woodward said of Aldridge.
“That’s not supposed to make me nervous?” she asked with a laugh.
Woodward has shined in the last two games, spelling senior Lauren Goecke, who moved into the primary ball-handling role after Corral’s injury. Woodward had a huge rebound and putback in the bi-district title game, then scored 10 second-half points in the opening round of state.
“We needed that,” Aldridge said.
“I’m way more confident now,” Woodward said. “At first, I was really nervous. Now that I’ve had a few games, I know I can keep up with the rest of my team.”
Lanz became a starter last season, then “earned her right to keep that spot,” according to Aldridge, adding she has been solid for two years.
“It was kind of intimidating at first,” Lanz said of starting as a freshman. “Now, … my sophomore year … it’s a little easier than I thought it would be because I already had that experience.”
Then there is the emergence of Lindsley.
“We’re just proud of her,” Aldridge said. “She always had it in her.”
“It’s been fun,” Lindsley said. “Playing more is always going to be fun. It’s been hard work, too. Everyone had to pick up the slack somehow.”
That is part of the Prairie way, too.
