Shooting for Success

As the Lady Norsemen's season neared its end, they said goodbye to their only senior athlete, Jasmine Mitchell. She joined six other female athletes in the 1000-Point Club back in January, following in the footsteps of her father, Rocky Mitchell. They are the only father/daughter duo to accomplish this. "My dad was a basketball athlete at Newark and playing for the same team in the same gym has been incredible," Jasmine said.

Mitchell has many memories of her time at Newark, but her biggest memories are competing in post-season and conference games. She will be continuing her basketball career at Indiana Wesleyan University.

The girls competed in Regionals at St. Francis de Sales in Chicago on February 8 and 9. They breezed through the semi-final round, destroying St. Francis de Sales 92-11. The Lady Norsemen advanced and played Bridgeview Universal. The girls defeated Bridgeview 59-25, claiming the regional championship. Senior Jasmine Mitchell and Freshman Meggie Scott also advanced in the 3-point shooting contest. They played Annawan in the first round of the Sectionals at Serena, suffering a 34-57 loss.

Coach Scott was leading a younger team this year. After losing the conference tournament championship game to Serena, the Lady Norsemen really had to battle back to develop more mental toughness and team play. "Jasmine was our only senior, so we had been working to develop as a group. I could not be more proud of the teamwork and unselfish play that this team has shown throughout the season," Coach Scott said.

By Emma Nelson