Last year, in his first year as girls head basketball coach at Fillmore Central, Shad Eberhardt watched as his young team went through some growing pains before finishing 11-12.
All of his sophomores and juniors have now turned into juniors and seniors springboarding the Panthers to a 6-0 start heading into tonight’s clash with second-ranked Hastings St. Cecilia.
“I think the girls have played pretty well so far,” Eberhardt said. “We are learning to be a more consistent team. I think that’s probably the one thing we need to get better at; we have had some big leads and had to hold some teams off after letting off the gas a little bit.
“And, I don’t have any hair as it is.”
All joking aside, the Panthers have been solid in scoring nearly 50 points per contest and giving up just over 40. Their quick start includes a win over 2015 state qualifier Fairbury.
Senior Ashton O’Brien scores 12 points and grabs eight rebounds for the Panthers and is what Eberhardt calls, “our rock.”
“She does just a little bit of everything for us and really holds our team together.”
And, she has gotten help from an unlikely source: exchange student Ines Ortea from Spain. The senior averages nearly 17 points per game with 4.5 rebounds and 4.7 steals and has fit in well in Geneva.
Eberhardt said the 5-9 newcomer played mostly in the paint in her native Spain, but came Nebraska as probably the Panthers best ball handler.
“She played a ton of basketball over there,” Eberhardt said. “But one of the best things with Ines is how she just fits right in. We didn’t do anything different because of her. She just came in and picked stuff up right away.”
After O’Brien and Ortea, Eberhardt said the Panthers have a group of players that willingly accept their role on the team.
Senior Ellie Hayes, “does most of our dirty work in the post,” Eberhardt said.
Junior Awia Temme is second on the team in steals, is a lockdown defender, and “probably our fastest player on the team.”
Sophomore’s Jamey Broman and Alexis Schmidt are third and fourth on the team in scoring leading into tonight’s game with the Hawkettes, who have played in the last three Class C-2 championship games.
“They will be a great test for us,” Eberhardt said. “We think (HSC guard Shandra) Farmer is one of the best players in the state regardless of class.
“We have to figure out a way to somehow control the tempo of the game. If they get out and run they will be tough to beat.”
The game tonight tips off at 7:00 and can be seen on the Fillmore Central Striv Channel.
Let’s Rewind
The Rewind stays empty today as we honor former Ravenna basketball coach Paul Beranek who lost his battle with cancer early Tuesday morning.
We love you Coach B! #Bstrong pic.twitter.com/AQmErv3rmN
— BearcatPics (@BearcatPics) December 22, 2015
The Omaha World-Herald’s Dirk Chatelain perfectly summed up his legacy on Nebraska basketball in the Sunday edition with #BStrong: An Unbreakable Spirit.
In obscure gyms over the past twelve winters, I covered a few games that Paul Beranek coached. I was never there writing stories when he was winning championships, but I was watching.
I’d like to say I was there for the beginning. On February 8, 2003, I strolled into Centura High School when the 7-10 Bluejays – with three freshmen starters Drake Beranek, James Habe and Tyler Cybroron – took Centura to the wire a night after upsetting Kearney Catholic.
“We played them three times that year,” Garrett Rathke messaged me this morning, he now sits on the bench at Northwest with his dad, Ryan. “You knew they were a special group. They always played their tails off.”
Me? I was a bit worried that night having seen the demeanor of the head coach on the sideline. Would he even be up for an interview?
Not to worry. When he asked me about the Milan Hoops – the actual town that won the 1954 Indiana state title – jacket I was wearing, we immediately hit it off. I missed the start of the girls game that followed. Oh, well.
From 2004-2012, Ravenna won four state titles, played for another and finished third twice. Fittingly, his last game in Lincoln in 2012 was a state title with youngest son Conner. He won a title with each of his three sons. Could there be a better feeling for a dad?
His spirit was infectious. I can safely say he didn’t make an impact on just his players, but media members throughout this state. And, on ordinary folks who thought basketball was a good way of teaching kids about life.
He was a one-of-a-kind salesman of basketball in this state. His legacy will live on through many, including his three sons. Rest easy, Coach B, I bet the Hickory Huskers need a coach up there.
