Barbara Lawlor, Gilpin County.

First the Gilpin High School girls’ basketball team bowled in Evergreen; then they celebrated the season with a banquet held at a private residence. A fun end to a season of hard work and improvement.

This year’s team consisted of seniors and sophomores, leaving juniors to be the leaders next year.

GHS athletic director and girls’ head basketball coach Jeff Schuessler expressed gratitude to those who contributed to the season’s success including the administration, staff, parents, the cheerleaders who supported the team, the Booster Club and members of the local media who ensured the players received a little bit of fame for their talents.

Parents receiving special recognition for their “above and beyond” support of the program included Kevin Armstrong, Gigetta Nadeau, and Jenny Lepro, all parents of seniors who will be missed.

Managers were honored for their support: Aspen Cowles, Cheyenne Cowles, and Kristi Schmidt.

Katura Sales, Andromeda Ramsey, and Brook Ramsey were thanked for their continued involvement with the program. Sales also served as the school’s certified athletic trainer this season.

This year’s volunteer assistant coach, Andrea Bentley-Freeman (Galanski), a 2005 Alumnus and former Lady Eagle All-State Player, was also recognized for her role as a volunteer assistant coach.

At the beginning of the season, the girls came upon their mission, which was to be respected on and off the court for their competitive drive, relentless effort, positive attitude and selfless actions.

The team’s vision was to finish the season with a winning record, upset at least one better team and win one playoff game. Their plan was a to have a Cumulative Team GPA of 3.5 and perform at least one community service.

The team fulfilled their mission and missed only one goal in the vision. They finished with 10 wins and 11 losses. The Team’s 3.61 GPA earned them Les Schwab/CHSAA

Academic Team Champion Honors.

Academic All-State First Team winners were Katelyn Armstrong, Carly Johnson, Cicely Lepro, and Aspen Nadeau.

The team pulled-off not just one, but three upsets (West Grand, Longmont Christian, and most notably, their playoff win at Union Colony Prep, a team that beat them by 24 points only a month prior. The season was ended the next night by eventual state-runners up, the Clear Creek Golddiggers.

The 2nd annual First Responder Luncheon in December was the team’s community service project, along with two donations of money to local causes.

The team was then recognized, each player was recognized by the team principles they best demonstrated

Joyce Jewell and Noemi Correa earned participation certificates.

Nicole Adams, Alicia Johnson, Samantha Smith, and Lena Warren each earned their first varsity letter in basketball.

Jessica Wilhelm earned her second-year varsity letter in basketball.

The seniors were encouraged to create and continue to follow a set of principles that would allow them to make good principle-based decisions beyond high school. They were each given a 4-year commitment award for their dedication to the program all four years of high school.

Mile High League Awards:

Jessica Wilhelm: Honorable Mention

Cicely Lepro: Second Team All-League

Lepro and Nadeau were voted by their teammates as Team Culture Co-MVPs for their role as creators and caretakers of the team’s standards.

Cicely Lepro also received the Touching Hearts Through Athletics award. She is the third Lady Eagle to win the award: Samantha Peterson and Andromeda Ramsey received the award in 2012 and 2014. The award recognizes student-athletes who demonstrate athletic ability, competitive tenacity, sportsmanship, academic responsibility, leadership, and community involvement.

Before the athletes left to eat cake, Schuessler reminded everyone that the offseason is really the “improvement season” and noted that the players are already in the weight room and in the gym working toward next year’s vision.