James A. Garfield high school is in the village of Garrettsville, Ohio and is also the home of the Lady G-Men who have made a name for themselves this season with a 17-1 start.
The team is led by seniors Laura McCoy and Madeline Shirkey who each lead the team both on and off the court.
Coached by Aaron Gilbert the team has seen success under his control for the past decade. This season is by far their most triumphant and successful of all time, but he isn't just a coach. He also teaches seventh grade social studies and is the high school girls soccer coach. So balancing his home life, teaching, and coaching two sports hasn't been the easiest thing in the world.
With only four games left in the regular season I had the privilege of going to James A. Garfield high school to watch the Lady G-Men practice, where I talked to seniors Laura McCoy and Madeline Shirkey along with head coach Aaron Gilbert.
Laura McCoy moved to James A. Garfield for her senior season and has really had great chemistry with the team as she leads in scoring with 275 points, steals with 43, third in assists with 59 and tied for third in rebounds with 93.
Madeline Shirkey has been playing with the team for years, so she has the respect of her team both on and off the court and is third in scoring, first in assists, third in blocks, and second in rebounds.
Mandy Cardinal is a freshman on this team but she is going to be a lot to handle for opponents by her senior year. She already is second in team scoring with 232 points, second in assists with 73, first in rebounds with 127, second in steals with 34, and tied for first in blocks with 15.
This team might not have the flash that some teams do, but what this team does have is winners and players who do the job that's asked of them which has caused great things to happen for them. They are 17-1 with only four games left in the season.
The Lady G-Men started the season with four straight huge wins, winning each game by at least 28 points before they finally had a close game against the Champion Flashes which they won 46-43. The close games were short lived as they continued to crush every team they played until they finally met their match against Brookfield.
Brookfield was able to hold McCoy, Shirkey, and Cardinal to a total of 35 points while they just kept sinking their shots winning the game 53-44. The Lady G-Men were angry about the loss and took it out on their next opponent beating Labrae by 38 points.
With only four games left in the regular season, the Lady G-Men want to end the season strong especially for some of these girls who might not ever play on a basketball team again. They they're gonna use that motivation to finish out the season and heading into the playoffs.
It's obvious that there is something special about this team. They almost feel like a team of destiny that comes around once every few years and their program has been building up to this season. No matter what happens in the playoffs, this team is special and this will always be a regular season to remember!
Brought to you by Daystar Ford