La Lumiere Girls Basketball Team Wins ICSAA State Championship
The La Lumiere girls basketball team defeated Heritage Christian to win the Indiana Christian School Athletic Association State Championship on Saturday, February 29, 2020, in the historic Marsch Gymnasium on La Lumiere’s campus. This state championship is the first in the school’s history for the girls basketball program.
“This team has been such a joy and privilege to be a part of. To go from a one-win season last year to bringing home a state championship this year— it’s remarkable. It’s a true testament to the work ethic, character, and heart of every single player on this team. We are a family and I’m so very proud of them,” head coach Jacqueline Kronk said.
The Lakers dominated the game from the first quarter, where they scored the first 16 points of the game and held the Defenders to zero points. The Capaldi sisters led the scoring effort for the Lakers throughout the game. Sophomore captain Dara Capaldi led the team in scoring with 22 points and junior Lydia Capaldi scored 21 points. The final score of the championship game was 65-35.
The Lakers finished their year with an overall record of 15-3. This season was a major turnaround from the year before, when the team only won one game. From the first game of the season, where the Lakers needed a second half comeback to win, to the seven-game win streak to finish the season, the tenacity and effort of the team was a key component of this championship team.
“It was a team effort all year long that got us to the state championship. Led by our two captains, Dara and [senior] Eesha [Patel]. Patel fought hard for this team through two tough losing seasons and did a great job leading the team to victory this year. It has been an honor to coach such a great group of girls,” assistant coach Mickey Doyle said.
The year was full of firsts for the program: the first conference championship, the first ICSAA North Regional title, and the ICSAA State Championship. The team, which graduates three seniors, will be aiming to build off of this year’s success in the next season.
