ASHWAUBENON - As a fourth-grader, Black Hawk sophomore Natalie Leuzinger went with her family to watch the girls state basketball tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison and vowed to play in the state championship game in high school someday.
That dream has become reality after Black Hawk rolled to a 57-31 win over Newman Catholic in a WIAA Division 5 state semifinal game Friday at the Resch Center.
"This feeling is awesome," Leuzinger said after she scored 14 points in the Warriors' win over the Cardinals. "Ever since I picked up a basketball, I have always wanted to play in the state championship. This week has been hectic, but it has been the best week of my life. Finally making it a reality is just awesome."
It was a long road for Leuzinger. She and Black Hawk had aspirations of making a run to state last year. However, she suffered a season-ending hip injury in a WIAA Division 5 regional semifinal game last year and was not able to play in the regional final game that the Warriors lost in overtime to Fall River.
"I never want to feel that feeling again losing in the regional championship," Leuzinger said. "Over the summer, I worked out every day. I never missed a day to get my hip stronger. I knew we would have a team quicker and a little bit better than last year. I just continued to work to get my hip stronger."
Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan said in his 12 years of coaching he has never had a season-ending injury to a player like Leuzinger suffered last year.
"I count my blessings," Flanagan said. "We've been so lucky. I don't want anyone to think we felt sorry for ourselves. More than using it as motivation, we used it as a reminder that the season has extreme fragility. It's something that can just fall apart at any point. I believe in the end it made us stronger because we had other kids who had to step up in one-game scenario where we didn't have our leading scorer and rebounder and they just about got it done. Resiliency is something these kids are built from. It's in their fabric. We used it as an opportunity to get stronger."
Leuzinger entered the state tournament averaging 17.2 points per game and has been one of the top 3-point shooters in the state in Division 5. Even though she won't compete in the state's 3-point contest this morning, she has something larger in store - a chance to win the girls basketball program's first gold ball.
"Those stats really don't mean anything," Leuzinger said of the 3-point percentages. "I would rather be in the state championship than the 3-point contest."
That dream has become reality after Black Hawk rolled to a 57-31 win over Newman Catholic in a WIAA Division 5 state semifinal game Friday at the Resch Center.
"This feeling is awesome," Leuzinger said after she scored 14 points in the Warriors' win over the Cardinals. "Ever since I picked up a basketball, I have always wanted to play in the state championship. This week has been hectic, but it has been the best week of my life. Finally making it a reality is just awesome."
It was a long road for Leuzinger. She and Black Hawk had aspirations of making a run to state last year. However, she suffered a season-ending hip injury in a WIAA Division 5 regional semifinal game last year and was not able to play in the regional final game that the Warriors lost in overtime to Fall River.
"I never want to feel that feeling again losing in the regional championship," Leuzinger said. "Over the summer, I worked out every day. I never missed a day to get my hip stronger. I knew we would have a team quicker and a little bit better than last year. I just continued to work to get my hip stronger."
Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan said in his 12 years of coaching he has never had a season-ending injury to a player like Leuzinger suffered last year.
"I count my blessings," Flanagan said. "We've been so lucky. I don't want anyone to think we felt sorry for ourselves. More than using it as motivation, we used it as a reminder that the season has extreme fragility. It's something that can just fall apart at any point. I believe in the end it made us stronger because we had other kids who had to step up in one-game scenario where we didn't have our leading scorer and rebounder and they just about got it done. Resiliency is something these kids are built from. It's in their fabric. We used it as an opportunity to get stronger."
Leuzinger entered the state tournament averaging 17.2 points per game and has been one of the top 3-point shooters in the state in Division 5. Even though she won't compete in the state's 3-point contest this morning, she has something larger in store - a chance to win the girls basketball program's first gold ball.
"Those stats really don't mean anything," Leuzinger said of the 3-point percentages. "I would rather be in the state championship than the 3-point contest."
