Schedule assisted Brimfield
Schedule assisted
Brimfield
By JEFF LAMPE
For The Weekly Post
NORMAL – Moments after Brimfield walked off the Redbird Arena floor with its Class 1A trophy, Winnebago and Quincy Notre Dame battled for a Class 2A title.
Brimfield had already played both title contenders this season, routing eventual champion Notre Dame (73-49) and losing to Winnebago in the State Farm Classic title game (57-42).
No question, the Lady Indians were a battle-tested group. After going unbeaten in last year’s COVID-shortened season, Brimfield opted to take on larger schools this season, many of them ranked.
Coach Maribeth Dura said the experience helped her team prepare for state.
“It was everything actually. We might have showed some nerves [in the title game], but overall I thought we played without nerves through most of those big games,” Dura said. “I thought it taught us to be more comfortable in our game. More confident in our game. When you play the best teams in 3A and 2A, you’re probably going to tell yourself, ‘We played the best, so let’s just continue to play our game and it will all work out.’ Which it did.”
• Heavy hearts – Thoughts of three deceased classmates were never far from the minds of Brimfield players, even though they were told they could not wear commemorative black wristbands last Thursday.
Bands were marked with #20 and #30, the jersey numbers of Aaron Miller and Jacob Look, Brimfield basketball players who died in tragic accidents in the past two years. The IHSA ruled the wristbands illegal because they had numbers on them.
But senior Sophie Bedell was able to wear black tape adorned with “B.P.B.” across the left strap of her jersey. The letters are the initials of her brother, Benjamin P. Bedell, who died in a car accident in September of 2020.
“I think about him every day,” Bedell said. “When I put this on, I know he’s with me on the court and in my heart and I know he’s cheering me on. So it helps me a lot.”
• Celebration – Fireworks and sirens of all sorts greeted the Brimfield girls team upon their return home, with a parade route that stretched from Kickapoo, through Brimfield and wound up at the high school.
Unfortunately, during the escort, the Brimfield Fire Department received three calls and had to cut short the team’s ride.
Once inside the gym, several speakers praised past Brimfield girls teams, including squads that reached the supersectional in 1980 and 1981 under Coach Terry Hart and in 2008, 2009 and 2016.
“This is for all the past girls basketball players of Brimfield,” Dura said of the championship.
After the celebration, players and coaches were treated to a free meal at Rookies in Brimfield.
• Lawyer by day – While most coaches work at their school in some capacity, Dura is an attorney who owns her Dura Law Office. She specializes in family law, criminal defense, juvenile law, personal injury and worker’s compensation. In order to take the week off, she got continuances for several scheduled court appearances.
“The judge was really nice about it,” said Dura, who finds similarities between coaching and practicing law.
“I do a lot of trial work, so I’m kind of competing against other people,” she said. “So I’m doing that during the day and then it’s a good balance to hang out in a gym afterwards. And, of course, there’s competition in basketball, too. So it’s very similar.”
• All-staters – Ella Lune was named to the Associated Press’ Class 1A first team all-state squad.
Three local girls made the honorable mention team: Elynn Peterson of Brimfield, Caitlyn Thole of Princeville and Olivia Meyers of Elmwood.
But senior Sophie Bedell was able to wear black tape adorned with “B.P.B.” across the left strap of her jersey. The letters are the initials of her brother, Benjamin P. Bedell, who died in a car accident in September of 2020.
“I think about him every day,” Bedell said. “When I put this on, I know he’s with me on the court and in my heart and I know he’s cheering me on. So it helps me a lot.”
• Celebration – Fireworks and sirens of all sorts greeted the Brimfield girls team upon their return home, with a parade route that stretched from Kickapoo, through Brimfield and wound up at the high school.
Unfortunately, during the escort, the Brimfield Fire Department received three calls and had to cut short the team’s ride.
Once inside the gym, several speakers praised past Brimfield girls teams, including squads that reached the supersectional in 1980 and 1981 under Coach Terry Hart and in 2008, 2009 and 2016.
“This is for all the past girls basketball players of Brimfield,” Dura said of the championship.
After the celebration, players and coaches were treated to a free meal at Rookies in Brimfield.
• Lawyer by day – While most coaches work at their school in some capacity, Dura is an attorney who owns her Dura Law Office. She specializes in family law, criminal defense, juvenile law, personal injury and worker’s compensation. In order to take the week off, she got continuances for several scheduled court appearances.
“The judge was really nice about it,” said Dura, who finds similarities between coaching and practicing law.
“I do a lot of trial work, so I’m kind of competing against other people,” she said. “So I’m doing that during the day and then it’s a good balance to hang out in a gym afterwards. And, of course, there’s competition in basketball, too. So it’s very similar.”
• All-staters – Ella Lune was named to the Associated Press’ Class 1A first team all-state squad.
Three local girls made the honorable mention team: Elynn Peterson of Brimfield, Caitlyn Thole of Princeville and Olivia Meyers of Elmwood.
