Island Trees Girls Basketball Overcomes Adversity Through Teamwork

Every team faces its share of adversity during a season. Not every team overcomes it.

The Island Trees girls basketball team faced significant amounts of adversity this winter. Early in the team's season, their head coach, Andy Schneider, was fired. Last week, one of the team's senior leaders, Bridget Vilbig, suffered an injury that's kept her out of the lineup.

Some teams faced with jolts like that would fold over. This team hasn't.

With a 53-24 thrashing of Roosevelt on Monday night, the Lady Dawgs finished their conference schedule with a 10-2 record in Conference A-IV play. That strong play has them poised to get a much higher seeding than last year's 14th seed when Class A playoff brackets are released later today.

"We obviously had a lot of struggles, because everyone knows what happened," said Vilbig. "Instead of letting it affect us, we came together out on the court and showed to everyone that they could do whatever they want to us, but we'll still win, no matter what."

The Lady Dawgs' strengths were on display against Roosevelt. They're a strong 3-point-shooting team, and they hit seven 3-pointers in the win. Their strong team play was on display as well, as the Lady Dawgs spread their scoring evenly and were able to find open players on countless offensive possessions.

Praise was given to the coaching staff, led by head coach Jaime Roche, for their influence on the team's success. "These coaches stepped up, got a second-place team and took the girls to Florida," said parent Kathy Vilbig. "Unbelievable."

Roche's praise was directed at her players. "The girls have really learned to work as a team, to find the open player," she said. "They give 100 percent every game. They play with true passion and heart, and they truly have the burning desire to win."

Strong team play was a focus for the team coming into the season. Their ability to work together, to them, is a reflection of their hunger for success. "We played as a team a lot better as a team this year than in previous years," said senior guard Nicole Pellegrino. "We're all dedicated this year. We really want it."

Island Trees will find out when and where its post-season begins when playoff brackets are released. They do know for sure that their playoff journey begins Thursday.