Jefferson Jr. High 8th Grade Girls Basketball Team Beats Lakeview to Become Conference Champs

eighth grade girls basketball team sailed through the season this year, beating every team they met save one. The girls showed up to the conference championship game Friday night ready to prove to Lakeview Jr. High they would beat them, too. 

Jefferson’s Lady Wolverines started tough with a 3-pointer within the first 15 seconds of the game. But they soon learned Lakeview came to win as well. 

The Lakeview Spartans answered Jefferson’s score with a 2-pointer of their own and continued to stay neck-and-neck with Jefferson, eventually pulling ahead to finish the first quarter 6-7.

Lakeview kept the lead through the second quarter and finished the half 15-16.

To say the game was a nail-biter through the first half was putting it mildly.  The crowd of more than one hundred screamed their encouragement for the two teams, and coaches paced the sidelines yelling instructions to players. 

As Jefferson filed out for their halftime break, the players had grim looks on their faces. But their coaches didn’t let them give up.

The Lady Wolverines came back to the third quarter with their game faces on, ready to show Lakeview they wouldn’t be beaten.

They brought their defense out in full force, something they had struggled with in the first half.  With their renewed defense, the girls were able to pull away and finish the third quarter 19-17.

That lead continued in the fourth quarter until Jefferson was ahead 24-17 with 5:04 to go. 

However, Lakeview wasn’t giving up without a fight. The Lady Spartans managed to make three shots to trail 24-22.

With just over a minute left on the clock and the score at 26-22 Jefferson, the Lady Wolverines put their complete focus on preventing Lakeview from scoring another goal.

Lakeview scored, bringing the game to 26-24 with 37 seconds left on the clock.

Five seconds later, a Lakeview player fouled Jefferson’s Jenny Adams, who made both free throws to bring the score to 28-24. 

Two timeouts and no scores later, Jefferson won the game, clinching the conference championship title with a perfect 18-0 conference record -- a new record for the school.

After receiving their trophy Jefferson filed into their locker room and their coach, Dreama Mensavage-Mueller, congratulated them on a job well done amidst high fives all around.

“That’s what you guys call stepping up,” she said. “That was awesome, you guys were awesome-- all year long, every day.  You guys worked so hard-- in summer camp, summer league, skills camp.  All that extra time and effort you put into this team paid off.  This is where the pay off comes.” 

Coach Mensavage-Mueller said the team played a hard game and did great.

“They played awesome, it was a close game," she said. "Lakeview was really good with rebounds."

Mensavage-Mueller said this is a team she will never forget.

“They are unforgettable, an unbelievable group of girls,” she said.  “I am most proud of their dedication, effort, and that they were nice to each other.  They were very supportive of one another. There was no jealousy.” 

The support for one another was very apparent in the girls.  One player, Jenny Adams, said it was so fun to be on the team.

“It’s fun, " she said. We're like a big family. We never have any problems."

Adams says the team was so successful this season as a result of their hard work and great coaches.

“We worked as a team and never gave up," she said. "We have the best coaches ever."

Jaida Green, the only seventh grader on the team, agreed that the coaches were a big reason they went undefeated during the regular season.

“They worked us hard at practice, but we also had fun on the court,” Green said.

Green also said that the game was a tough one and made Jefferson fight for the title.

“It was hard at the start, but then we were better and got more confidence.  Once we were losing we realized we needed to step it up more,” she said.

Conference record: (including the two playoff games) 18-0

Overall record: 26-1

Roster: Jenny Adams, Maggie Considine, Vashae Easley, Kacey Ford, Jaida Green, Marisa Johansen, Jami Haasl, Stephanie Henderson, Brianna Love, Alexis Martinez, Mary Meyers, Donna Montilla, Megan Ramsden, Anne Rock and Allie Sheetz

Friday's notable players: “Our key players were Jaida Green and Jenny Adams.  Jaida made 3- 3 pointers with a total of 17 points,” Mensavage-Mueller said.

Jefferson's conference: Jefferson plays in the Southeast DuPage Elementary Athletic Association, which includes Burr Ridge Middle School (Burr Ridge), Butler Jr. High (Oak Brook), Cass Jr. High (Darien), Eisenhower Jr. High (Darien), Gower Middle School (Burr Ridge), Lakeview Jr. High (Downers Grove), Lisle Jr. High (Lisle), Old Quarry (Lemont), Westmont Jr. High (Westmont) and Westview Hills Middle School (Clarendon Hills).