By: Danny Karmin, Brian Goldman, Josh Hansen
The wind gusts on a cold and gloomy day in Peoria, as the loyal fans made their way into the Renaissance Coliseum. Being the final home game of the season, seniors Shunseere Kent and Vanessa Markert knew what this game had at stake. This would be their final home game ever at the Renaissance Coliseum in Peoria, Illinois. The Bradley Braves Women Basketball team faced off against the Loyola Ramblers in their final home game of the year.
Fans were seen in the stands with signs honoring Shunseere and Vanessa, and those two definitely put on a show for them. Shunseere finished the game with 17 points while Vanessa came off the bench using her 6’2 frame to her advantage and played solid defense all game long.
Shunseere was appreciative of her time here at Bradley and wanted to show up for the fans. “It was bittersweet. Going out with a bang here at Renco [Renaissance Coliseum], I left my heart out on the floor knowing that I wasn’t going to come back in here,” said Shunseere. “Just seeing the fans one last time, something you can never take away.”
Vanessa felt the same way and was filled with mixed emotions. “Going into the day it was in the back of your mind that this was my last pregame meal, last shootaround and warm up on this court,” said Vanessa. She was appreciative of the crowed that showed up and cheered her on. “It was a great send off for me, I had plenty of family and friends in attendance for me so it was definitely special.”
As Shunseere and Vanessa checked out of the game in the final minutes of the fourth, they were approached by all of their teammates with gratitude and compassion. “Great work ethic and leadership from them. They always keep their teammates focused on their goals,” said Bradley Head Coach Andrea Gorski. “Both players have tremendous offensive abilities and are tough to defend.”
With the Braves team and fans celebrating and honoring the seniors, it is the underclassmen players that will be looked upon to replace the senior leadership. Freshmen Lasha Petree and Tatum Koenig may just be the perfect protege’s for seniors Shunseere and Vanessa. Lasha led all players in points (19) vs. the Ramblers and Tatum lead all players in assists (4).
As emotional as Shunseere and Vanessa are to soon be leaving Bradley, they are equally excited for the potential of the freshmen players. “It’s amazing, you don’t often see a lot of freshmen starting like they have at the Division 1 level, so with them [Lasha Petree and Tatum Koenig] being able to adjust so quickly and adapt to the pressures they face going up against older competition, it’s truly amazing”, said Shunseere.
Coach Gorski is grateful to have Tatum and Lasha on the team now and for the future. “Lasha is just such an unbelievable scorer, where she can get a shot off anytime she wants. She is a huge threat for the opponent to cover every time she’s on the court”, explained Gorski.
“With Tatum, she’s just so reliable whether it’s her offense or defense, and her turnover rate is very low, which is very impressive for a freshman point guard. So moving forward they [Lasha Petree and Tatum Koenig] both still have so much to improve on, which is a good sign because they’re both a huge part of our team.”
After their win over the Loyola Ramblers, the Braves have won three in a row and have won twenty games on the year for the first time in a decade.
