Paul Yeager: Welcome to the
Sports desk at the IPTV Studio, and to another
episode of Teen Spotlight #IPTVSports.
I'm Paul Yeager.
Sometimes a basketball team can do almost
everything right and still fall short of reaching the
state tournament.
The Davenport North Wildcats had talent,
chemistry and momentum heading into the regional
finals only to have it taken away by a last
second shot.
Davenport North season came to an emotional close
when the Johnston Dragons forced
overtime with this miracle buzzer beater shot.
(cheering)
As heartbreaking as the
ending was, the story of the Wildcats is not one of
loss, but victories, and making school history.
(bell rings)
Of all the Iowa Girls Basketball
dreams that come true, few rival that of the
Wildcats' star forward Jinaya Houston.
In her freshman season, the Wildcats broke a 42
game Mississippi Athletic Conference losing streak.
Her junior year the team reached the state
tournament for the first time in school history.
And as a senior, Jinaya rolled to more than 1,500
career points and fulfilled a lifelong goal
signing on to play next year as an Iowa Hawkeye.
Jinaya Houston: Sometimes when you think about it
it's kind of heartbreaking because these four years
really did go by fast.
Me going on to play at Iowa I think is going to
be the greatest experience that I've ever had.
College was my dream goal to get a college
scholarship but Iowa, they were my top choice because
A, they're only an hour away and I can have family
and friends come and it's the kind of style that I
like to play.
So going from here to there it wouldn't be a big
change.
With one look at Jinaya's game, it's easy to see
what grabbed the Hawkeyes' attention.
Jinaya is comfortable driving the lane, knows
how to handle the ball, is consistently looking for
the team play and yet somehow her favorite part
of the game is defense.
Jinaya: Rebounding is probably my most favorite
thing to do in the whole entire game because once
you get offense rebounds it can help your team get
those easy buckets and defensive rebounds lead to
fast breaks for those easy buckets.
Before I thought that scoring was supposed to be
a big thing for me but now it's my senior year and
I'm realizing that just being in all areas like
rebounds, assists, I think that's really important to
me.
On and off the court, Jinaya's priorities have
been forming for longer than even she realizes.
Both of her parents played college ball, and despite
that pedigree, they let her interest in the game
grow naturally.
Jacinda Houston: Our kids, we let them pick whatever
sport they wanted.
They tried all of them and lucky for us basketball is
the one that stuck because I don't know anything
about soccer.
Growing up in a basketball household it seems almost
like fate that Jinaya would excel at the game.
But her parents are quick to give her all the credit
for her accomplishments.
James Houston: We both played but not to the
level that she's doing it and that's what makes it
fun because we kind of, that's what we want out of
our kids, we want them to be better than us and
she's a prime example of it.
So I'm very proud of her.
Jacinda: The most important thing is it's
something that she really wanted to do.
So once we saw that she had the passion for it we
just kind of fed her, sacrificed a lot
throughout the time that she has been playing with
not being able to go to dances or go over to a
friend's house at certain times because she put
basketball first.
And so it has got her to where she's at now.
Making Wildcats history with Jinaya are several
teammates who have been playing ball with her
since grade school.
And that extended time together is what turned
them into such a strong team.
I've actually been playing with Mckenzie O'Brien
since we played in dad's club and everybody else it
was second grade on.
It's not just in basketball season that we
hang out.
We hang out in the summer, over break, outside of
school and stuff.
We love each other, we click and when we play
together we play as a team.
And last season that bond led to a breakthrough in
school history making a quarterfinals appearance
at the state tournament.
Mckenzie O'Brien: Oh yeah, we've always talked about
how we're going to make it here and then when it
actually happened it was just like, oh wow, we're
here, we're at state.
And you have to get used to it.
Paige Bradford: It was a great experience but it's
very different.
It's a bigger facility, more people, the courts
were different, the backboards were different
and I was very nervous when I was playing.
Coral Dillie: After we lost I looked around, I
looked at the crowd and I waved goodbye and that was
the moment for me where I remembered everything and
I was going to keep it in and I was going to
remember it forever because we're the first
north girls basketball team to make it to state
and that's a huge deal and we just made history.
That was the best season North High School
basketball has had until now.
This season, with Jinaya and crew back in tow,
North was determined to build on its tournament
appearance.
However, with eight games remaining, an all too
familiar occurrence in athletics changed the
story of the Wildcats' season.
Jinaya: It was a fast break and my thing is if
it's a fast break and you think you can get this
block then take it.
So I was trying to take the block and she stopped
and so I jumped up and then landed directly on my
ankle and then got back up and fell on it again.
And it was the worst pain that I have ever felt.
Once they said that I sprained my ankle and that
I was out for the rest of the game I was instantly
just upset because I was like, I told them, I was
like, I have to come back because next week is our
biggest week.
Despite her desire to play, Jinaya's ankle kept
her on the bench until regionals forcing the
Wildcats to adapt.
Ron O'Brien: Well, the last couple of years I
would have panicked a little bit more but I
think with our experience and a couple of the other
girls that need to step up and fill in for someone
with her statistics and her ability.
Bradford: I feel like we're missing a piece of
the team when we can carry without her but just with
her I feel like we're complete and we can get
the ball around more.
Dillie: When we're all on and we're all on our best
night and we're all focused we are a force to
reckon with and we have proved that many times.
And when we're all together and all on track
we are the team that is supposed to be one of the
top ones.
The Wildcats wouldn't be whole again until their
fateful bout with Johnston.
And while their season won't end with a banner or
trophy, Jinaya sees her time with the Wildcats as
one of pride and accomplishment.
Jinaya: It's just a big difference from breaking
the losing streak to going to state, making history
like that we'll never forget being champs or
anything like that.
That just makes us feel like we actually did
something while we were here in high school and
made a difference.
♪♪
Yeager: The Wildcats return their top
scorer, Paige Bradford, next season.
A reminder that IPTV Sports brings you live
championship action in softball, volleyball,
basketball and more.
Tune in to cheer on your favorite Iowa girl.
I'm Paul Yeager.
Thanks for joining me.