Hard work paid off in a real big way for Tigard

By dan brood

The Times, Mar 18, 2010

DAN BROOD / The Times

SUPER SUPPORT — The Tigard girls team received strong support at the tourney and all season long.

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PORTLAND – Hard work really must pay off.

And so must desire.

And determination.

And teamwork.

Add hard-nosed defense to the list.

And, of course, there’s nothing better than some good, old-fashioned heart.

Want proof of all of that? Then just look at the Tigard High School girls basketball team.

The Tigers put all of those elements together and ended up earning a spot among the elite teams of the state playing at the Class 6A state tournament held last week at the Rose Garden.

That’s quite a reward for all of that hard work. And, although their stay at the tournament turned out to be shorter than the Tigers hoped, it’s likely something they’ll never forget.

“This has been just an indescribable experience,” Tigard senior guard Jenny Eckhardt said following the Tigers’ heart-breaking 41-40 tournament loss to McNary last Thursday.

“This was really cool,” Tiger senior Chelsea Biglow added. “Getting here was a huge accomplishment for us, and we did it together.”

The Tigers did do it together, and they did it with a lot of hard work.

It’s a team that, to be honest, wasn’t exactly going to intimidate an opposing during pregame warm-ups. The Tigers didn’t have loads and loads of unlimited athleticism and they certainly didn’t have overwhelming size.

What they did seem to have working for them is team chemistry, self-belief and strong leadership.

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