One player who exemplified the veteran mentality more than anyone else was Walker. During her second year, she was a young guard who unexpectedly bloomed into a star. In her junior year, when the team was hit by injuries, she remained a stabilizing presence. And in their recent game in Northwest Washington, she showcased her full potential as a senior leader, wise and fearless. She led the Cadets to victory with 18 points.

“She goes down as one of the all-time greats here,” Scribner said. “When you have somebody that you trust that much, defensively and with the ball in their hands, it makes you look like a really good coach.”

Last week, Bishop McNamara, a high school basketball team, had to play without its senior star Madisen McDaniel, a McDonald’s all-American guard, who was injured. Despite the absence of McDaniel, the Mustangs were able to showcase their physical and dominant style of play that had helped them achieve a perfect league record this winter. In the fourth quarter, they made a strong comeback, which energized the Mustangs crowd at Bender Arena and challenged the Cadets to earn their victory.