LIGONIER, Ind. - For the West Noble girls basketball team, team chemistry dates back much further than the start of this season or the beginning of high school.
"The junior class has been together since 2nd grade," head coach Dale Marano says. "The options are unlimited, because these girls have a tremendous amount of experience."
The West Noble roster features 9 juniors that earned significant varsity seasoning as sophomores a year ago. And despite falling just short in the NECC Tournament title game for the second straight year, West Noble knows they can beat good teams and make a strong run come in the state playoffs.
"This year, we have the most drive," junior guard Lauren Burn says. "We don't have just 5 girls that want to step on the court. We have an entire bench—12 girls—that can come in the game and make a big difference."
Burns has become a significant part of West Noble's offensive. At 5’3”, Burns may be short in stature, but big in determination.
Her feisty style of play has also led to her share of injuries growing up in a game she has played since she was little. Burns, who also plays volleyball, tore her PCL right before her freshman volleyball season. After consultation with Dr. Jeffrey Hartzell, Burns was able to avoid surgery and start on the road to recovery with the help of Parkview Sports Medicine.
Burns worked tirelessly with athletic trainer Amberly Mallon, MEd, LAT, ATC, to get back to both the basketball and volleyball courts. West Noble is one of 25 high schools in Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio that has a Parkview Sports Medicine athletic trainer at the school.
Additionally, she was relentless with her recovery at Parkview Athletic Rehabilitation.
That recovery allows Burns to thrive as a West Noble student-athlete, and contribute to to a successful West Noble season.