Key to Winning Tournament Was Laughter

Andersen Lewellyan, of Wheaton, was a little worried when she went up against the team from Batavia in the final game in the Jayhawk Jam tournament last weekend.

“They had already beat us twice, so we were intimidated so our coach made us feel amazing,” Lewellyan, a middle Schooler at Franklin Middle School said.

Coach Jason Pergande, who also teaches special education at Franklin Middle School in Wheaton, was incredibly proud of his winning team, especially because the odds were stacked against them.

“We have a pretty small enrollment for the area and the conference we play in; our enrollment is about 700 kids,” he said.

Sam Rotolo Middle School in Batavia, the team the girls from Franklin faced in the final round, has about 1,500 students.

The game itself also was a nail-biter. The teams tied at 45 points and went into overtime.

When that happened, Lewellyan said the girls again were intimidated. But not for long.

“Mr. P called a time out and what he did was made us all laugh and loosen up the tension and get us all ready,” she said.

Six teams competed in the Jayhawk Jam tournament and the final score of the winning game was Franklin Middle School: 49; Rotolo Middle School: 45.

The following students are on the Franklin Middle School team. High scores are indicated beside players’ names.

• Cate Robbins
• Brenna McNally
• Andersen Lewellyn
• Kiana Calkins
• Kiersten Smith
• Sarah Topps
• Sarah Shine
• Nikki Baird
• Izzy Tramel
• Jenna Kortenhoeven
• Alyse Lanagan

The following stats were highlights of the game

• Nikki Baird scored 27 points
• Sarah Topps poured in 13 points, (including 12 in the second half)
• Izzy Tramel hit a huge three-pointer to help Franklin regain the lead in the second half
• Sarah Shine dropped in a lay-up in overtime to give the Bulldogs the lead for good