Area girls basketball: Pillars of Goodhue's success

Goodhue seniors Chanel Robert, Courtney Hinsch and Anne Lodermeier have been starters on each of the Wildcats' previous two state tournament teams. The three, who have known each other since kindergarten, are one game away from making it back for a third straight year.

They talked with the Republican Eagle's Ryan Nilsson on Monday about their varsity careers and Thursday's Section 1A title game against Spring Grove.

R-E: How much have you changed since you first met? My impression is that Anne's always the talkative one. Chanel and Courtney look to Anne when I ask a question.

Robert: She always talks smoothly. I could add something if she misses it, but she usually gets it. (Laughs)

R-E: Chanel, have you always been the tallest one?

Robert: Yes.

Lodermeier: No. Grade K. I had you. (Lodermeier pounds her fist on the table.)

Robert: OK, we were like the same height. ... Anne used to be one of the tall ones with me, but then I just kind of outgrew her. Courtney was never with us. ... You were always shorter.

Lodermeier: We called her (Robert) beanpole in elementary.

Robert: I hate you. That's actually embarrassing.

R-E: What was the program like when you were freshmen or eighth-graders?

Lodermeier: All the levels are on the same level (now). I didn't feel connected to the varsity at all. We didn't practice with them really. ... (Now) we practice with (all the teams) all the way down to ninth grade.

Hinsch: (Practice) was a lot more just running.

Robert: It was a lot more like speed and agility stuff instead of going through your fundamentals.

R-E: What do you remember from that first year as sophomores playing at the state tournament? What was memorable for each of you?

Hinsch: Probably the (elevated) floor (at Williams Arena). Just the atmosphere I guess, it was fun.

Robert: Yeah, that was pretty memorable. It was different playing on there. It felt like we were more in the center.

Lodermeier: I remember feeling important because it had been like (13) years since the girls team had got up there. It was like when my sister was a senior, I think. She was the last team to do it. It was a big deal for me.

R-E: How was the junior year experience at state different from when you were there the year before as sophomores?

Robert: Making it to the championship game was a big difference. It was eye opening, like, "We're good. We made it this far."

Hinsch: I felt like last year we were just all on the same page at all times.

Lodermeier: Good leadership (last year) from seniors, especially Grace (Majerus) and Watty (Laura Watson).

Hinsch: And everything was so solid. You always knew what you were gonna get out of everybody.

R-E: Some of the things that I remember are Chanel hitting the 3-pointer against Buffalo Lake-Hector.

(Laughs)

R-E: It was just so out of character that that stands out. And then I remember Courtney playing through the knee injury. What do you remember from last year?

Lodermeier: I remember being surprised at how much we meant to Goodhue. That crowd was humongous. We're not (a) big (town).

Hinsch: Going to the championship game, you just look into the stands and it's like, 'Oh my gosh.' (Her eyes become large.)

Robert: It was pretty much our whole town there.

Lodermeier: It was incredible. I never knew that many people were going to make it up there.

R-E: Courtney you didn't say a whole lot last year about the knee injury to the newspaper. What did you guys see as she was battling through that last year? (After state it was learned she was playing with a fractured left tibia.)

Robert: Courtney, you're always strong. You never want to say when you're hurting. You always played through it.

Lodermeier: I think Courtney was modest through it. She's a modest player, so it wasn't like she was gonna sit there and whine at you about it because her job was to be our floor leader.

Robert: That's a good word choice, modesty.

R-E: How do you feel going into this game against Spring Grove?

Hinsch: Really nervous. I just feel like everything's on the line. It's like do or die at this point.

Lodermeier: And they're hungry, they're thirsty. They want this really bad.

Hinsch: We've already beat them once this season.

Robert: And they want it even that much more.

Lodermeier: You can tell that they're driven by a previous loss. They're just like, "We're not letting this happen again." I've even seen online they're saying things like, "Well, we've got our second chance and we're not wasting it this time. There's no way." I'm like, "Oh."

Robert: It is a little nerve wracking, but I think we can do it. It is essential for us to have a good game and play good together.

Lodermeier: That drives us too. That fuels our excitement and our passion for wanting this just as bad or more.

R-E: What's something that people don't know about each of you?

Hinsch: (Chanel) models.

Robert: I haven't pursued that in a while, but every once in a while I go out and do auditions. ... I've done one commercial audition. I got it, but I couldn't do it because I was going to Texas for AAU this summer. Otherwise it's print advertising auditions.

Lodermeier: I'm a pianist. I play piano all the time. I'm addicted to music. ... When I'm not playing basketball my second passion is music. It's what I'm playing all the time. ... I play at my church too. That kind of makes me want to do it all the time.

Hinsch: I suck at Wii Dance.

Robert: You actually don't.

Lodermeier: If you need any videos submitted we have plenty. ... You like to Wii Dance.

Tags: sports headlines, girls basketball, anne lodermeier, courtney hinsch, chanel robert, goodhue, wildcats, prep