“It means a lot to me that I’ve been a part of such a great accomplishment,” said Ellie Strong, co-captain of the SPASH varsity girls basketball team.
For the first time in SPASH basketball history, for both boys and girls, the SPASH girls basketball team won four consecutive conference championships. This accomplishment is a testament to how much hard work and determination this group of girls have put in. However, they don’t plan for their success to end there as they’re looking to make a deep playoff run and potentially make a state appearance for the first time in 25 years.
The success over the past four seasons and how they made history
Although the last four seasons have been successful, the success did not come without trials.
The SPASH Panthers started their 2025-26 season off 1-1, losing their second game to the number four Nationally ranked women’s team, Hopkins of MN. However, this didn’t discourage them; Strong said, “It’s not easy to start the season against a good team and not feel discouraged at the start. However, we knew this wouldn’t make or break the season.”
Alfred Smith of Stevens Point Journal said, “In [Janel McCarville’s] first season as head coach for the Panthers, it took a last second shot at the buzzer to knock SPASH out of state contention,” as head coach McCarville faced adversity and challenges. Even though they were number two seed for playoffs last season, their hopes for state were destroyed as they lost to the number six seed Appleton East.
The game was electrifying; SPASH was showing why they were the number two seed but Appleton wasn’t going down without a fight. The game went into overtime and Appleton came out on top 75-72, hitting a buzzer beater half court shot.
Although the SPASH Panthers did not end up victorious, they knew it wasn’t over. This loss only added fuel to the fire and the Panthers knew that they would be back.
“It takes accountability and discipline to get to this point,” McCarville said. “We didn’t have that at first, you know, it’s something you have to learn, just like cursive, math or learning how to play basketball and understand it.”
Head coach McCarville knows that discipline is one of the most important parts of basketball. She made a point to instill this into her team. McCarville said, “On the days that we do have off, the girls are watching film and they’re studying.” On and off the court the team is putting in the work, and everyone does their part.
The rise of women’s sports
“Women’s sport sponsorship is growing 50% faster than men’s major leagues, and is exceeding return on investment expectations,” according to ESPN, women’s sport sponsorship.
Everyone is watching women’s sports, whether it’s on the national or local level. The rise has been nothing short of spectacular. As the quote shows women’s sports is outgrowing men’s sports, for the first time ever. This is due to many factors, but the main one is the rise of Caitlin Clark.
”Women’s basketball has experienced a historic, rapid evolution over the last four years, characterized by a 226% surge in WNBA viewership, record-breaking college ratings, and increased investment, transforming it into a mainstream cultural phenomenon,” said Michael Knapp, journalist for Dissent. Many people credit Clark for this jump due to how she has transformed how we view not only women’s college basketball, but how we view women’s sports overall. Clark has brought passion and a love for basketball the fans have never seen before. This mixed with her raw talent has taken the basketball community by storm and is creating fans nationwide.
Clark has not only transformed women’s basketball on a national professional level, but also on local levels.
Many young girls are now trying out for basketball and participating in women’s sports. On social media they call this the “Caitlin Clark affect” and credit her for this rise. “The evolution of women’s basketball—driven by Title IX, the WNBA, and modern stars like Caitlin Clark—has significantly increased the visibility, popularity, and professional aspirations of high school girl players.” From WIFU sports news.
Making a deep playoff run and overcoming the obstacles to win state
SPASH girls basketball got the number one seed for their sectional. Their record this season was 20-4, going 10-0 in conference games.
Strong said, ”Seeding does not mean a whole lot to our team. In our minds, it is just a number and we can not get too complacent. Janel told our team in film that our Sectional is a ‘gauntlet’, so truly the number one seed could have gone to any team.”
The Panthers are not letting their number one seed get to them, they’re going to continue to grind, on and off the court. This mentality is key to their playoff run, and their continuous work on the game is proof of their determination.
Since playoffs started the SPASH girls basketball team has won 3 straight games; they beat Chippewa Falls 62-23, Hortonville 61-48, and De Pere 67-51.
2/28/26.
SPASH girls basketball will now be playing Notre Dame Academy in the sectional final. The winner of this game will be one of the four teams to advance to the state championship. This would be the first time in over 25 years for the SPASH girls basketball team.
The SPASH Panthers lost to Notre Dame Academy 69-54 on March 7, 2026.
Even though SPASH lost, this doesn’t mean the season wasn’t a success. Their success outweighs their defeats. SPASH girls basketball was undefeated conference champions, regional champions, and sectional finalists.
