VALLEY CENTRAL ― Sitting on the bench following Lourdes’ heart-wrenching 53-49 loss in the final seconds to Newburgh in the Section 9 girls basketball Class AAA finals on Saturday, March 7, a seemingly composed Bianka Velovic watched as the trophy ceremony was about to begin.
A few minutes later, the star senior, who is one of the last pieces remaining from the Warriors’ 2024 state title team, started to release the emotion and shed tears knowing it was all over. The four-year varsity player’s career donning the Lourdes logo was over.
Her and Sofi Pelish, the final two members of that memorable run and legendary careers that saw them each reach the top of the mountain, were walking off the court for the final time.
“They’ve really meant a lot to the program, and I really feel bad for all of the seniors,” Al Viani, the head coach of Lourdes said after the loss. “They’ve done a lot and they’ve been leaders for the team. They’ll be good wherever they end up going and doing in their lives because they’re strong individuals. They’re good kids.”
The ending is one no player wants to envision or actually have come to reality, but the end isn’t what made it so emotional. It was the years long journey that each of the two took during their extended varsity careers. Growing as players on the court is the goal of the sport, but it’s not the real growth that will benefit someone for the rest of their lives.
If there’s anything Viani can hang on to, it’s seeing these student-athletes grow to the people they are when the final buzzer sounds.
“They’ve each put the time and effort into it. They’ve both grown individually as players and as people,” he said. “I’m proud of the way they’ve come along, and I know they’ll do well in college and beyond.”
In the final time suiting up, Velovic poured in 14 points while fellow senior Dailynne O’gilvie added eight. Pelish tallied six as well.
In a blend of witnessing serious stars walk out for the final time, Lourdes may have come across a future one with the postseason play of Aaliyah Pegram. Consistently being a fantastic rebounding presence, the sophomore led the Warriors in scoring in each of the last two postseason games.
Following a 21-point performance over Kingston in the semis, Pegram led the team with 15 in the tight loss on Saturday. Eleven of those points came in the second half with Lourdes mounting a comeback effort.
“She stepped up big for us. Like I said before, she hasn’t played a lot of really competitive basketball before and she’s really, from the beginning of the year to now, has really blossomed,” Viani glowingly said. “With some offseason work and a couple more years of development, we’re really looking for big things from her.”
The emotions understandably got to Velovic and Pelish during the final moments on the court, but eventually, the happiness will come back. What the two accomplished and helped the Lourdes’ program do will be etched forever.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Velovic, Pelish leave legacies after Lourdes drops section title
Reporting by Eric Decker, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
