WINDOM -- The fickle finger of fate rested on Windom Area’s Allison Letcher last season in the Sub-Section 3AA girls basketball finals. The game was in Worthington. The opponent was Luverne.
In her own words:
“Last year I hit the buzzer-beater in the sub-section finals. They were pressing up on us, there was about five seconds left and Gracie Bucher gets the ball. And I run up the sideline and she throws it to me, and I drive through the lane and shoot just a little floater off the free throw line, and it happens to roll in.
“I’m like, in shock. I’m watching it go around the rim and I’m just like, ‘Oh, man, if this goes in it’s gonna be insane. And it went in and there were people trying to storm the court, but they were getting held back by officials and staff. We were just celebrating as a team on the court. It was just the greatest feeling I’ve ever felt in the whole world.”
Letcher’s “15 minutes of fame” had staying-power.
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“Honestly, it took awhile for it to set in, that I actually hit that shot and we were actually going to go to the section finals. The next day was the craziest day because there was everyone just coming, coming, coming. And then there’s times -- I work at the Dairy Queen -- and there’s times that people will come through the drive-thru and they’ll say like, ‘Oh, are you the girl that hit the shot last year?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s me.’ It’s still going on right now. It’s crazy.”
Letcher’s high school has preserved the photo, taken by The Globe, where pandemonium reigns on the basketball court.
“And they printed that out and wanted me to sign it. And it’s still hanging up in the office today.”
A senior this year who also plays on the school fast-pitch softball team, Letcher hopes to help the Eagles to the next step in girls basketball -- a state tournament berth. Off the court, she loves musicals and hopes to see a show on Broadway someday. Her sports inspirations are Minnesota Lynx women’s basketball player Maya Moore and her grandfather, who she proudly proclaims, “comes to every single game.”
This week’s Globe subject for The Drill, Letcher plans to play basketball after graduation for the University of Wisconsin-Stout. You can see her Drill video online at www.dglobe.com . Here’s a sample of the interview:
QUESTION: How has your role on the basketball team changed this year?
ANSWER: “My role has changed quite a bit. Last year I played the floor mainly. I was more of a shooting guard, but this year I’m actually the point guard of the team. So I handle the ball most of the time. And I think I’ve developed my post skills since then. I’m able to back down more and not just shoot and drive. So I think I’ve improved a lot since then.”
QUESTION: How far can the Eagles go?
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ANSWER: “This year I think we can go to state. Last year we got a taste of it, but we didn’t quite make it there. Being sub-section champions was good and all, but it wasn’t enough to get where we wanted to be. And everyone wants, everyone has that goal of getting to state.”
QUESTION: Tell us something about you that most people don’t know.
ANSWER: “Something unusual about me is that I love to clean. I like to do laundry, I just like having a clean house. And my mom loves it ‘cuz, like, I clean downstairs. She doesn’t have to do that and it just gives me a sense of satisfaction. It’s pretty unusual, I feel like.”
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