Team-First Mindset

To say that the roller coaster ride had tested the mettle of Lily Berger and her Collegiate varsity girls basketball teammates would be an understatement.

 

The craziness began on Jan. 9 when a monsoon forced postponement of their much-anticipated home game with Catholic High and cancelation of practice.

 

Two days later, they traveled to Christchurch to play the Seahorses, but the referees never arrived, so it was back on the bus for the 90-minute ride home with nothing but bonding time to show for their efforts.

 

The next day, they defeated a stronger-than-expected St. Margaret’s squad 46-40 on the Steve Hickman Court after trailing by as many as 10 points early on.

 

Then, there was the long Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend with practice on Monday, but another weather event created treacherous conditions, and another practice was canceled.

 

Finally, on Jan. 16, they took the court against a solid Trinity Episcopal squad in a key League of Independent Schools matchup, quickly fell behind, and trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half. After rallying a bit in the third quarter, they entered the fourth down 34-26.

 

“We’d had a rocky week,” said Berger, the Cougars’ 5-4 senior point guard, a five-year starter, two-year captain, and a Shenandoah University signee.

 

“We just had to remain calm and stick to what we knew.”

 

Few remain calm better than Berger. She’s preternaturally unflappable. She never panics, even in the most intense and challenging moments.

 

A seasoned AAU player, she’s performed under pressure more times than she can count, so a mere eight-point deficit with eight minutes left didn’t faze her one iota.

 

In fact, it provided yet another moment when her understated passion shined through.

 

Thirty seconds into the fourth quarter, the Cougars, playing their trademark man-to-man, forced a turnover that resulted in a Clare Aman layup off an assist from Josie Smalley.

 

After another turnover, Berger, basketball in hand, scoped out the landscape from just above the top of the key, saw that her teammates were covered, and drained a three-pointer to cut the Cougars’ deficit to three points.

 

Yet another turnover created an offensive opportunity, which Makenzie Weiss converted into a three-pointer from the left wing to forge a 34-all tie at 4:57.

 

Trinity retook the lead (35-34) with a free throw at 4:19, but Abby Craig’s strike from behind the arc at 3:41 sent the Cougars ahead 37-35 en route to a 41-36 victory.

 

“When you look at the fourth quarter,” Berger said, “we held them to two points and scored 15. We just tried to win that quarter, not even looking ahead to win the game. Take it 30 seconds by 30 seconds. Let’s get a stop. Let’s get a bucket. Just keep that repetition going.”

 

Her poise under pressure has always resonated.

 

“I’m trying to show them that if I’m not shaken, they shouldn’t be either,” she added. “Stay calm. Stay cool. Stay collected. Lock into the game. Don’t worry about anything else.”

 

Berger scored just five points in the Trinity win. Make no mistake, though. She ran the show as she has the past four years.

 

“[Lily] has been a great presence on the court, especially for the younger players,” said Aman, a 5-11 sophomore. “If there’s a stressful situation at the end of a game, the clock is winding down, and we’re down a couple of points, she keeps us all under control.

 

“One of her greatest strengths is her ball handling, especially in the back court. That’s one of the things that keeps us together when she’s out on the court.”

 

Through 15 games this season, Berger’s statistical ledger reads 4.5 points and 4.6 assists per game. She also has 53 rebounds and 20 steals.

 

For her career, she’s scored 399 points and contributed 286 assists. Her 67 three-pointers places her sixth in program history.

 

She’s also dealt 286 assists, which ranks second (64 behind Anna Wilson) in program history.

 

“[Lily is] one of the most unselfish players I’ve ever seen,” Aman said. “She’s very much pass-oriented and looking to get her teammates open.

 

“If she has a good shot but feels like a teammate has a better shot, she’ll pass to the teammate, no matter who it is.

“That’s something everyone can learn from. She opens up the floor and makes opportunities for everybody else. It’s great to have somebody like that on your team.”

 

Berger has been playing sports as long as she can remember.

 

“My parents put me in everything,” she said. “I did dance for a year. I did gymnastics, soccer, and softball. But playing RockIt basketball in maybe first or second grade was where it all started.

 

“In basketball, you’re constantly moving. You’re running and gunning. I really enjoy that.”

 

Her coach and mentor through the RockIt program was Luchel Sylvain, whom she credits with much of her early development in the sport.

 

She played Cub basketball at Collegiate as a 7th grader, made the varsity team the next year, and earned a starting position on a talented team that included future college players Chandler Eddleton (Marymount) and Abby Freeman (Bridgewater).

 

Competing with and against athletes five years older never fazed her. In fact, she embraced the opportunity.

 

“It was another day, another challenge,” she said. “I think AAU prepared me for that. You might be playing against a kid who’s six-feet tall. OK. You just have to brush it off.”

 

Berger’s pass-first modus operandi comes from her team-first mindset.

 

“It’s more about winning,” she said. “Sure, a double-double, 10 points-10 assists, looks nice, but it’s about making sure my teammates can score.

 

“It’s kind of like running a pick and roll. I feel like a lot of guards want to peel off the pick and score themselves whereas I’m more looking for the roller or the next pass for a three instead of my shot.”

 

Playing tough defense is also part of Berger’s team-first mindset.

 

“It really started once I realized I love the run-and-gun offense,” she said. “The fastest way to get there is lock up on defense, get a quick steal, and then pass it up ahead. That actually makes me enjoy defense a little bit more.”

 

Many a morning over the years, Berger has shown up early at Collegiate and work on her game in solitude or with Rives Fleming, the Cougars’ longtime coach.

 

“I feel like Lily has been around forever,” said Fleming, whose team is 8-7 with six regular season games remaining. “As an 8th grader, she was happy to be an understudy for two girls (Eddleton and Freeman) who are now successful college players.

 

“Since then, it’s been her team. She handles pressure really well. She sees angles and foresees what’s going to happen. She’s also provided some offensive spark at times, but, really, she loves to set up her teammates. She’s a totally unselfish player.

 

“Lily has spent a lot of time playing basketball over the years. I think it’s her happy place. She really enjoys the team element of basketball. She’s just a great team person.”

~Weldon Bradshaw