Two in a row for Crofton's senior standout
Amber Hegge is known around Crofton for a lot of things — standout athlete, excellent student, good role model who enjoys being around younger kids and the girl who just took a full-time summer job at the putt golf/go-kart place in nearby Yankton, S.D.
But around Nebraska, the Lincoln Journal Star’s two-time Prep Girls Athlete of the Year will always be associated with just one thing — The Shot.
Hegge will be remembered forever in girls state basketball tournament history for the buzzer-beating, game-winning three-pointer she banked in from the top of the key. That high school career-ending basket gave Crofton a 47-46 win against Norfolk Catholic in the Class C-1 state championship game and secured the Warriors’ third straight state title.
Hegge not only had to hit the off-balance, leaning shot against defensive pressure, the slender 6-foot-1 senior had to dribble through Norfolk Catholic defenders in the final five seconds just to get into position after taking an inbounds pass from the opposite baseline.
She’s watched the final play several times on tape and on the Internet and replayed it a thousand times more in her mind.
“It’s still kind of unbelievable,” Hegge said. “I have people come up to me all the time and say ‘You’re the girl who made that shot.’ It’s an unforgettable moment. I wish I could do it again.’’
Actually Hegge got a chance to re-enact it just a day later at the team’s welcome home ceremony in the Crofton gym in front of around 400 people. Despite wearing jeans, Hegge duplicated her path up court as close as she could as her teammates counted down on the sidelines “5-4-3-2-1.”
And there was Crofton head coach Aaron Losing, being as aggressive guarding Hegge as the Knights’ all-stater Nicole Brungardt was a day earlier.
It didn’t matter. This time, Hegge swished the three-pointer.
“I thought at first we were just joking around, but he was really playing defense. He tried to steal the ball, then jump up and block the shot,” Hegge recalled, laughing.
Immediately after the state finals, Losing’s comments to the media were basically that “it’s better to be lucky than good.
“I gave her a chance to prove me wrong, and sure enough, she made me eat my words,’’ Losing said. “She didn’t even need the backboard this time.’’
“The Shot’’ only further enhances one of the most extraordinary resumes compiled by a girls high school athlete in Nebraska.
In track, Hegge won four gold medals at the state meet two weeks ago, leading Crofton to its fourth straight Class C team title. Her victories in the 200-meter dash, high jump, long jump and triple jump brought her career track gold medal total to 12. Hegge is on the state’s all-time charts in three events — triple jump (fourth, 39-2¾), high jump (tied for ninth, 5-9) and long jump (tied for 10th, 19-½).
She finished this spring listed in six events in the state’s season charts — first in the long jump and high jump, second in the triple jump and 200, third in the 100 and ninth in the 400.
Hegge also attracted attention as a volleyball player last fall, even though it was only her third season in the sport. She was a second-team Class C-1 all-state middle blocker after putting down 293 kills, with an outstanding .524 hitting efficiency, and also registering 47 ace blocks for the 12-9 Warriors.
Hegge’s flexibility to play any position from point guard to center earned her NCAA Division I basketball scholarship offers from Nebraska and Drake. Hegge’s desire to do both basketball and track in college, however, led her to sign with South Dakota, which will go Division I in basketball in 2008.
“I’m not ready to give up either sport yet,’’ said Hegge, a straight-A student. She will major in business and be enrolled in the honors program at South Dakota.
“It will be tough balancing school with two sports. But I feel I have the potential to do better (in track) once it’s a full-time thing. I just don’t know how much better.”
Hegge led Crofton in almost every basketball statistical category. She averaged 14.1 points and 8.1 rebounds, but also led the Warriors in assists, steals and blocked shots.
Crofton volleyball coach Susan Johnson said Hegge could play college volleyball if she chose to. Johnson said colleges, including Kansas, began calling about Hegge last fall. With an approach reach of more than 10 feet, that’s easy to understand.
“Colleges were calling about her a lot, and I’d tease her by asking ‘Do you want to play volleyball for them?’’’ Johnson said. “And her response was always ‘I don’t want to play volleyball.’”
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
But around Nebraska, the Lincoln Journal Star’s two-time Prep Girls Athlete of the Year will always be associated with just one thing — The Shot.
Hegge will be remembered forever in girls state basketball tournament history for the buzzer-beating, game-winning three-pointer she banked in from the top of the key. That high school career-ending basket gave Crofton a 47-46 win against Norfolk Catholic in the Class C-1 state championship game and secured the Warriors’ third straight state title.
Hegge not only had to hit the off-balance, leaning shot against defensive pressure, the slender 6-foot-1 senior had to dribble through Norfolk Catholic defenders in the final five seconds just to get into position after taking an inbounds pass from the opposite baseline.
She’s watched the final play several times on tape and on the Internet and replayed it a thousand times more in her mind.
“It’s still kind of unbelievable,” Hegge said. “I have people come up to me all the time and say ‘You’re the girl who made that shot.’ It’s an unforgettable moment. I wish I could do it again.’’
Actually Hegge got a chance to re-enact it just a day later at the team’s welcome home ceremony in the Crofton gym in front of around 400 people. Despite wearing jeans, Hegge duplicated her path up court as close as she could as her teammates counted down on the sidelines “5-4-3-2-1.”
And there was Crofton head coach Aaron Losing, being as aggressive guarding Hegge as the Knights’ all-stater Nicole Brungardt was a day earlier.
It didn’t matter. This time, Hegge swished the three-pointer.
“I thought at first we were just joking around, but he was really playing defense. He tried to steal the ball, then jump up and block the shot,” Hegge recalled, laughing.
Immediately after the state finals, Losing’s comments to the media were basically that “it’s better to be lucky than good.
“I gave her a chance to prove me wrong, and sure enough, she made me eat my words,’’ Losing said. “She didn’t even need the backboard this time.’’
“The Shot’’ only further enhances one of the most extraordinary resumes compiled by a girls high school athlete in Nebraska.
In track, Hegge won four gold medals at the state meet two weeks ago, leading Crofton to its fourth straight Class C team title. Her victories in the 200-meter dash, high jump, long jump and triple jump brought her career track gold medal total to 12. Hegge is on the state’s all-time charts in three events — triple jump (fourth, 39-2¾), high jump (tied for ninth, 5-9) and long jump (tied for 10th, 19-½).
She finished this spring listed in six events in the state’s season charts — first in the long jump and high jump, second in the triple jump and 200, third in the 100 and ninth in the 400.
Hegge also attracted attention as a volleyball player last fall, even though it was only her third season in the sport. She was a second-team Class C-1 all-state middle blocker after putting down 293 kills, with an outstanding .524 hitting efficiency, and also registering 47 ace blocks for the 12-9 Warriors.
Hegge’s flexibility to play any position from point guard to center earned her NCAA Division I basketball scholarship offers from Nebraska and Drake. Hegge’s desire to do both basketball and track in college, however, led her to sign with South Dakota, which will go Division I in basketball in 2008.
“I’m not ready to give up either sport yet,’’ said Hegge, a straight-A student. She will major in business and be enrolled in the honors program at South Dakota.
“It will be tough balancing school with two sports. But I feel I have the potential to do better (in track) once it’s a full-time thing. I just don’t know how much better.”
Hegge led Crofton in almost every basketball statistical category. She averaged 14.1 points and 8.1 rebounds, but also led the Warriors in assists, steals and blocked shots.
Crofton volleyball coach Susan Johnson said Hegge could play college volleyball if she chose to. Johnson said colleges, including Kansas, began calling about Hegge last fall. With an approach reach of more than 10 feet, that’s easy to understand.
“Colleges were calling about her a lot, and I’d tease her by asking ‘Do you want to play volleyball for them?’’’ Johnson said. “And her response was always ‘I don’t want to play volleyball.’”
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
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