Yes It’s True: 3 girls’ hoops teams all league champs

An unusual and obscure milestone was reached during the past 10 days in these parts.

For the very first time ever, I believe, all three high school varsity athletic teams covered by the Wayland Globe, the Penasee Globe and Townbroadcast in these more than 100 years won conference championships.

The Wayland girls’ basketball team won the O-K Gold title, Hopkins took the crown in the O-K Silver and Martin took all the marbles in the Southwest Athletic Conference Central Division. I repeat: It is unusual and it is obscure.

This comes on the heels of Wayland coming up with regional champions in three female sports, softball, basketball and bowling in one calendar year from March 2021 to March 2022. That also is unusual and obscure.

Though I’ve made it more than a habit to emphasize team rather than individual accomplishments, especially over the last couple of decades in my community journalism career, I’d like to celebrate the league champs by revealing and toasting weird or fascinating tidbits about five players who have had major roles in these three teams’ successes.

First, the Laker sisters and Maddy Terry, three major contributors to the Wildcats’ prowess on the hardcourt.

Maddy Terry of Wayland very simply is one of the hardest working players I have ever seen, right up there with Presley Hudson, who may have been her inspiration. While taking Bella the Wonderdog on nearly daily walks around town during the summer, I’d often noticed Maddy practicing dribbling without looking the ball on the makeshift basketball courts at the City Park. Furthermore, Maddy was the ringleader of shoot-arounds and informal practices last fall in the gym, sometimes luring as many as 10 comrades to join in the very early morning activities.

Presley Hudson was famous for doing exactly that when she was playing at Central Michigan University and she was credited by her coach for changing the culture.

I wonder if Maddy dares to do the same at Olivet College next fall.

Then come the Laker sisters, daughters of Kara Potter and Lance Laker. The former was a standout volleyball, softball and basketball star a couple of decades ago and no less than Zack Moushegian claimed she had the quickest move to the basket he’d ever witnessed.

Harmony seems destined for all-state accolades and beyond. And she and older sister Liberty form a dynamic duo in singing a quality rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” before games.

I wonder if Liberty already has tired of people greeting her with, “Liberty, Liberty, Liberty… Liberty.”

Then there’s Mady Weber, who comes from famous and sturdy stock of the Weber brothers, Drew and Colin, both outstanding Vikings in their heyday. Drew is an assistant coach at Olivet College and Colin plays football at University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

Mady, the youngest of the family, has signed to do hoops at Alma College, longtime MIAA rival of Olivet. She very quietly has been the Lady Vikings’ leading scorer and rebounder and was a fair country volleyball player for the O-K Silver championship squad.

Last, but not least comes Makala Goddard, ringleader  of Martin’s successful hoops campaign with her deadly three-point shooting accuracy. Makala was somewhat overshadowed last year by Gracie Settler’s exploits, but the Lady Clippers have a knack for not rebuilding, but instead reloading every season. She’s only a junior. And Harmony’s only a sophomore.

Regardless of how this season plays out, there are bigger things to come.

(Photos courtesy of Shannon Dunahoo)