Blood, Sweat and Tears
Caitlyn Vickery gave Pleasant Valley everything she had in a playoff night defined by contact, resilience, and heart.
Caitlyn Vickery is the human embodiment of blood, sweat and tears.
The only senior on the Pleasant Valley girls basketball team may have been outmatched in size compared to the towering 6-footers of the three-time defending state champions, Oakland Tech. But Vickery made up for that in heart – helping lift the Vikings to victory in true David vs. Goliath fashion.
All night, Vickery was swarmed, often on the receiving end of contact. But it didn’t stop her. She continued to scramble for every loose ball. She leaped for every rebound. And clawed for any chance she could gain possession of the ball.
In the fourth quarter, silence struck. Vickery touched her face and noticed blood dripping from her mouth after a hard foul in the paint.
She sought help from the trainer as the game went into a delay to clean the blood off the court. The crowd went quiet.
But Vickery’s heart stayed resilient. She wasn’t going to watch her senior season evaporate while holding an ice pack to her face from the bench.
She got cleaned up, pulled herself together, and went back in to play only to be greeted by a warm ovation from the packed Varley Gym.
She didn’t miss a step and even provided the clutch pair of free throws to get the Vikings within one-possession, 62-60.
Vickery’s presence helped set the stage for the magical finish that unfolded – a buzzer-beating, game-winning basket from AJ Gambol.
Vickery said it would mean everything to play for a state championship her senior year. The Vikings stay alive as the journey continues.
