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In 1980 the late Herb Brooks stood in the middle of the locker room and told the USA Olympic hockey team that this was their time.
The Americans, mired in a cold war with the Soviets, were about to face the Russians at Lake Placid, NY in a medal game for the Olympics. The Russians had smothered the Americans in an exhibition match earlier in the year and had won five games against NHL teams. They had won the last four gold medals.
Brooks told the team that if they played the Russians 10 times the Russians might win nine of them.
But not today.
"You were born to be hockey players," he read from a hand written speech he had prepared. "This is your time."
The Americans knocked the puck away in the final five seconds of the match as announcer Al Michaels screamed, "Do you believe in miracles? YES!!!"
The Americans went on to beat the Russians 4-3 then took home the gold when they won their final game against Sweden.
Fast forward to 2013.
Barneveld's girls basketball team was facing defending WIAA Division 5 state champion Heritage Christian, a team of pure basketball players with everyone back to defend the title.
Odds are that nine times out of 10, the Lady Patriots would win.
But not today.
For the Golden Eagles, this was their day.
It was their day to be basketball players. It was their time.
Coach Jim Myers had his own speech prepared for the pre-game. It was an off the cuff version but it carried the same meaning as the Herb Brooks' speech did 33 years ago.
"The Heritage Christian team was looking at your backs all during warm-ups," Myers said. "They don't know what to expect. When this game is over they can look at your faces and see that you are going to state."
In a game that saw the score tied four times and the lead change hands five times, it was the Eagles that prevailed to make the trip to Green Bay for the first ever state tournament experience at the Resch Center. Barneveld will face South Shore today at 3:15 p.m.
From the opening tip to the end of the game Barneveld's lone senior Madi Laube gave her best impression of Mark Johnson, the scoring hero of the 1980 gold medal winners. It was Laube who nailed a crucial, clutch three pointer with 1:37 left to play and no doubt pounded the final nail in the Heritage Christian coffin. The three pointer sent the Eagles to a 47-44 lead and broke the last tie along with the hopes the Lady Patriots had of repeating.
Laube finished the game with 13 points but her ability to calm the tides all afternoon with her ball handling and passing was as valuable as her scoring. In fact, it may have been more valuable.
Rachel Slaney and McKenzie Sporle both made free throws in the last minute to cap the 49-46 win.
For the first four minutes it looked as if the Lady Patriots were going to crush the Eagles much like they have their opponents all season. They controlled offensive glass at the start as Jamera Sandifer and Jasmine Harris rammed home rebound baskets and Ramiyah Bennett put in a pair of free throws for a quick 6-0 lead in the first two minutes.
A three point play by Rachel Slaney who was fouled on a successful out of bounds play cut the lead in half and after a Sandifer drive, she made two more free throws to keep the Eagles within three at 8-5.
The Eagles used a pair of three pointers from freshman Hannah Whitish, five for five free throws-three by Slaney and two by Sporle--and Slaney's two point basket to keep the Eagles close at 16-13 as the quarter ended.
Slaney wasted little time getting the score tied with another three point play to start the second quarter. She stuffed in a rebound, was fouled, added the free throw, and the score stood even at 16-16.
The Lady Patriots went on a 9-4 run to grab a 25-21 lead but a Myers substitution changed the flow quickly.
Myers went to his bench and called on 6-0 sophomore Maggie Oimoen to get into the game and take control of the inside.
Oimoen did just that.
She put in three baskets, the last one coming off an assist by Danielle Straubhaar and got the Eagles a 27-25 lead with 1:16 to play in the half.
A deep three by Teoncea Bennett sent a minor shock wave through the gym as Heritage Christian took a 28-27 lead.
But, a rebound basket by Laube with 27 second left gave the Eagles a 29-28 lead at the half.
Heritage Christian trailed 38-37 with under a minutes left in the third but a three pointer by Sandifer and a neat turn-around jumper by Tiersa Gillie gave them the lead at the end of the frame, 42-38.
Four straight free throws--two by Slaney and two by Laube--set the score evan with 3:24 to play at 44-44. The next two minutes saw both teams looking for the advantage. It was Laube who found it for the Eagles with her net nestling three.
The Eagles kept the lead the rest of the way and completed the "Miracle on Wood."
Slaney ended up the scoring leader for the Eagles with 17 points, nine of them from the free throw line. She was a starter as a freshman last year and suffered through a lop-sided loss to the Lady Patriots in the sectional finals.
"We left upset last year," Slaney said. "This year we are leaving with a trip to the state tournament."
It was just what the Eagles wanted and something they pointed at all season.
"We knew if we got this far we would probably be seeing Heritage Christian," Slaney said. "We didn't want the same thing to happen."
It didn't. This year the purple and gold with be making the trip to state.
While the Lady Patriots are now out of the way the Eagles don't expect anything less from the teams at state.
"We expect to see great teams at state," Slaney said. "It will be great competition. But if we play like we did today and keep playing together we can get the job done."
"I love my team," she added. "They are great."
No one was going to argue that.
Laube knew the shot she made to give the Eagles their final lead was a "had to."
"I had to make it," she said. "I was open so I went with it and it went in."
Making shots has been something Laube has been doing plenty of during her four years as a varsity starter. Earlier this season she accomplished the coveted 1000 point feat.
"I love my four years," she said. "But I have to say this is the best."
Laube knew that shooting was only a part of what was needed for a win.
"We knew we had to play defense," she said. "We had to keep them from making threes. We had to focus. We had to be aggressive."
With the wide open play the referees allowed the aggressiveness was a big key.
"We definitely stayed aggressive," Laube said.
Former Eagle great Katie Sutter is now on Myers's coaching staff. Her job this season? Make Maggie Oimoen into a true post player.
Mission accomplished.
Oimoen said from the first day of practice through today, the Eagles have shown improvement.
And, no one has improved more than Oimoen.
"Katie worked with me every day," Oimoen said. "I know have some post moves."
She showed that very well in the second quarter.
The clutch three by Laube was not a called play for the Eagles.
"It went along with the flow of the offense," Myers said. "We didn't call it. We trust Madi to shoot when she feels comfortable. She has shot that shot so many times over the years. I am happy for her. I am happy she was able to hit it."
He was also happy with the effort the girls gave.
"It was a great defensive performance," Myers said. "Holding one of their top scorers, Ramiyah Bennett, to four points was huge. So was keeping them from scoring in transition. They only did that once and that is their trademark game."
"We got most of the loose balls, especially at the end of the game," Myers added. "We got them when they counted."
"We are a young team (Laube is the only senior) and the kids stuck with it. They stepped up," Myers said. "They held it together. We didn't turn the ball over. I am very proud of the kids."
"This was one of the few times we have gone into a game as the underdog," Myers said. "I feel very lucky to have had eight teams at state. I wasn't sure that would happen again."
But it did and while Myers has been there before, he is happy that Laube will get to experience it.
"She has worked so hard and is such a great senior," he said. "I am happy for Madi that she got there."
SCORE BY QUARTERS
B 13 16 9 11 49
HC 16 12 14 4 46
BOX SCORE
BARNEVELD  49: (fg-ft-tp) Udelhoven 0-0-0, Sporle 0-3-3, Straubhaar 0-0-0, Kleppe 0-0-0, Whitish 2-2-8, Laube 4-2-13, Evans 1-0-2, Slaney 4-9-17, Oimoen 3-0-6 Totals 14-16/22-49 Fouls-10
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 46: R. Bennett 1-2-4, Bautista 3-0-6, T. Bennett 4-0-11, N. Bennett 0-0-0, Sandifer 4-0-9, Harris 6-2-14, Gillie 1-0-2, Jefferson 0-0-0 Totals 19-4/5-46 Fouls-19 Fouled out-R. Bennett, Sandifer
3 point goals:
B-Laube 3, Whitish 2
HC-T. Bennett 3, Sandifer