'Super Six' aim to win state title for Air Academy girls

During his first season in charge of the Air Academy girls’ basketball team, Kadets coach Bob Wingett happened to miss an opposing coach’s call for a full-court press.

By the time Wingett realized what was happening it was too late for him to call out a counter play.

His players didn’t need him to. They immediately went into a full-court-press break, made three passes and scored. That’s what happens when you have six players who’ve played together since the fourth grade.

Miranda Beal, Kauna Kama, Kate Louthan, Tori Reifschneider, Kellyn Roiko and Erin Todd have been running together on a basketball court for nine years. And since middle school they’ve been talking about staying together in hopes of winning a state championship. In the final season together for these half-dozen seniors, the Kadets are poised to make that run.

“They do things on the floor that you just don’t teach people that haven’t been together for so long,” said Wingett, who took over midseason last year.

Air Academy (13-2) takes on its biggest Metro League test tonight at Palmer Ridge (13-1), which hasn’t lost in the state of Colorado.

Last season the Kadets reached the semifinals. The two seasons prior they reached the third round. The “Super Six” know their goal for years has been to win a state title, dating to when they joined the Colorado Sharpshooters club team. Yet this season, they’ve hardly talked about that title.

“It’s always been in the back of all of our minds, because that’s what we’re all going for,” Beal said. “It’s kind of like the taboo subject, and no one really wants to talk about it even though everyone knows that’s what we’re going for and that’s what we’ve been going for since we were little.”

Including their freshman season, in which all six saw varsity playing time, the Kadets have posted a 74-18 record.

The team is averaging 58.5 points this season. The six of them average a combined 53.9 ppg. It’s easier to score that many points when you’ve been playing with your teammates for nearly half your life.

“All of us really know where each other is going to be and how fast we’re going to get down the court,” Kama said. “Just because we’ve built such a strong chemistry throughout the years, always playing together.”

Their chemistry drove half of them to stay together over sticking to schools closer to home. Reifschneider chose Air Academy over Liberty, Louthan opted for the Kadets over District 38 schools and Kama left a Catholic education to head to District 20.

“It’s really exciting that we’re still here and we’re still together and we’re all seniors,” Reifschneider said.

Naturally, the team is closely knit.

“We see each other every day,” Roiko said. “We hang out all summer too, doing club basketball together. We’re not just teammates, we’re also friends.”

After so long together, their time on the court is winding down.

“We know that this is our last time,” Louthan said. “We don’t like to think about it a lot. I like that we’re all in. We’re all in with each other.”

Just how the story winds up won’t be decided for several weeks. The Kadets are going to enjoy the ride while they can.

“It’s kind of sad that it’s ending,” Todd said. “But it’s also like the big finale. We’re going to go out with a bang, and hopefully that’s a state title.”

Air Academy recent playoff history

2008-09 18-7 Reached third round in 5A

2009-10 22-3 Reached third round in 5A

2010-11 22-6 Reached 4A semifinals

2011-12 ???