Two local athletes back on the court after injuries
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EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) -- For high school athletes, senior night is one of the last opportunities to showcase their skills and play in front of their hometown crowd.
Sandy Bune and Alyxis Johansen have been on the Spring Valley Girls Varsity Basketball team all four years of high school.
Both suffered season-ending injuries this year, but those injuries didn't stop them getting from back on the court just long enough to hit a basket on their senior night.
Time is winding down for the high school careers of many local athletes.
On Friday night, the Spring Valley Cardinals girls basketball team hosted its final home game of the season.
But for a majority of the season, the team was without two all-conference players from last year.
Bune and Johansen both suffered torn ACLs this year.
"It goes by quick and with our injuries, we were saying don't take it for granted. You hear a lot of people say they don't want to go to practice, I don't want to go to practice and then all of a sudden you're injured and all you want to do is go to practice," said Bune.
Bune got hurt before the season started, and Johansen in January.
"I just knew that we had to do something for them, because these two kids have worked really hard and they deserve to have that moment on senior night," said Spring Valley Varsity Girls Basketball Coach Sean Hoolihan.
For the first time since their junior year, Bune and Johansen took to the court together.
The Cardinals first four points scored by the seniors, after both Spring Valley and its opponent, Glenwood City, let each girl make an uncontested layup to start.
"(Bune) was going to get a shot and (Hoolihan) asked if I wanted one because our situations were kind of different," explains Johansen. "I got to play eight games, Sandy didn't get to play at all senior year. So I thought about it and I thought that it would be cool if both of us got to just because we both had the same injury, both going through the same thing."
This season, Hoolihan says it was their dedication off the court that most embodies the Spring Valley program.
"Their leadership has been second to none, you know they've been at every single practice. When they've been hurt and they had PT they'd schedule it to where they could be at most of practice and have to leave. They've just done a great job at being leaders," he said.
For the final time in high school, Bune and Johansen left the court with a bucket and a big hug from their coach.
"You miss two years of basketball, and then you finally get in. It was just emotional," said Bune.
"There were moments where I just wanted to break down on the court but I knew that you can't do that. I've never done that before, so I was just going to stay strong until it was time to walk off," added Johansen.
Wanda ☮️
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