Twice is nice for Anthony Travel. The team walked away with its second title in two years on Sunday, defeating Granny Style 21-19."We had some rough games along the way," Anthony Travel's Jill Bodensteiner said."Yesterday was really physical and a really tough game and the weather was awful, and then today was just a highlight because that team was so fun to play against."The game was close throughout, but Anthony Travel went on a 5-1 run to take a two-point lead at 19-17. Although Granny Style would make the score 20-19, Bodenstein hit a shot from deep in the corner to seal the victory for Anthony Travel."It was a lot of fun, and overall it was just a good time," Granny Style's Jenny Nokes said. Nokes, a standout receiver on the Cavanaugh interhall squad, teamed with fellow receiver Heidi Hoffman, student body vice-president Lizzi Shappell, women's varsity center Teresa Borton and RecSports Undergraduate Female Athlete of the Year candidate Sara Gilloon, who was named Ms. Bookstore 2005.Gilloon and Nokes had played together for four years and later added Hoffman, a sophomore. Shappell provided more height inside, and Borton had been an anticipated team member since freshman year. "Jenny roomed with Teresa freshman year and we've had her signed on our team since freshman year [for] when she's finished with her varsity eligibility," Gilloon said.Despite their height, Anthony Travel's 2-3 zone neutralized the advantage for Granny Style, who defeated the Ball-less Ballers in the snow to reach the championship game.For both teams, the game was a memorable experience."It was fun to play," Anthony Travel's Sara Liebscher said. "I have a lot of respect for Teresa. I think she was really the quiet hero of the [varsity] team this year and did a lot of things that maybe didn't make the paper or make her the Jackie [Batteast] or the Megan [Duffy] but she was a big contributor, so it was a real honor to play against her in Bookstore. She's a classy competitor."Anthony Travel featured Bodensteiner, Christie Yarnell, Maureen Bush, Saint Mary's head basketball coach Suzanne Bellina and Liebscher, a former Notre Dame varsity player. Bush, a member of the Belles' varsity team, is the only new addition to last year's championship squad.For this team, Bookstore Basketball has many memories. "Jill and I played together as seniors in college," Leibscher said. "Fourteen years later, playing again, that's kind of special."The evenly-matched teams provided a hard-fought contest to fans who braved the cold and winds to cheer for their teams. Of particular note were those fans who braved the tundra-like Final Four conditions, with nearly horizontal winds and light snow."Our fans, definitely," Nokes said when asked about the best part of her Bookstore experience. "That was a big highlight, everyone coming out and staying through a really long game."Gilloon agreed."We had like 20 fans out here in 20-degree weather, so it was awesome," she said.
