Last hurrah

By now, it is a familiar speech for anyone wearing a Vikings jersey.

Since first coming to the Park Blocks prior to the 2006¬–07 season, women’s head basketball coach Sherri Murrell has always stressed to her players the importance of each and every game.

“We don’t want to take any game lightly,” Murrell said. “All the girls know that, and we go into every game knowing we need to play hard.”

That philosophy has paid off, it seems, as the Vikings are currently 12-1 in the Big Sky Conference and are tied for first place with Montana heading into this weekend’s action.

With three games left in the regular season, every win is crucial for Portland State’s hopes of hosting the conference tournament in March. Saturday’s home game against Eastern Washington is no exception.

“Eastern Washington has played well against some good teams,” Murrell said. “Their post players pose some problems down low, so we are definitely not taking them lightly.”

But the matchup against the Eagles on Saturday is important for another reason, too.

It represents the last regular season home game of the year, and hence the last scheduled game at the Stott Center in the careers of Vikings seniors Audrey Grant, Katia Hadj-Hamou and Kelsey Kahle. Should the Vikings win each of their final three games, Portland State would host the 2009 Big Sky Tournament at the Stott Center.

Murrell, for one, has had this game in the back of her mind for the entire season.

“I thought about this game on the first practice of the year,” she said. “I’m going to miss them all on a daily basis, and not just basketball-wise.”

Grant, who was sidelined earlier in the season due to academic ineligibility, has played sparingly, but has been a constant source of encouragement in the locker room and on the sidelines. The defensive stopper walked on at the beginning of last season after playing two years under the prior coaching regime.

Hadj-Hamou, a starting forward, leads the squad this year in three-pointers made, with 38 thus far on the season. On Nov. 20, Hadj-Hamou scored a career-high 20 points, with nine rebounds and four assists against Syracuse.

She also played a major part in one of the Vikings’ biggest wins of the season against Montana on Jan. 29, pouring in 19 points on 4-5 from beyond the arc.

When she walks off the court after her tenure at PSU has come to an end, Kahle will take with her a handful of school records, including the all-time scoring mark, and will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest players the program has ever produced.

Throughout her four years in the South Park Blocks, Kahle has led the team in scoring every year, including this season with a conference best 16.9 points per game.

“What these girls have done for the program in their time here is incredible,” Murrell said. “You couldn’t ask for anything more.”