The world lost a princess on June 4, 2015. We lost our sister and teammate, Molly Denise Harlin. Molly had battled for months with an ambiguous disease called nuerosarcoidosis (a disease which is usually only typical of African American males) that had caused her to have seizures and a fluid build up in her brain, but for all we knew, she was on the upswing. It was just two days after she sent us an encouraging text that her steroid dosage had been cut in half and that she was allowed to drive again that she passed away. It broke us.
Of course, nothing that season could top the aforementioned loss (thank goodness), yet, after we lost Molly, it seemed like it was just one thing after another. For example, while on a mission trip to Poland, my roommate broke her jaw… biting into a skittle (she’d had her wisdom teeth removed a few weeks before). If you know Amber Jo, you know she has a history of acquiring serious injuries through very outlandish methods; thus, she has developed an impressively high pain tolerance. This said, you can rest assured she is not being dramatic when she says it was ten times more painful than anything she’s experienced.
I could go on and on about the personal struggles endured by each of the players in the basketball team; breakups and mental breakdowns, hospital trips and even threats from sketchy McDonald's customers; but the point of this article isn’t to evoke pity. Instead, I’d like illustrate the effect of a group of girls with iron resolves partnered with our Almighty God. I’m not saying God sits around on a couch made of clouds all day watching basketball games and helping the Christians teams win (cause ball is life, right?)… No, there are quite a few terrible Christian teams and while I don’t believe basketball is at the top of God’s priority list, I do believe he used this season to inspire a lot of people.
Molly’s absence was loud. The first practice without her ended in a lot of tears. She was without a doubt one of the most encouraging girls on the team. She probably didn’t get the minutes she would have liked during her freshman and sophomore year, but that didn’t stop her from exerting a comparable amount of energy jumping up and down cheering on her teammates. She bragged on EVERYONE. Even me, the manager who frequently forgets to throw the jerseys in the dryer. She was so proud to be a part of the basketball team, Anchored Class, Monroe County Alumni, the Harlin family etc. Whatever she was into, she was 110 percent into it and she bragged on everyone involved. This said, the girls had a lot of slack to pick up, and they did it well as they could. Through the brokenness of losing Molly, came a beautiful camaraderie of sisters taking care of and fighting for each other. Preceding and proceeding each game or practice, the team broke out with, “Humble! Hungry! All for 4 (Molly’s number)!” Everyone had there moments of falling apart, but all of the girls took care of each other in turn.
The season was an amalgam of moments in which the team was faced with a choice: self-pity or resilience. As expected, due to the schedule strength and emotional turmoil, the first half of the season was a little bit rocky. One of these moments came after an ugly loss to Union College forgoing Christmas break. They went home sitting on a 7 and 7 record and bad taste in their mouths. Ten days, either to pout about that game or mentally prepare for the next game versus Midway University. The final score of that game was 91-43.
The next pivotal moment came right before the second game against Midway: the Asbury Women’s basketball team won 5 out of the next 6 games (the one loss a valiant OT effort against a tough Brescia team) and then without warning, they faced a head coaching change. If there was ever a moment to pout, this would be it. All the talent in the world can potentially come to crap without a strong force to lead it. At a time where they were hitting their grooves and with only 8 games left in the regular season, it just didn’t seem fair. But the girls did what they had been doing all season, banded together, picked each other up and played for God and Molly. Through their efforts, they grinded out a tough 68 to 54 win.
With a conference record of 10-1, Asbury University was competing with IU East for an automatic bid to nationals based on the best seasonal record. After sustaining a loss to the one and only IU East, the rule on the automatic bid got a little hairy. Technically, Asbury still had a one game lead on East because they had one more team on their side of the bracket. It was a tie of sorts, which was settled with the assurance that East would get to host the final game of the KIAC tournament if both teams made it to the finals. Long story, short: they did. Asbury clenched the seasonal bid but would still vie for a repeat tournament championship title. It was a rematch that couldn’t be matched, trust me.
From the outside looking in, the obvious favorite in a matchup would be East. They’d feel cheated out of the automatic bid and they’d be hungry for revenge after being beat out of in the championship game the previous year. You didn’t have to watch the game for long to know what an extremely voracious appetite for Asbury they had, but they also didn’t have the inspiration of Molly Denise Harlin on their side. So when there was 5 seconds left in the fourth quarter, senior point guard Kylee Gorby had fouled out, Asbury was down 3, when every one thought it was over, it wasn’t. Not by a long shot (pun intended). Senior Catie Fletcher inbounded the ball to Brittany Warren who fed it right back. The majority of AUWBB fans would say that Catie Fletcher’s shot is one of the more aesthetically pleasing, but being heavily guarded, this long shot behind the arc, heaved almost from behind her head, was not. But by the grace of God, and I mean the grace of God, it went in. Swished. Nothing but net. It sent chills down my spine. The girls guarded hard for the 2 seconds left in regulation and it was overtime! And with 5 overtime games throughout the season already under their belts throughout the season, no one in the conference was more prepared for overtime than than the Asbury Lady Eagles.
It was a battle all the way the through overtime, but when the buzzer rang, the score was 66-62 Asbury. It’s been said many times since, that Molly must’ve helped Catie out a little on that shot. There was hardly a dry eye in the place when it was over. What a beautiful moment accomplished for someone we held so close to our hearts, and yet, it just wasn’t the same without her there with us.
The win was sweet but it’s not the end of the story. The Asbury women’s basketball team went on to the national tournament in Iowa and played their first game against the number 4 seed, St. Francis. Picked to lose again, the girls again defied the odds and made Asbury history once again by winning 63 to 60, but the wins and losses of the season can only go so far to describe the persons involved on this team. They became a crowd a favorite. By the end of the game, kids attending on a field trip from local elementary schools were cheering “All For Four!" Between the first and second round, Kylee Gorby was square dancing with an elderly tournament official. Another tournament official unintentionally got roped into an improv rendition of "Goodbye Earl (he reluctantly played the part of Earl). I could write a book on the beauty that each of the girls involved radiates. They are eccentric, publicly weird, kind, passionate, compassionate, and most of all, they just don’t quit. They took all the adversity that piled up throughout the season, and punched it in the face by continuing to work and make an effort to trust in God’s plan even when it was hard. They lost in the second round to Tabor University, again in overtime. It was a fight until the end.
Molly’s favorite verse was Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” With the inspiration of Molly and a solid anchor in Christ, this team lived out this verse and made history.
