JEFF FIELDER Editor
SCOTTSBLUFF – Izzy and Cali Wright, both seniors at Scottsbluff High School, have been named Nspire Today!’s Co-Female Athletes of the Month for March, sponsored by Kristy Culek Agency, LLC-American Family Insurance. Izzy and Cali, who are part of triplets in their family along with Addie, both were starters on this year’s Bearcat basketball team that qualified for the Nebraska state tournament for the second straight year. Scottsbluff beat Crete in the first round before falling in the semifinal round to eventual state champion Elkhorn North. Scottsbluff finished the season with a 19-7 record.
Izzy was a two-year starter in basketball as a guard, and she started two years in volleyball as an outside hitter/defensive specialist. This spring she’s entering her second year as a starter on the soccer team (right defensive back). Other school activities that Izzy is involved in are National Honor Society, FCA, and Bearcats Committed. She has a 3.9 GPA. After she graduates from high school, Izzy plans to attend WNCC to play soccer and pursue a degree in pre-dentistry.
Cali was also a two-year starter in basketball (guard), and she started one year in volleyball (defensive specialist). She’s entering her third season as a starter on the Bearcats’ soccer team (left defensive back). Other activities she’s involved in at school are National Honor Society, Bearcats Committed, and FCA. She has a 3.8 GPA. After she graduates from SHS, she plans to attend WNCC to play soccer and pursue a degree in physical therapy.
Izzy and Cali’s parents are Bert and Laura Wright. For being named co-athletes of the month, Izzy and Cali will each receive a gift card for a free drink at Scooter’s Coffee.
Q: Talk about how this basketball season went for the Bearcats.
IZZY: “I thought it was a really special season. Everyone had a lot of fun, and we really grew as a team. Winning a state championship was our end goal. We didn’t get that, but it was still great to have a chance to go to state again and prove – after making it to state last year – that we are the real deal. I couldn’t have been happier with the girls on our team.”
CALI: “I thought it was a pretty special season, especially since we never knew when our last game was going to be because of COVID. The group of girls I got to play with was great. Everyone worked hard and made sure that we had a great season. We were happy to go to state and show everyone what we’ve got and prove that we deserved to be down there. It was a great year.”
Q: Were there any surprises this season?
IZZY: “I don’t think so. The only thing that might have surprised me was just how much everyone bought into the process. It was so inspiring to be at practice every day because everyone wanted to be there, and everyone made everyone around them better.”
CALI: “I think we were expected [to qualify for state], and that was our main focus. If anything surprised me, it was how strong of relationships we had with each other. We’re all really close. It was the closest it’s ever been since I’ve been in high school.”
Q: How did you feel things went at state?
IZZY: “We really did prep a lot for Crete, so we felt super prepared to play them. I thought that game went really well for us. We played our style of basketball. Coach [Dave] Bollish always says, ‘We’re not going to be somebody we’re not.’ So, we continued to run the floor. That’s what we tried to do against Elkhorn North; it just didn’t work out for us in that game. But we did everything we could to try to win, and that’s all you can ever ask for.”
CALI: “I thought the state tournament went pretty well for us. We played our style of basketball – it was how we played all year. We wanted to push the pace. I thought it went as well as it could have for the Crete game. We prepared a lot, and it paid off. The Elkhorn North game didn’t go in our favor, but we stuck to who we were.”
The entire Q&A with the Wright sisters is in the March issue of Nspire Today! magazine. To sign up for a one-year subscription (12 issues), you may send $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. Please include your name, address, phone number, and email. You may also sign up with a credit card by calling 308-220-8865 any time, any day of the week.
If you would like to nominate someone for Nspire Today!’s Athletes of the Week or Athletes of the Month, sponsored by Kristy Culek Agency, you may do so by sending an email to jeff.fielder@nspiretoday.com or by mailing a letter to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. Nominations may also be submitted by sending a text to 308-220-8865.
