Sprinting up and down the court, shoving the ball into the floor and back up, arcing the shot just right. Basketball is objectively a difficult sport; Elkhorn junior Dalia Durant can attest it doesn’t get any easier when you spend the whole school day walking around in a boot.
After landing on a teammate during practice, Durant suffered a sprain to her ankle that left her in a boot. Rather than sitting out the rest of the season, the junior decided to embrace the circumstances and do everything she could in order to stay on the court.
“I’ve been icing and elevating my ankle, and trying to be careful on it,” Durant said. “It’s healed a lot since it happened.”
Clearly Durant is committed to the Lady Antler basketball team at Elkhorn High. With this third season under her belt, Durant has made many memories from playing with the team over the years. The most memorable game happened back in grade nine.
“My favorite memory is from my freshman year when my league team won the division two championship,” Durant said. “It was pretty dope.”
Going back even further than her high school career, basketball has been a part of Durant’s life from an early age. Shooting baskets since she was six, basketball has become more than just a sport to this athlete.
“I play because my family has been big on basketball since I was younger, and it’s something I wanted to try out,” Durant said. “I grew up to love the sport.”
Because of all the passion she has for the game, Durant takes her work seriously. Across all sports, athletes are known to have specific routines they perform before a big match or performance. Durant describes her game day ritual.
“Before a game I listen to the same playlist, and I don’t like to really talk to people,” Durant said. “I like to lock in to what I’m about to do.”
The effort Durant has focused towards basketball over the years has resulted in a massive amount of personal growth each season. With only one more season at Elkhorn high, this junior hopes not to end her career any time soon.
“I really want to play in college, but we’ll see,” Durant said. “That’s my goal.”
