Western Carolina basketball player Kristen Feemster shares her thoughts about Monday’s four-overtime win over Elon.

Monday’s game deserves an entire blog in itself. Our game against Elon is the longest game I have ever been a part of. I once witnessed my high schools boys’ basketball team go into four overtimes on the road, and all I could think about is when are we ever going to get home? Not this time. This time, it was my team.

My teammates often pick on me because I get really nervous watching other close games play out on TV. My heart pounds 1,000 beats a minute and my palms get really sweaty. I scream at every play and jump when something bad is about to happen. I always wonder what would I do in that situation? The answer is simple—play.

In our case, our hearts were already beating a thousand times a minute and our palms were already sweaty, because we had been playing for what seemed like a lifetime. In the heat of a game, like the one we played against Elon, there is no time for jumping every time you turn the ball over or miss a shot. You have to be smart about what you do, but if something goes wrong, you have to play and find a way to make up for it.

At the end of regulation and every overtime period (yes, there were four), we had to squash whatever happened in the last one and concentrate on the present. Each of us focused on winning regardless of how tired we were or how long it was going to take. If we were going to lose that game it wasn’t going to be because we did not play our hearts out.

We put a lot of trust in one another on this team. [Head Coach] Kellie [Harper] started new people during three of the overtimes so that our normal starters could rest before going back in. She trusted us to come in and hold down the fort until it was time for the others to come in around the 2 1/2 minute mark. When it was time to come out, we, in return, trusted whoever came in to get the job done. It’s great to know that every person on our team is capable.

Perhaps next year, when I’m absolutely dreading preseason and cringe every time I hear any kind of whistle, I’ll remember how all the hard work will help me when I least expect it. Just when I think I can’t sprint one last time, I will. When I feel like I can’t do another drill in practice, I will. When I feel like I can’t go for another loose ball, I will.

Because hard work really does pay off.