By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
On X @GDsullysays
No doubt that Cherry Hill West High senior guard Danielle Short has no idea who Willis Reed is. She may, now, however, after her experience at the Group 3 state championship game in mid-March at Rutgers University’s Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway.
Short went down hard under the basket late in the first half, twisting an ankle that she had hurt earlier in the season, and she needed help getting off the court. It looked as though her career might be over.
On May 8, 1970, Reed — center for the New York Knicks — somehow played in Game 7 of the NBA Finals after missing Game 6 with a leg injury. He only scored two baskets, but the emotional lift he provided sparked his team to a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. He delivered New York its first NBA title and etched his name in basketball lore.
Now, Short may never get that kind of credit or place in history, but her ability to return for the second half certainly had an impact on a Lions squad that would not be denied and went on to beat Chatham, 34-19, to win the first state title in program history.
Short spent the entire halftime with West’s athletic trainer, trying to do whatever she could to get back into the game in the second half. Coach Dan Butler said he figured she was done.
“I didn’t even see her at halftime. She was with the athletic trainer and our athletic director, they were trying to tape her ankle and put her through some functionality tests to see if she was going to be able to come back or not,” he said. “I spoke to her as I was walking to the locker room and I said, ‘there’s still plenty of time to get your career high (in points) in the second half.’ I was just trying to get her mentally to not think about the ankle, just think about positive things.
“I didn’t see her until she was sitting behind me on the bench and one of my assistant coaches tapped me and said, ‘Danielle is good to go.’”
“I was a little scared when I first went down, but I knew I wanted to come back on the court. It took me some time to get back,” Short said after the game. “This will be something I’ll always remember. It was a great experience. We had a lot of confidence going into the playoffs and we just focused on each game, one at a time, and prepared for each team, and that paid off.”
“I’m really not surprised she came back, she’s always like that. She hurt her ankle in the beginning of the season, but it didn’t affect her,” said fellow senior guard Julia Lewis. “I was a little nervous (in the state championship game) because it was early and we were playing great defense. Danielle plays really good defense and that’s a big part of how well our defense plays. So when she came back on the court it was great to see her. She did a great job, had a big bucket for us in the fourth quarter, and some free throws.”
Short finished with seven points and four rebounds, but the lift she gave her teammates went farther than any stats could, said Butler.
“Surprising was an understatement. I was nervous for her personally, but also nervous for the outcome of the game. When you see a player like her go down — fortunately Lilly Legato really stepped up and played well while Danielle was out. But to get Danielle back in the second half was a huge boost,” Butler said. “She’s the pulse of this team. She doesn’t get nearly enough credit, from our conference, from South Jersey, with all-star selections or from print coverage. It’s a shame because she’s a fantastic player who was extremely valuable to our team.
“It really sums up what Daneille is all about. She’s a competitor and she’s up for anything,” he continued. “I think that put everybody at ease and I think we were playing with confidence. That was a great moment for us. We had to have somewhat of a perfect day; you have to have so many things go right for you to win that kind of game, against that kind of Chatham team. Seeing (Danielle come back) was like, you know, this is falling into place for us.”
“I really didn’t know (if she would come back), but I think she did some warmup stuff while we went back to the court. I saw her check in and I was like, ‘wow, she’s coming back,’” Lewis said. “Lilly did a great job, too, and she’s a similar player, but having Danielle back on the court was great because it’s her senior year and that was her last game. It was nice that she was able to end the game on the court.
“I thought we were playing well, and I felt like we could keep going and prove that we could win a state championship,” Short added. “It’s a great experience and something I’ve always dreamed off. Playing on this court was a pretty cool experience. I was scared, but the nerves went away when I stepped onto the court. We put in so much work and it paid off really big. This was our goal the entire season. It’s a great feeling.”
