Krull and Horan Look to Cap Resume With State Championship

Maddie Krull and Jayme Horan have done about everything possible in a high school career.  Four year Varsity players.  Multiple state tournament appearances.  Heavily recruited players who both have signed Division I scholarships (Krull with the University of South Dakota, Horan with Creighton).  Individual accolades upon individual accolades. But there is one thing missing from all of those experiences. A state championship. "We will do whatever it takes to win a state championship this year," stated Horan. "Our goals as a team is definitely to cut down those nets at the end of the year and we definitely have the ability to get us to that point. Not only do with have the talent and experience from us upperclassmen, but we truly have a special bond on and off the court that will help us a bunch. I feel all of us are on the same page about the goal we have." Krull echoed those sentiments. "Our goal as a team is to finish what we started and win a state championship.  I believe that are team is extremely hungry for success this season. Our drive in preseason workouts has been something that has made me even more excited, and I believe we have experienced kids who have been a part of previous successful seasons who are going to help some of our younger players.  We are going to need those younger players, who are going to be a key part to a successful season as well." This dynamic duo had a little bit of serendipity playing into their careers together, starting with a tryout for a club basketball team. "We first teamed up in 8th grade through All Nebraska Attack.  It was fate really because it was a new club and we both decided to try out and got on the same team for the first time. We also then ended up going to the same high school together to then continue our playing days together," Krull tells the story. Regardless from where they come from, Krull and Horan's skills compliment each other very well.  Krull serves as the consumate point guard, attacking the lane with a ferocity that is hard to find.  Horan is the rare three level scorer, a player who can score in streaks around the rim, in the mid range and from deep.  Krull knows how lucky she is to have a player that she can depend on like Horan. "I love playing with Jayme because she helps me communicate with the team on the floor and has that fire in her that wants to win just as bad as me. I feel that me being someone who drives to the basket a lot, having someone like Jayme, who can hit shots from the outside, compliments me to fill that drive and kick component. Jayme also puts herself on the line for our team a lot because she takes so many charges." Horan realizes how special her point guard is. "We feed off of each other in many different ways.  Maddie is extremely quick and we can take out and outlet to each other and find a way to get down the court. We always know where we will be at all times, and we have each other’s backs. Maddie can drive to the hoop and kick it out to me at the 3 point line, and I can pull down a rebound and always find Maddie." Just because they enjoy playing with each other doesn't mean there's not a want or two, perhaps even a little jealousy of their teammates skill set. "If I could have anything from Maddie’s skill set that she has if would definitely be her speed," said Horan. "She can get up and down the court extremely fast and no one can catch up to her. Also I would like to have her defensive speed. It is very hard to handle a ball with Maddie’s defensive pressure and speed." "I wish that I could shoot the ball at as high a percentage as Jayme does," Krull said of her teammate. "Her stroke is beautiful! I have shot with Jayme a lot over these past four years to help get a more consistent shot like hers. I also wish I could be as consistent as Jayme offensively." Bryce Meyers, the head coach at Millard South, has a coaches dream with two talented players.  Both of his senior leaders recognize the efforts that Meyers has put forth to put these two outstanding players in situations where they can be at their best. "In the four years us of playing with each other, Coach Meyers is always finding new ways to compliment our skill sets," says Horan. "He finds ways to use both our skills offensively and defensively. Coach Meyers puts us in spots where our communication comes in handy, which lead to us getting multiple steals. He has found many ways to use our strengths in order for our team to succeed." All of these elements leads Millard South as one of the favorites to cut down the nets at Pinnacle Bank Arena this March, but both players know that the journey will not be an easy one.  Fremont, Lincoln East and Lincoln Pius X stand in the way of the Patriots from their ultimate goal, but Krull and Horan know their careers will not be complete without that state championship trophy. "My individual goal is to do everyting in my power to help my team reach our goal," said Krull. "My goal is to give everything to every game so that our younger players can experience what the state tournament is like and to have that gold medal put around their neck," Horan concluded.