BEREA, Ohio — The Baldwin Wallace women's basketball team felt loss early, dropping their first game of the season on the road. It left a bad taste in their mouths, a taste they haven't cared to have again.
Following that season-opener loss, the Yellow Jackets made their corrections, put in the work and started winning. And winning. And winning some more.
In the 23 games that followed, the Yellow Jackets didn't lose another.
Currently on a 23-game winning streak after beating Mount Union 63-47 Wednesday evening, the team is trying not to think about it. It took them a while to even realize what they were accomplishing.
"I don't think any of us even really realized where it was at until it got up into the high teens or even into the 20s because we just take every day, one day at a time, one game at a time," said senior forward Caely Ressler.
Sure, the Yellow Jackets like winning, especially after what that first game felt like to them.
"I would say it punched us in the mouth and gave us more confidence, like, 'Okay, yes, we lost this one, but this isn't going to be how we let our season go,'" said senior forward Bella Vaillant.
Point guard Emily Irwin, also a senior, shared similar sentiments about that first loss.
"We know what a loss feels like and we're ready to move on from there," she said.
The streak itself isn't important, they say. What matters is playing cohesively as a team and playing for each other.
All season long, the Yellow Jackets have shared lofty goals. They aren't satisfied with a winning streak. They've already clinched the Ohio Athletic Conference regular-season title, but they're shooting for more.
"The ultimate goal would definitely be a national championship, a tournament championship," Vaillant said.
And the seniors, ultimately, have a goal they'd like to achieve not only for themselves but for their coach, Cherri Harrer.
"Coach had never been to a Final Four, so we would love to be able to do that for her," Irwin said.
That goal, shared by the rest of the team as well, nearly brought tears to Harrer's eyes.
"Makes me want to cry. That's one thing we haven't done, but I want to win for them," Harrer said. "Send them out in a great way."
Before the tournament, the Yellow Jackets will look to keep their streak alive for one last final regular season game. They close out regular season play at Marietta on Saturday. Then, they hit the court for the OAC Tournament on Feb. 27.
