With the Lady Wildcats leading at halftime, senior Miley Williams stepped in to take charge, a play she had made countless times before. This time, though, the fall that followed ended her final basketball season earlier than she ever expected.
Miley Williams, a forward for the Latrobe Girls Basketball team, has been playing basketball since second grade. She was enjoying her senior season until one night she unexpectedly got injured. On January 8, the Lady Wildcats traveled to Greensburg Salem for a section matchup. It was a regular gameday for Miley, but little did she know her season would come to 
an end.
Halftime had just ended, and the Lady Wildcats were winning. They were playing defense when Miley decided to take a risk. “I took a charge on a girl, and we got the charge. I fell back on my wrist, and initially nothing hurt, so I continued to play just fine,” said Miley. She didn’t really think anything of it in the moment due to all of the adrenaline, but after the game, is when she realized something was off.
When the game had ended, the team went back into the locker room. That’s when Miley started to realize pain in the wrist that she came down on. Throughout the night, the pain had increased for Miley. “That night when I got home, it was really hurting,” said Miley. When she woke up the next morning with excruciating pain, she went to the doctor and got it checked out.
“I got some X-rays because they definitely thought something was wrong. I waited about an hour for the results, and when they finally came, that’s when I got told I fractured a bone in my wrist,” said Miley.
Not long after finding out she had fractured her wrist, Miley was also told that she would need surgery. “For my procedure, they had to put a screw in one of my bones in my right wrist. It would help hold the bone together and prevent it from breaking again,” said Miley.
After Miley had surgery on her wrist, she was not able to play for the rest of the season. “I was distraught. I knew this was going to be my last season playing basketball, but I just didn’t think it would be taken from me this quickly. It has always meant so much to me growing up with it,” said Miley. It was a hard thing to process. From playing one day, to not being able to the next isn’t easy, but that didn’t stop Miley.
Miley showed incredible strength mentally after her injury. Even though it was hard to be sidelined and watch instead of playing, she never let that stop her from cheering on her team. There were some days when it was hard to just sit there and watch, but she cheered just as loudly and continued to encourage her teammates through tough situations.
On February 2, Miley got to celebrate her senior night by stepping on the court one last time. She started the game that night for the Lady Wildcats. After the Wildcats won the jump ball, senior Brie Havrilla, also one of Miley’s close friends, dribbled the ball up the court and handed it off to Miley. Miley then shot the ball, scoring the first points of the night for the Lady Wildcats. “I was really grateful that I was able to shoot one last shot on my home court for the last time because I didn’t realize the last time I played a game was going to be my last. It was a different type of special,” said Miley. It was the perfect way to celebrate her senior night.
Dealing with this injury was a lot for Miley, but she has had a great support system throughout. “My family, especially my mom, has cared for me and helped me with anything I need. Also, my team, I think I look to them for stability alot and they are always there for me,” said Miley.
If there is one thing Miley has taken away from this injury, it’s to be grateful because you never know when something can be taken away. “I was having so much fun in the moment. I didn’t realize how uplifting a sport could be to a person,” said Miley.
Her advice to anyone who is going through an injury from a sport is to stick with your team no matter what. “If you try to shy away, it will just make the process harder because you are away from what you love. Sticking around will still make you feel a sensation of happiness,” said Miley.
