It was a dark winter night, but there was nothing cold about the shots made in Riverside-Brookfield’s gymnasium on Jan. 20. Captain Frannie Corrigan ’16 had just come off of a four-week hand injury that had kept her on the bench almost all season, and with her return came the same revitalizing energy and skill the team was expecting upon her return. The team rode home with a W.

Coming from an active family and being the second youngest of six athletic siblings, it was no surprise that basketball caught her interest at the early age of 8, Corrigan said.

“Getting involved and staying active has always been important to me and basketball just clicked,” Corrigan said. “Being on the court is like nothing else.”

Corrigan began her competitive career at the high school level on the sophomore team and, within a year, was practicing and playing on varsity. Coincidentally, this was the first year for both varsity Head Coach Paul Krick and assistant varsity Coach Meghan Hutchens.

“My first year on varsity was a big adjustment. I was just a sophomore and everyone was acclimating to the new coaches, getting their feet wet,” Corrigan said. “But the upperclassmen made me feel so comfortable. I try to do the same for young players now.”

The injury that kept Corrigan off the court for a month is not one-of-a-kind for this team. In fact, concussions and other injuries have been unusually common this season. Co-captain Emily Pender ’16 tore her ACL in July 2015 but was able to make a return on Jan. 8, the team’s annual “Pink Out” game against Hinsdale Central.

“Watching Emily get back out there after I joined her on the bench wasn’t easy, because it’s hard to watch something you love so much when you want to be out there no matter if we win or lose,” Corrigan said. “I definitely learned a lot about myself through the process of recovery.”

Any injury that causes a player to miss an entire month of practice and gameplay requires a certain amount of conditioning and time to get back in stride, Krick said. Corrigan’s return to the game in early February sets her up well for the regionals and sectionals push that began on Feb. 16.

“It’s been very hard for her and a bummer for our team to have her sit on the bench, but she’s made such a strong comeback it’s felt like it was in the past almost immediately,” Pender said.

Corrigan considers LT basketball the highlight of her high school career and has kept in touch with relatively every one of her past varsity teammates as they have gone on to college.

“Frannie is a quiet leader with a loud desire to win,” Krick said. “Her work ethic and attitude is that of one who goes on to play college ball and succeed in life.”

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Corrigan committed to play D1 basketball at Illinois State University beginning in August 2016 at LT’s National Signing Day event on Feb. 3.

“It’s a dream come true to play collegiate basketball,” Corrigan said. “I have a lot of work and preparation to do both here and once I get to ISU, but I can’t wait for the next chapter.”

The news of Corrigan’s future in the sport has become a running light-hearted joke on the team, but also a matter of pride in their teammate and friend’s accomplishment, Pender said.

“We’re really excited for her,” Pender said. “We constantly say how she’s a ‘D1 bound athlete’ and brag about having a D1 athlete, but we truly couldn’t be happier for her.”