Maybe the waiting isn't the hardest part.

But you wouldn't think that would be the case for the Grand Island Central Catholic girls basketball team.

For eight days after losing to Ravenna in the subdistrict final, it seemed like the Crusaders had nothing to do but wait.

Wait and see if everything fell into place for them to pick up a wild card bid to the Class C-2 State Tournament. Wait and see if an upset in a district final keeps them home.

But coach Andy Anspauch gives a surprising assessment about what could have been assumed to be a nerve-filled week-plus for his team.

"It was surprisingly easy," he said. "The reason I say that is our seniors are the ones with the most to lose in this situation. The seniors did a great job.

"They felt bad about losing in subdistricts, which they should. They poured their hearts out. But they got past that in 24 hours."

With no opponent heck, with no future game a certainty the Crusaders approached last week's practices with an almost preseason approach.

"We worked a ton on fundamentals," Anspauch said. "We went back to basics passing and shooting. We broke down our defensive schemes. We had a lot of fun."

But the nerves had the chance to arrive on Friday when the district finals took place. Perkins County, Sutton and Cambridge all had to win for the Crusaders to qualify for Lincoln.

Several GICC players went to Lexington to watch Cambridge's overtime win over Ravenna. Not Anspauch.

"Coaches want to be in control," he said. "I had no control in this situation. But the kids kept me updated with calls about every five minutes."

When the final score the Crusaders needed to hear came in as a Sutton win, it was time to celebrate. GICC is headed to Lincoln on Thursday.

"I felt even though we'd rather win our district to get in, the kids worked all season long and deserved to get to the state tournament," Anspauch said. "I feel we are one of the best eight teams in C-2."

Key player

One of the players Anspauch credits for getting the Crusaders to state won't be able to suit up against Cambridge.

Junior guard Michelle Johnston suffered a season-ending knee injury on Jan. 11. But he gives her a big assist for GICC getting to state.

"Because we made it as a wild card, it's important all the great things Michelle Johnston did," Anspauch said. "She played so well for the first three-quarters of the season.

"Without her, we might not have had the opportunity to earn enough wild card points to get there."

Still, the state tournament will be a bittersweet experience for Johnston.

"She's a young lady who will not be able to compete (at state)," Anspauch said. "But she comes to practices every day on her crutches. On Saturday we had a conditioning practice on the track, and she came out there on her crutches through the mud and snow."

Johnston would have been a nice added weapon against state competition, although her contributions were probably overlooked by the average fan.

"She covered the other team's best guard," Anspauch said. "That opened things up for Tali (Fredrickson). It took that defensive burden off her."