BY WENDI REARDON PRICE
Clarkston News Sports Writer
Teammates quickly surrounded Kaelyn Kaul after their PR1DE 2021 basketball squad won their first game in the National Championship in Atlanta, July 23.
Kaul, a Clarkston High School junior, made the winning shot from half court at the buzzer after catching the pass from Julia Zauel.
“When I got the pass thrown to me I was thinking to set my feet and take the best shot I could,” she shared on Thursday before going into her last set of games. “When the shot went in, my team and I were all so happy. If you have seen the video of the play you could have just seen all the excitement on our faces.”
With the shot, the team won the game 58-56 against Indiana Showcase – Russ. They went on to defeat two more teams in their pool with a 36-29 win over Texas Lady Force; and a 43-38 win over 1DreamBlue.
They continued on Thursday with a win over Team Providence Athletics, 51-49, which put them in the Platinum North Championship. They lost the game to Arkansas Lady Bandits, 54-21.

“This tournament in Atlanta has been the most memorable one yet,” Kaul said. “Our team is playing amazing together, and of course that last-second play was an awesome thing to experience.”
She added they have traveled to many cities like Atlanta, Cincinnati, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis and Louisville.
“They have been great experience for all of us,” Kaul said. “My teammates and I have gotten super close this season on PR1DE and there are no other people I would rather spend my summer with.”
She added the National Championship tournament is the last one for PR1DE this summer. The tournament had over 5,000 players and 500 teams and 50 courts under one roof, July 23-25.
“We will be working on our game throughout August and getting ready for our school seasons,” Kaul said.
PR1DE 2021 players are Kaul, Sam Aris, Morgan Hunter, Olivia Toderan, from Clarkston; Ellary Darling from Davison; Meagan Tucker, Hailey Rex, from Howell; Julia Zauel from Lutheran North; and Jaimee Moshenko from Macomb Dakota.

  Basketball, PR1DE