Hembera out for the season

CEDAR RAPIDS - Craig Foote is an optimist. But even he was downcast Monday afternoon.

'There's not a happy spin to put on this,” Foote said in announcing that Cedar Valley Christian all-stater Shelby Hembera will miss the rest of the girls' basketball season with torn tendons in her ankle. 'In a basketball sense, this is devastating.”

A 6-foot senior forward, Hembera was injured in the Huskies' loss at Easton Valley on Jan. 16. Originally, it appeared to be a bad sprain, but the diagnosis turned worse Monday.

Hembera led the state in scoring and rebounding last year as a junior, and was on the same path this season. She was averaging 30.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per contest before the mishap at Preston.

The Huskies (7-8) have dropped five straight games since Hembera's injury.

Hembera, who has committed to Emmaus Bible College in Dubuque, concludes her career with 1,859 points, which currently ranks 31st all-time in the state and No. 2 in the Metro.

'It's a tough thing to lose your senior year, to lose everything you've prepared for the last four years,” said Foote, who said Hembera may need to undergo surgery. 'There are a lot of kids, starting in third grade and going all the way up to high school, that have been inspired by Shelby and what she can do on the basketball court.”

The Huskies play at Alburnett tonight.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com