The Golden Eagle train ride came to an abrupt halt in Sioux City, Iowa during spring break when the women’s basketball team lost to Concordia (Neb.) 74-73 in the second round of the national tournament.

Cornerstone had taken a one point lead with eight seconds remaining, but was not able to get a defensive stop, as Concordia’s Whitney Stichka hit the game winning shot.

“We had won games like that before,” head coach Carla Fles said. “We had been in those situations. We just didn’t have to ball in the end to make those plays, so when we needed a defensive stop we didn’t get it.”

“I think that our team, this group, did everything that they could to put themselves in a position to win,” she added. “It just didn’t happen.”

The defeat, which cemented the careers of five seniors in Cornerstone history, brought a flood of tears to the coaching staff. And for Fles, it was one of the most devastating walks back to the locker room she has had to make after a game.

“I was really hoping it would be a couple more days before I would have to make that trip to the locker room to have to say goodbye to my seniors,” she said. The team had hoped to at least advance to the third round, and possibly win a national championship. “I was just trying to take in the moment of our last time together in the locker room.”

“Probably the hardest thing is seeing five really special seniors and having to say goodbye to them,” she added. “They were seniors that brought a devotion to the team. They loved playing for Cornerstone.”

The coaching staff is still trying to come to grips with loss of its core players.

“The identity of our team for so many years has been that group with Jenna Plewes, Tami Thelen and Kara Overbeek leading that,” assistant coach Mike Riemersma said. “Now who’s it going to be? What’s it going to look like?”

The loss of five seniors has the coaching staff curious about next year’s roster.

“It’s just going to be a different makeup of the team,” Fles said. “I think we have enough experience coming back. But when you lose players like Jenna Plewes, Kara Overbeek and Tami Thelen, who have played in virtually every game, there’s going to be a little bit of a learning curve.”

Whoever’s in the starting lineup come next season, Riemersma said fans can count on one thing.

“When you look at Coach Fles and what she’s done over the last 10 years it’s hard to think you’re going to go backwards. So [a decline in performance] doesn’t even enter my thought process.”

“Just try to reload the gun and aim for that national target again, and that’s what we’ll do,” he added. “Every year’s different. So it will be fun to see how it shakes out. But they’ll be ready to play. I can guarantee you that.”