By JARROD POTTER
LIFE off the basketball court started calling a little too loudly for Casey Cavaliers’ mainstay Lara Pauline to ignore.
Pauline, 27, from Berwick, finished up her 62-game Big V career on Saturday at Keysborough’s home court.
In front of a raucous crowd of Casey fans – ranging from her friends and family to the juniors she has coached – the Cavaliers signed off on Pauline’s career in emphatic style, dispatching the Cougars 82-48 to give her one last win to celebrate.
The guard was proud to play in a fantastic team and will look back on all moments – great or tragic – with fond memories.
“It’s been a tough three years,” Pauline said. “We’ve had some heartbreaking losses and some amazing wins, but most of all I think I’ve enjoyed playing with the girls that have been here and the club atmosphere.
“I just need a break, need a rest and to focus on something else for a year and see how I go.”
Thanks to the club that provided the opportunity and great opportunities in the last few years with playing and coaching – I know it takes a lot of great effort.
Is there any prospect for a comeback? She’s not the type to say never, so there may be a return in the future, but for now getting married and enjoying some time away from the slog of training and matches is the great allure.
“If I go anywhere it will be back here – will see what happens next year, getting married in October so we’ll see what happens,” Pauline said.
She wanted to thank the Casey Cavaliers coaching staff and the club, plus her family and fiance-slash-2014 coach Tim Parker and everyone who supported her comeback through two knee reconstructions.
“Everyone I’ve played with for those three years has taught me so much – on and off the court – and I’m just happy to call them friends for life,” Pauline said.
Her Cavaliers finished the season sixth with an 11-7 record to just miss out on finals.
OPINION
NEVER easy to say goodbye to the favourites.
Casey (formerly Cranbourne) Cavaliers have lost one of their favourite players with Lara hanging up the boots to focus on family and taking a well-earned rest.
I remember Lara standing up in the crunch moments, calling the plays and generally doing whatever it took to drag the Cavaliers across the line.
Lara Pauline loves the finals and always found the extra gear needed in the big games – the first finals campaign in the Big V I covered when Casey’s women first arrived in the league – was highlighted by the blonde-haired captain jumping at anything in the defensive key and pushing herself through to draw fouls and charges alike at both ends.
Vivid memories come back to me of the 2012 Big V Division 2 Women’s Grand Final Series where she had to do it all in the second match. Rebound, steal, dish off the assists and run the point as she went from position 1-5 on court. She was one of the last Cavaliers standing as players succumbed to injury, unavailability and foul trouble around her. It was stellar to watch her do it all.
A year later she did it again as she helped fight off a dogged Southern Peninsula Sharks in a second semi-final with a crucial three-pointer to push the Cavaliers back in front in the final term.
Lara would do that a lot – or at least get flattened trying.
It’s a shame she didn’t finish with a championship from her two attempts – losing against Coburg (2012) and Keilor (2013) as few would have worked harder to earn one.
I always enjoyed catching up with her at the court and she was always the first to come up and say hello – flashing a big smile no matter what the outcome was.
While she was never a double-double machine that her other team-mates tended to be, she was always prominent in other ways. Ten points would be a big night for her, but you could guarantee they’d be 10 of the most crucial ones you’d need.
One of the last things that happened to her on court was a charge she took at the baseline – sending her careening into the Springers’ stadium wall. She got up, smiled and went on with business. That’s very fitting of the Lara Pauline I’ll remember.
Enjoy your retirement Lara – hopefully for the Cavaliers’ sake it is only brief.
– Jarrod Potter.
