<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
High school can be a time filled with ups and downs—for Poly’s Kelli Thompson, that turmoil could end up looking like a four-year long circle. <\/span>If Thompson and her teammates are successful tomorrow night in their attempt to capture a fourth-straight CIF title, they’ll make history. <\/span>The 6′ UNLV commit is well aware of it—she’s the only player in the program who’s been there for all of them.<\/p>\n “It’s a unique situation for her,” says her coach Carl Buggs. <\/span>“That would be history that could only be tied, never beaten.” <\/span>And hard-earned history, at that. <\/span>Thompson has had to overcome many obstacles on her way to Saturday night’s game, starting with a scary one her freshman year.<\/p>\n “I had an allergic reaction to the contact solution I was wearing, so I had an ulcer that covered my whole left eye,” remembers Thompson. <\/span>“I was out of school and basketball for almost two months.” <\/span>She ended up returning to her classes, and to the court, just a few days before the playoffs started, after weeks of hypersensitivity to light. <\/span>“She almost lost vision in that eye,” says Buggs.<\/p>\n But the time away didn’t make affect her touch—in a quarterfinal CIF playoff game against Jurupa Valley, the Jackrabbits were trailing. <\/span>If they lost, perhaps history would have taken a very different turn. <\/span>Instead, the freshman Thompson hit five straight three’s to win the game, and allow Poly to advance. <\/span>“She thrives in big games,” says Buggs. <\/span>“She’s our designated shooter—that’s her role, putting up points.”<\/p>\n This year her role as also been that of a behind-the-scenes leader, a calming presence on a young team that hasn’t had the experiences she has. <\/span>On the court, obviously, but off-the-court as well—with the way she’s battled off-court obstacles throughout her career, including injuries and a death in the family, it’s no wonder her coach speaks of her with such obvious affection. <\/span>“It seems like there’s always been some tragedy in her life that’s slowed her progress,” says Buggs. <\/span>“But she’s never out of control, she stays on an even keel.”<\/p>\n It was harder to do that this year, in her senior season—in mid-January, Thompson broke her wrist, apparently cutting short what was looking to be a stellar senior season. <\/span>It’s only been the last few weeks that she’s seen time on the court. <\/span>“It’s getting back to normal,” Thompson says. <\/span>“I’ve been staying after practice getting shots up, trying to get my memory back.” <\/span><\/p>\n Her coach expect her to be a big part of the biggest game of the year, and maybe the biggest game of her career. <\/span>It will, for better or worse, also be her last game as a Jackrabbit, of course, before she departs for UNLV next year. <\/span>While there, she hopes to get an education for a career in forensic science (she wants to be a crime scene investigator), and also to help build another dynasty. <\/span>But Thompson is a player with dynasties on the mind—and has been for years. <\/span>“I started thinking about winning four straight my freshman year, actually,” she says. <\/span>“It would mean a lot to me personally, since I’ve been here since the era started.”<\/p>\n “Of course there’s the whole team,” says Buggs, “But with Kelli, we’re hoping it rallies the team to be a part of something special in her life—that’s what teamwork’s all about.”<\/p>\n Thompson certainly understands that—she wants her experiences to help her fellow Jackrabbits grow. <\/span>“I’ve matured a lot since I’ve been here, and I’m just trying to help them mature before I leave.” <\/span>Perhaps nobody’s more familiar with the road they’re on right now than Thompson—her freshman season she missed two months with injury, lost the CIF title game, and won a state championship. <\/span>If Poly wins tomorrow, she’ll have the same experience her senior year. <\/span>Laughing, she says, “Yeah, it’s like a big cycle.” <\/span>On Saturday, three years and three days after Thompson, Buggs, and these Jackrabbits won their first state title, that cycle may have a happy ending. <\/p>\n For driving directions and a full scouting report on Monte Vista, check back tomorrow!<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Despite some overwhelming obstacles, Kelli Thompson stands on the front porch of history–with a chance to set a record that could never be 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