SPOKANE, Wash. — It has been four years since Lexie and Lacie Hull last played in Spokane Arena in the stinky sneaker game. The Central Valley graduates won that game and hope to continue their success this weekend.
Lacie Hull said it feels great to be home and play in the arena one last time as a collegiate athlete.
"We were walking through the halls and we were like this looks familiar, and it doesn't feel like four years since we were here and it's crazy how time has been flying by, but the atmosphere here is great and we are excited to get to playing."
There are different stakes in play this time around as the sisters are trying to return to the final four for the second year in a row. They begin their quest by taking on the Maryland Terrapins tomorrow evening.
The two teams faced off in the Elite Eight in Spokane in 2008. Stanford won that game by eleven and head coach Tara VanDerveer hopes to see a similar result tomorrow.
""I hope that this team is like that (one) in that they'll do whatever it takes, put their team on their backs the way Lexie did last weekend to get us here."
Lexie Hull scored a career high 36 points in the game against Kansas on Sunday to lead the Cardinal into the Sweet Sixteen. After the game, Hull said her entire body wanted to come to Spokane. Now that she is here, she has loftier aspirations.
"All of us and our entire bodies want to make it to Minneapolis, so I think we are all gonna put it on the line and leave everything out on the court and that's all that we can really ask for."
It figures to be a partisan crowd on Friday evening for the Hull homecoming in the Sweet Sixteen. Lexie and Lacie are excited to feed off of the energy from their family and friends.
Lacie said with a smile, "I hope the outcome (of this game) is the same as the stinky sneaker game."