She went up for what was a routine layup. When Emma Lander came down, her high school playing career was over, thanks to a torn ACL and meniscus.
When she signed with Evangel University on Friday, she was happy about sports again, her efforts were validated, and it brought closure to a storied career in high school sports.
With one knee in a brace and surgery scheduled next week, Lander upheld her commitment to attend Evangel University to play volleyball and compete in track and field jumping events. College basketball will not be part of the future for the reigning Class 2 player of the year, who led Crane in scoring and rebounding on the way to a third straight girls basketball state championship in 2015.