SALINE – Kate Stemmer let her emotions take over as she addressed her sister Ella inside the Saline girls basketball locker room on Senior Night last month.
Kate, a freshman guard who is known for being stoic and even keeled, couldn’t hold back the tears as she expressed to Ella, the senior leader of the Hornets, how much she meant to her during their one season on the court together.
It was a moment that displayed how much the game that they both have grown to love has brought them closer together as teammates and as family.
“It was very emotional,” Kate said. “I couldn’t keep it in. Like knowing that Ella’s not going to be here next year, that was just a realization moment. She’s just such a big support for me on the court and what it’s going to be like next year, I just don’t know how it’s going to work and how I’m going to play, but I know that she’ll always support me. I can always call her on the phone and get some tips.”
Senior Ella Stemmer, left, gets ready for an away game in the locker room with her sister Kate after practicing in the gym by themselves on Friday, March 5, 2021. They go to the school gym before the team arrives, and sometimes before away games, to get extra practice. (Alie Skowronski/mlive.com)Alie Skowronski | The Ann Arbor News
Ella, who will play at Lehigh in college, was surprised to see that side of her sister but it showed how much the two have grown through the sport of basketball.
“That meant everything to me,” Ella said. “We are so close. She doesn’t really express a lot of love outwardly like that, so just seeing her tear up and not even be able to speak to me because she was so emotional, was such a good feeling. I just love her so, so much and I’m so grateful to be spending this time with her. I’m going to miss it next year.”
That was just one of many moments that the two shared together during their journey on the court this season.
The two developed a routine of being in the gym constantly and would even come in early to shoot together before games.
“Any weekend I was in gym the gym, I’d pop my head and there they were,” said Saline coach Leigh Ann Roehm. “Those two together shooting around. It really has been a special and magical experience to watch them get to compete together this year. They do truly love each other.”
Kate and Ella embrace after a loss in the regional finals at Northville High School on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. This was the last game the girls played together. “The bond that we’ve made, I just can’t replace in,” said Kate. “I’m never going to forget playing with my sister, my best friend,” said Ella. (Alie Skowronski/mlive.com) Alie Skowronski | The Ann Arbor News
In fact, Kate’s very first points in high school were off an assist from Ella, further adding to their story of being bonded by the sport.
“On the way to home games, Ella and I just would jam music and I’d see the road and I’m looking out and I’m like, ‘These are moments that me and my sister have together that no one else has,’ and it’s just the best feeling,” Kate said.
The Stemmer sisters played their final game together on March 31 as Ella’s Saline career came to an end in the regional championship to Wayne Memorial, in a 68-60 loss, but not before Kate and Ella enjoyed a successful year with their parents, Eric and Kara, also along for the ride.
Eric and Kara never missed a game this season and supported Ella and Kate throughout their basketball careers, so much so that their daughters’ devotion to basketball changed the way the family operated.
Originally, Eric and Kara thought soccer would be the sport the tandem navigated to, but once they began to see how passionate Ella and Kate were about basketball, they decided to put all of their effort into that sport.
Eric Stemmer, center, embraces Kate after a game along with her mother, Kara, on Thursday, March 11, 2021. Eric and Kara attend every game the girls play. Growing up, Eric coached the girls travel basketball teams. This year, since the girls were finally able to play on a team together, the games have brought the whole family closer together. “It’s a tremendous memory to be able to see both of my girls play at the same time,” said Eric. (Alie Skowronski/mlive.com)Alie Skowronski | The Ann Arbor News
Instead of family vacations, the Stemmers would drive countless hours to basketball tournaments, sacrificing time with other relatives to put their daughters’ dreams first.
“It seemed like watching them, if they wanted it, we wanted it,” Eric said. “Me growing up playing basketball, it’s almost like a dream come true watching it. You play through your kids’ eyes and I think it’s one of those things where you create a memory, you take family vacations, yes, but to us, this is a vacation for us, watching them play basketball. Watching them become confident and excel in something that they love doing.”
It was a sacrifice Eric and Kara were willing to make to ensure that their daughters were able to do what they loved.
“It hasn’t always been easy,” Kara said. “We had family that questioned why weren’t on family vacations or why we were giving up certain events. Because they were so invested and so driven, we made a pact as a family that this was going to be what we focused on and in hindsight, I think we are closer. We have an unreal bond as a foursome just because we did travel so much, and we were creating memories.
“With our family, it took a while to buy into what we were doing, and it’s been something that they fully support now because we did miss a lot. But at the same time, the skills that these girls learned beyond the skills on the court, as parents, that’s obviously most important. The skills that you learn from playing year-round in the sport is awesome.”
It’s safe to say the Stemmers made the right decision as their daughters helped turn Saline’s program into one of the best in the Ann Arbor area.
Saline won the Southeastern Conference Red division, a district championship and was in the regional final for the second year in a row, all while Ella became the program’s all-time leading scorer and Kate emerged as one of the more promising young basketball players in the state.
Ella and Kate Stemmer share a moment with their parents after a district championship win against Belleville at Saline on Friday, March 26, 2021. Saline won 64-32 and advanced to regionals. “I couldn’t imagine having any one else as my sister,” said Ella easier in the season. (Alie Skowronski/mlive.com) Alie Skowronski | The Ann Arbor News
“The Stemmers are really going to leave a legacy, that’s for sure,” said Saline coach Leigh Ann Roehm. “When we talk about family, I really believe that the athletes in our program over the last few years have built a family.
“That type of love for each other is going to continue on for years and I know that there are young athletes watching games and there are players in our program right now who see Ella and Kate shooting extra and getting in the gym together that are inspired by that type of work ethic as well. We definitely have to build on this, that’s for sure.”
Ella said she’ll never forget how the game helped mold the family dynamic and made them an even stronger unit.
Kate Stemmer pulls a note from her mother out of her shoe while she’s putting her shoes on at Monroe on Friday, March 5, 2021. Their mother put notes and a toy in the girls shoes as a surprise before they headed out onto the court. Alie Skowronski | The Ann Arbor News
“I’m just going to miss all the traveling and how close we got through basketball,” Ella said. “We just cherished every moment together and we have truly bonded so much through basketball. I can’t imagine how our family would be without basketball.
“I’m definitely going to think about the AAU tournaments, the late-night workouts, early morning workouts and getting up shots with my dad, sister and mom, too.”
Eric recalled all the time the family spent together throughout the years travelling to various games and tournaments and said even though things will be different next year, the family has already generated enough memories that’ll last a lifetime.
“When you’re driving 4-6 hours to a tournament, there’s a lot of time when you’re in a car and you’re just socializing and you’re really bonding, and you have that alone time right there. It’s really amazing. And then you get there and then the kids compete and, on the way home, whether you win or lose, it’s still that same journey.
“The journey for us was just incredible. I’m truly going to miss when the girls aren’t playing basketball anymore. I’m going to have to find something else to do.”
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