Benet senior Bridget Rifenburg still remembers the five minutes she played in the 2023 Class 4A state championship game.

The 6-foot guard is the only remaining player who got on the floor in that game, which the Redwings lost to O’Fallon 62-57 in double overtime. Teammate Emma Briggs was on the roster but didn’t play.

“I was so excited I was hyperventilating,” Rifenburg said. “When I went out for the few minutes I played, I was so overwhelmed. I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know what it meant.”

Rifenburg knows now. Three years later, she’s eager to lead the Redwings back to Normal. They lost to Waubonsie Valley in the sectional final in each of the past two seasons.

“Obviously, if we went back to state, it would be a whole new experience because I would actually be contr

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