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PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL: All in the family: Dolans and Kirks bonded by basketball

TRACY – Athleticism is known to run in families – that’s certainly the case for the Balaton Kirk and Milroy Dolan families.

Recently, both families celebrated two athletic milestones when Tracy-Milroy-Balaton juniors Kaylee Kirk and Evelyn Dolan eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for their basketball careers. Kirk reached the plateau against Lakeview on Jan. 27, while Dolan joined the 1,000-point club against Canby on Feb. 9, becoming the 14th and 15th female player to reach 1,000 career points in the three school histories.

“Reaching the 1,000-point milestone is unexplainable,” Kirk said. “There aren’t enough words of gratitude and happiness to try and explain how it feels. I dedicate all my success to my teammates, coaches, family, friends and overall supporters. Nobody can score 1,000 points on his or her own, and I am extremely blessed to have such an amazing basketball family to share this accomplishment with.”

It’s also believed to be the first time in TMB history that teammates hit the milestone in the same season – and remarkably, the talented duo did so within a two-week span.

“Reaching my 1,000 points felt incredible,” Dolan said. “It was truly an indescribable moment that I will cherish for the rest of my life, and I am forever grateful for all of my teammates and coaches who have helped me get to this point.”

While the young women are gifted athletically, they are also quality human beings. I’ve personally witnessed their phenomenal work ethic, fantastic sportsmanship, impressive coachability and never-ending tenacity. My daughter (Kassidy Przymus) also spoke highly of her teammates and continues to support the duo even though she graduated in 2015. Dolan and Kirk are top-notch, and I couldn’t be prouder of either of them. I believe their teammates, peers, families and other supporters feel the same way.

Opposing teams also have to respect the aggressive inside-outside duo or pay the price on the scoreboard. Judging by the numbers they consistently put up, they no doubt cause issues for their opponents. Kirk is a real threat both offensively and defensively. She’s an outstanding passer and leads the area in assists. Dolan provides a solid presence in the paint on both sides of the court as well.

“Playing with Evy is an awesome opportunity,” Kirk said. “She is a very good basketball player who works for everything she gets. You won’t find many players that out-work her.”

With their extraordinary chemistry, the results have been thrilling for fans to witness.

“We’ve grown up playing together and we just click,” Dolan said. “We know where each other is going to be and we can feed off of each other. It’s really something special being able to play with her because she’s such a hard-working and talented player.”

Kirk agreed, noting that she appreciates the well-honed communication as well.

“We can make eye contact with each other and know exactly where the other person is going,” Kirk said. “It’s fun when you can throw a pass across the lane with confidence that your teammate is going to be there to catch it and lay it in. My relationship with Evy is a blessing and I am thankful to have her as a teammate of mine.”

Of course, Dolan and Kirk don’t operate alone. They have plenty of teammates who are capable of contributing in a variety of ways. Together, the TMB Panther girls basketball team has put together the most successful basketball season in well over a decade, posting a stellar 23-3 overall record in addition to a 15-1 Camden Conference standing.

TMB’s 2016-17 season started with four straight wins, followed by a 66-59 loss to Canby on Dec. 13. After that, the Panthers went on a 19-game winning streak — a streak in which the team avenged its loss by conquering the Canby Lancers 60-44 on Feb. 10.

TMB is much improved this season against section opponents. The Panthers are undefeated (10-0) against section rivals — the most significant of which was a 54-42 win against Class AA No. 5 Pipestone Area on Feb. 11. TMB also claimed the Camden Conference South title after a 71-69 overtime win against Minneota on Thursday. The two wins gave the Panthers an edge as they earned the top seed in the upcoming Section 3AA tournament.

While Kirk and Dolan have become amazing leaders on and off the court, they are quick to credit their inspirations along the way. Both have supportive parents, siblings and other family members — many of whom were standout basketball players as well.

“My inspiration for basketball growing up has been my dad (Dan “Hondo” Kirk),” Kirk said. “I’ve heard many stories from multiple people about how he played, and I always wanted to be as good as him. I had a basketball in my hands by the time I could walk, and my dad has been pushing me to be the best player I can be my whole life.”

Dan “Hondo” Kirk is eighth on 1,000-point scorer list with 1,056 career points. As a Balaton athlete, he was third highest, behind Brad Wendland (1,388) and Carlton Johnson (1,294). As Hondo’s younger sister, I was at nearly every game and I looked up to him as a role model. I was always proud of him and honored to wear his jersey numbers (12/13) during my own basketball career.

My brother was a fantastic athlete. He was the quarterback on the Warrior football team, the point guard on the Balaton High School basketball team and a member of the school’s track team as well.

On the basketball court, Hondo was a scrappy defensive player and could hit the downtown shot. And that was before the addition of the three-point line, which was put in effect my senior year (1987-88). I imagine my brother’s career total would’ve been close to double had the addition been in effect then.

In a unique twist, Dan Kirk and Neil Dolan (Evy’s dad) were Marshall Independent All-Area First Teamers as seniors in 1982. As a Milroy athlete, Dolan accumulated 1,005 career points, finishing second behind Lee Brandt (1,036). When combined with all 1,000-point scorers from Tracy, Milroy and Balaton, Dolan ranks 10th. Balaton native Spencer Smith, a senior on the TMB basketball squad, currently tops the 11-member list with more than 1,950 points (Josh Kirk and Dominic Dolan — cousins to Kaylee and Evy — are also 1,000-point scorers, with 1,699 and 1,129 points, respectively).

Neil Dolan recently hit a milestone of his own when he earned his 300th win as the head Wabasso girls basketball coach — a feat achieved in December and celebrated on Feb. 9. On Facebook, Evy Dolan posted: “So incredibly proud of you, Dad. You’re an amazing coach and Dad. I wouldn’t be the player I am today if it weren’t for you. Love you lots.”

Evy Dolan said her dad has been a huge inspiration for her.

“Watching him coach and going to watch his games when I was younger, and watching his teams play in the State Tournament, it really made me want to have that same feeling but as a player,” she said. “I wanted to grow up and be a player like the ones that I got to watch.”

A large number of other impressive athletes can be found in the Kirk and Dolan lineages. That includes Dolan’s older siblings (Isaac and Adria), both of whom she said inspire her, and her twin brother (Moses), who is the point guard and second-leading scorer on the current TMB team.

“Isaac and Adria were both No. 23 and you can guess it ― so am I,” Evy Dolan said.

Kirk said she’s also inspired by her older siblings (Sean, Alyssa and Riley). Alyssa Kirk was a vital part of the Dakota State University basketball team for four years.

“Not only have I looked up to my dad, but to my older siblings,” Kaylee Kirk said. “I got to sit in the bleachers and watch every single one of them succeed in their basketball careers. They are better players than me, but I’ve worked for years to try and catch up to them.”

There are also younger siblings who will likely come up through the ranks — good news for the Dolan and Kirk family fans. Spunky 8-year-old Braelynn Kirk already has solid skills on the court. There are also four younger siblings on the Dolan side: triplets Ezekiel, Camille and Margaret along with youngest child Grace.

While they say records are made to be broken, it might be a long time before anyone – male or female – tops all-time leader Mary Jo (Miller) Hmielewski, (2,655 career points). Starting varsity as a seventh-grader at Milroy, Mary Jo was lightning quick defensively and deadly accurate offensively. She was a gifted athlete – one of the best this area has ever seen.

In 1985, Milroy became the smallest school to ever reach the state tournament. The team finished as the Class A runner-up that year. After joining forces, Tracy-Milroy got back to the state basketball tournament in 1987, and followed that up with a state championship effort in 1988. I have awesome memories of watching those games at Williams Arena.

In 1992, Tracy Area earned the Class A title again. Between state appearances in 1995 and 1997, Tracy-Milroy earned its last state championship title (1996).

Advancing to state is the one goal that has eluded Kaylee and Evy, along with their teammates and coaches (Derek Ashbaugh, Justin Daly, Chris Bangasser and Gale Otto). And although the Panthers picked up two straight losses to close out the regular season (23-3) this week, I have no doubt that they’ll rebound and be hungry to get back to the section championship against.

It’s been 20 years since punching a ticket to the state basketball tournament, but this extremely talented squad could be the one to do just that. Regardless, it’s a great time to be a Tracy-Milroy-Balaton fan.

The No. 1 seed Panthers start the postseason on Saturday against eighth-seeded Redwood Valley. I want to wish the best of luck to them and to all of our area girls teams as they begin playoff action this week.

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