CASTLEWOOD — As a freshman, Ella Hunter’s basketball world was in full bloom. 

As the sixth man on a team that lost just one game, to White River in the Class B state championship, Hunter was headed down a good road.

After missing a good chunk of her sophomore campaign with a torn meniscus, all of her junior year with a torn ACL, Hunter’s basketball world came to a screeching halt on Jan. 6 when Hunter tore her left ACL for a second time. 

“I was thinking that even after two knee surgeries I was proud of the work that I put in to come back,” Hunter said. “I really thought we were getting the team together and I thought we had an opportunity to be pretty good.” 

For first-year Castlewood coach Angela Keszler, seeing her top scorer, top rebounder and best leader hit the floor was a tough pill to swallow. 

 “The moment it happened we locked eyes,” Keszler said. “Right away we both knew there would be no more basketball. It wasn’t even a big hit. It was simply a question of taking a misstep.”

On the night of the final injury, Keszler said Hunter ducked out the side of the building so people wouldn’t see her cry. She eventually joined the team on the bench and since that  moment has only been a light of positivity for the team and her school. 

“Since that night I have never seen Ella feel sorry for herself,” Keszler said. 

There is not much time for Hunter to feel sorry for herself. 

The senior takes a rigorous academic course load and has a cumulative GPA over 4.0. Hunter is a talented musician and participates in the band and chorus. 

“During our band concerts Ella usually comes out and plays something different,” Keszler said. “She plays just about everything in the percussion department and it seems like a different instrument at every conference.” 

Since the final knee injury Hunter never missed a practice. 

“Sometimes she just comes in to watch,” Keszler said. “There were other times where I’d reach out to her and ask her for input and we would have discussions about certain parts of the game.”

When Hunter was a freshman, former Castlewood standout Mackenzie Everson reached out to Hunter and put her under her wing both academically and socially. This year, Keszler asked Hunter to do the same for Sophia Kudrna who was moved up from the eighth-grade to the varsity. 

“That was really fun to see Sophia come out of her shell,” Hunter said. “She’s really good, pretty vocal and I can’t wait to see where this game takes her.” 

Dakota sports fans only got just one opportunity to view Hunter at a state tournament. Hunter and the Castlewood volleyball team played in the 2023 Class B state volleyball tournament.