Lady Panthers junior had a long road to recovery from injury

She tried to cut while playing defense, but her left leg crumpled to the floor. There was nothing Caitlyn Foster could do.

Colleyville Heritage’s junior guard spent the summer of 2014 visiting with a Nashville doctor, learning the news that every athlete dreads to hear. She had torn her anterior cruciate ligament.

Foster had been playing with her select team in a tournament. During a game, she made a move that she had made thousands of times. But this time she felt a pop. Foster tried to gut through it and finished that game. The next game brought reality.

“It was just wrong place, wrong time,” Foster said. “The pain was pretty unbearable. But it was nothing that I wanted to think about. My dad just told me that these things happen all the time and that I would be coming back.”

Foster had to sacrifice most of her 2014-2015 season with the Lady Panthers before returning the final three games. This year, it’s a different story. Foster is healthy and contributing as the program was off to a 14-4 start before it played in the Duncanville tournament this week.

While Colleyville Heritage will lean on sophomore Brynn Gerlich to carry the bulk of the scoring, Foster is one of those key components because she plays the shooting guard, will handle the point guard and is a menace on defense. The Lady Panthers were 2-0 in District 7-6A before they play a pivotal game against Euless Trinity on Saturday at CHHS.

“She’s the best on-ball defender we have,” Colleyville Heritage coach Dianna Sager said. “We give her the toughest assignment because she has to guard the opponent’s top scorer. Caitlyn has accepted that role very well and it’s been important to this season.”

Defense will win championships. Foster leads the team in steals with 3.1 per game. That complements what she does on the floor with 6.2 points and 3.1 rebounds.

The road to her return started on July 24, 2014 when she had surgery. Doctors told her she was looking at least six months to be back on the court. That was January 2015. Physical therapy sessions with Paul Brainard at Athletic Performance Enhancement in Southlake became the norm. In fact, they started the day after the surgery.

When Foster transitioned to Colleyville Heritage’s training staff during the school year, the work became more intense. Yet there were days when her mind wandered, the frustration built and the temptation to quit surfaced.

“Some days were my lazy days and I did not do want to do anything,” Foster said. “But at the time, Coach Sager and others would tell me that if I missed a day of rehab, I would be two days behind. So it didn’t last long.”

Eventually, Foster made her return. Following some timid feelings, Foster played with mental freedom. She still plays with a brace on her knee and will continue to do so until she’s ready to move on.

Until then, Foster will continue to fill a role as the Lady Panthers make their move toward contending for the 7-6A championship.

“We’re having a good season but the team chemistry is why,” Foster said. “I want to keep making an impact on the defensive end of the floor. I still feel a little bit of pain when I plant my leg on the floor. But it quickly goes away. I just have to keep playing my game.”

Grapevine update

The Lady Mustangs (5-8, 2-0 in 6-5A) played in the Mansfield Spring Creek Barbeque Invitational Tournament Monday-Wednesday. Grapevine plays at Fort Worth Carter-Riverside on Tuesday.

This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Lady Panthers junior had a long road to recovery from injury."