Shoreline Christian basketball booster falls ill on eve of title game

  • Charlie Laughtland<br>Enterprise writer
  • Thursday, February 28, 2008 10:39am

Shoreline Christian played for the Class B boys basketball state championship last weekend with heavy hearts.

Hours after upsetting top-ranked Waterville March 7 in the semifinals, the team learned that longtime Shoreline Christian basketball booster Janice Hoberg had been rushed to the hospital.

Around 11 p.m., Shoreline Christian head coach Daryl Broekhuis received a call informing him that Hoberg was found unconscious in her hotel room.

As of Wednesday, Hoberg remained in critical condition at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. Her vital signs have stabilized but she remains in a coma.

“We were told it may have been an allergic reaction to some food she ate,” Broekhuis said. “Her heart had stopped. For 45 minutes, she didn’t have a heart beat.”

The next day, Broekhuis went to the hospital before the Crusaders faced Darrington in the title game that evening.

“We spent most of (Friday) night praying for her,” Broekhuis said. “They didn’t think she’d make it through the night.”

Hoberg and her husband Chester’s three children attended Shoreline Christian and the couple has remained involved with the school’s basketball programs for 28 years.

“They haven’t missed a state tournament since I’ve been here,” Broekhuis said. “It’s a devastating blow to our community.”

Talk to us