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Rachel Cram has focused on local history this year, developing an in-depth anecdotal history and virtual tour of landmark La Conner downtown buildings.

The La Conner High senior is also eyeing the future – her future.

Cram, a 5’6” guard, has signed a letter of intent to attend and play basketball next year at Carroll College, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school in Helena, Montana that boasts a strong women’s hoops tradition.

The Fighting Saints won Frontier Conference championships in 2018, 2019 and 2021 under head coach Rachelle Sayers, who has guided the team to five national tournament appearances.

Cram should fit in nicely at Carroll. She is an integral part of the La Conner High girls’ basketball program, which placed second at the 2020 State 2B Hardwood Classic in Spokane and earned runners-up honors at the 2021 Summer State 2B tournament hosted by Mount Vernon Christian in June.

Cram and the Lady Braves are expected to be among the leading State 2B title contenders again this year.

“Rachel is a player that any coach would want on their team,” La Conner girls’ head basketball coach Scott Novak told the Weekly News. “She exemplifies what it means to work hard and set and achieve goals. I’m excited to coach her another year and then be able to follow her progress at Carroll.”

Cram has been on Carroll’s radar for some time.

“She has been talking with their coaching staff since last summer,” said Cram’s mom, Lynette Cram, who serves on the La Conner school board.

“Rachel attended their prospect camp in June and then their assistant coach, Bailey Pasta, watched her play in an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) tournament in Boise in July and made her an offer to play after that tournament.”

A tenacious defender, Cram is versatile at the offensive end of the floor, equally adept scoring in transition or shooting from the perimeter and distributing the ball as a playmaker.

“It feels nice to have signed,” Cram said on Sunday, the day before she began workouts as libero on the two-time defending State 2B champion La Conner High volleyball team. “I don’t have the stress of that (recruiting) during the school year. I can just focus on trying to get better every day.”

Her volleyball coach, Suzanne Marble, who has led La Conner to five state net crowns, joined in the chorus of support for Cram this past week.

“What an accomplishment,” Marble said. “Rachel has a drive to improve and compete daily and her commitment to her athletics is evident by her signing to play basketball at Carroll College. What an amazing opportunity for Rachel to get to play basketball at the next level. I am super proud of her and can’t wait to watch her play.”

Cram intends to major in education at Carroll, which could also provide her the opportunity to coach at some point.

Carroll is a private Catholic college with just over 1,200 students enrolled on a 63-acre campus. Its size, coaching staff and the fact that her older brother, Charlie, is a student there combined to sell Cram on signing with the Montana school.

“I’ve been interested in Carroll for a long time,” she said. “When I visited, I fell in love with the campus. It’s small and comfortable and the coaches are amazing. It just felt right there.”

The college was founded in 1909 by John Patrick Carroll, the second bishop of the Diocese of Helena. Then-President William Howard Taft, during his first year in the White House, helped lay the cornerstone of St. Charles Hall, the Gothic, Romanesque structure that was the first building at the college when it opened its doors.

“The college you are building here will be a blessing to Helena and to the whole state of Montana,” Taft said at the time. “The only trouble is we have not institutions enough of this kind in the United States.”

The Fighting Saints women’s basketball program has certainly lived up to Taft’s expectations for Carroll.

Under Sayers, in addition to the team’s numerous post-season appearances, a dozen Carroll players have earned All-American honors, including a first-team selection in forward Hannah Dean two years ago.

The path forward looms bright as well. In addition to Cram, Carroll has signed to its 2022 recruiting class 5’6” point guard Sadie Filius and 5’-11” guard-forward Clare Converse, a pair of Montana high school all-staters.

But, for Cram, it’s a matter of first things first. She and her La Conner teammates have unfinished business to address this school year.

Among them are anticipated trips to state competitions in Yakima (volleyball), Spokane (basketball) and Cheney (track and field). All were cancelled during 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We really want those state tournaments this year,” Cram said, “and hopefully we can bring back some trophies.”