After Caitlin Kramer fouled out and exited the court for the final time during Air Academy’s Final Four contest in March, she remained even-keeled.

Air Academy girls basketball coach Phil Roiko knew his team would miss the Kadets senior for one reason.

Her poise.

Kramer, this year’s girls basketball Peak Performer, capped her career with 1,952 points, the most all-time for the Kadets’ girls, and averaged 19.4 per game this season.

The Colorado State commit also helped lead the Kadets to a 25-2 record and to their first Final Four berth since 2019.

But Roiko watched how Kramer’s “quiet leadership” buoyed the Kadets all season.

“She brought that calmness to the team. That’s why we missed her so much when she got in foul trouble in that semifinal game,” Roiko said. “We didn’t have that calmness on the floor and that was a huge difference maker. She hadn’t been in foul trouble all season. We didn’t realize how much we missed her and that leadership until she was out.”

Kramer’s presence lifted the Kadets in myriad ways throughout the season, most notably on the court.

As a junior, Kramer scored 689 points in 26 games and averaged 26.5 per contest, which was second in 5A and 57th in the nation.

But the Kadets finished the year 17-9 and lost in the Great 8 to Roosevelt in 2023.

This season, Kramer’s average dropped by 7.1 points, but she increased her blocks per game from 1.5 last season to 2.2 and decreased her turnovers per contest from 2.7 to 1.4.

Kramer nearly doubled her assists from 2 per game as a junior to 3.8 this year.

Lydia Flowers, the beneficiary of many of Kramer’s assists, improved her scoring average from 10.3 as a sophomore to 17.1 this season.

Those trade-offs from Kramer helped the Kadets build a 25-1 record ahead of their semifinals game.

“I feed off of Caitlin,” Flowers said after their game against Fountain-Fort Carson on Dec. 7. “Me and Caitlin have played together for four or five years and we always have our chemistry on lock.”

Kramer said everyone understood the importance of feedback and critiques, which the senior believed helped contribute to victories.

Against Palmer Ridge on Feb. 8, the Kadets secured a 40-30 win, which served as Air Academy’s closest victory of the regular season.

However, Kramer said her teammate, Tatyonna Brown, was fouled several times in the game, but didn’t receive many calls.

As the game waned, Kramer noticed Brown’s body language changed.

“I went up to her and I was telling her during a free throw, ‘It’s OK,’” Kramer said. “’Don’t play for the refs, play for us. The calls will come eventually. You can’t let anyone see you getting down because they’ll feed off that. Bring out the energy yourself.’”

As a junior, Kramer’s role didn’t require such observations. As a senior, though, Kramer has recognized which moments required her input, Roiko said.

“She was the one to give the pat on the back or encouragement,” Roiko said. “She led by example and worked hard in practice and was always upbeat. She became that quiet and confident leader on the floor.”

As cohesion built and the Kadets accumulated wins, players displayed their comfort with one another.

No more than on the way to their Final Four game.

A hazardous material spill on northbound I-25 on March 7 turned the hourlong trip to Denver Coliseum into multiple hours on a bus.

The Kadets asked CHSAA officials to delay the tip-off of their game against Northfield, but the holdup didn’t bother the Kadets.

“On the bus, we were all talking and laughing and singing songs,” Kramer said. “We were staying positive and playing games [on the bus] and that helped us get into a good mood for the game – even though we lost – I feel like that was a core memory.”

Despite the Kadets’ 70-66 overtime loss in the Final Four, Kramer remained a beacon of positivity.

Rather than sulk about the defeat, Roiko said Kramer consoled her teammates and showed how she’s more than just a force on the court.

“She encouraged other kids and gave them hugs,” Roiko said. “Other kids who have not had that experience before took it harder. Not that she didn’t take it hard, but she realized she’s been through this before and knew she had to act like a captain.

“Regardless, the result doesn’t define her career. She’s the all-time leading scorer, which I don’t know if that will ever be broken. She had a lot of achievements and she loved the fact that she got to be there with her friends and play the whole season and she stayed healthy. … She enjoyed the journey with the rest of us.”