Before the Adrian girls’ basketball team delivered Randy Strand his 300th victory Saturday, the AHS coach wasn’t the only one feeling the pressure.After bumping into Lisa Strand at the AHS-Southwest Christian basketball game in Edgerton Feb. 20, I could detect a certain amount of stress in the voice of the woman who will celebrate her 21st year of marriage with coach Strand this June.At that time, the Dragons were about to begin their fourth attempt to give the coach his 300th win after winning game 299 in Ellsworth Feb. 9. Complicating the situation was the fact that it was Parents’ Night at SWC, and the E-Gals fans had just given their head coach (Cal Hoekstra) a standing ovation after he received a plaque for winning his 300th game earlier in the season."Speaking of 300 wins, this could be the night," I said during my conversation with the coach’s wife.Then came Mrs. Strand’s unexpected reply: "I hope so. I’m tired of driving this damn cake around."At that point, I had it all figured out.Lisa Strand wasn’t experiencing the pressure of a three-game losing streak that came at the heels of a string in which the Dragons won six of seven games. This woman had a secret surprise in store for her husband when he did collect his 300th win, and her man wasn’t coming through with the victory that would set her free."Mary Ellen Kellen made the donated cake on Feb. 8, the day before we beat Ellsworth. We played Fulda two nights later, and I wanted to make sure I had it, just in case we won that game," Lisa explained.With the cake hidden in her Trailblazer for the Fulda game on Feb. 10 in Adrian, Mrs. Strand was at peace. The Dragons were unable to knock off the Raiders that night, but the cold spell the area was experiencing at the time served as a perfect place to hide a cake that could be presented to her husband on Feb. 14, when AHS hosted Luverne.When the Cardinals knocked off the Dragons by two points in Adrian on Valentine’s Day, Mrs. Strand thought the Dragons would be able to top Edgerton Public two nights later. The Dragons led at halftime, prompting her to pull the cake out of her car and stash it in the concession stand at AHS.Edgerton, however, rallied late to win the game, and Lisa became concerned."I didn’t want Randy to jump in my vehicle to go on a scouting trip and find the cake, so I gave it to my sister (Kellie Thier). Kellie had it in her freezer from Feb. 16-20, and she brought it with her to the SWC game."After the cake was hidden for five more days, it once again was transported to a parking lot of a different sports venue on Saturday. Finally, when the Dragons upset SCC in a game that could have gone either way, Lisa Strand was able to surprise her husband with a cake that had a shelf life of 17 days."They said the cake still tasted pretty good," Lisa said."The best thing about it was Randy didn’t think I knew how many wins he had. He always thinks I’m way out in left field most of the time."Coach Strand should never underestimate Lisa again, because this resourceful woman had two contingency plans in place just in case the Dragons didn’t beat SCC on Saturday.Her second plan was a stroke of genius.Prior to Saturday’s tilt, Lisa made a sticker that read "Congratulations on 300 wins, almost."Personally, I liked the first plan she shared with me after the Dragons fell to SWC in Edgerton Feb. 20."What will you do with that cake if they lose to SSC in Worthington on Saturday?" I asked."I’ll tell you what I’ll do," she replied, with a hint of anger in her eyes.Then, acting as if I were the coach, Mrs. Strand showed me what she had in mind.After watching Lisa go through the motions of picking up the baked item in her palm and hurling it toward my face, her intent was unmistakable."Here’s you’re damn cake," she said.