As the clock ticks down, the last shot soared through the air, sinking into the net, signaling that the Lady Panthers varsity basketball team won the district game. With fists pumping in the air and people yelling with excitement, the team ran to hug each other as an overwhelming feeling of joy washed over them, and they shared a monumental moment that went down in history. 

With a close 39-38 win against Lewisville on Jan. 19, the Lady Panthers won district for the first time since 2008. 

“It was emotionally overwhelming because it has been so long since [the school] had a type of accomplishment like that,” coach Jessica Linson said. 

Despite the team’s off-season being cut short due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in 2020, Linson said that they persevered and overcame the obstacles by trusting her with their vision. 

“We have team meetings with our coach and she keeps our heads mentally in the game,” junior player Donavia Hall said. “She keeps us prepared for anything and everything.”

Although the pandemic put a strain on the team’s normal routine, they still managed to meet together through Zoom calls, FaceTime calls, their group chat and by setting up times to meet in person. 

“In March when COVID-19 hit, they really banded together and started to hold themselves accountable,” Linson said.

With safety being a top priority, the team had to be cautious of contracting the virus and spreading it to other teammates, which would undermine their basketball success.

“We all have personal lives, all of us want to do things and we have other friends, so we have to be safe in a sense that we have a job to do,” junior player Ada Anamekwe said. “Basketball is our job and when we come back together, we need to make sure that we’re not exposing each other to anything that could affect our basketball play.”

Every player has a certain role and knows their strengths and weaknesses, both individually and team-wise. By supporting and motivating each other to do better, the team strives to be the best they can be.

“Each person brings something to the table, whether it’s defense, offense or communication and they all come together to make our team what it is,” Anamekwe said. “Each player is really important, so we make sure we hold each other accountable.”

Some players have been on the same team together since day one of their high school experience, so achieving this great win only heightens their feeling of pride for the hard work and dedication they’ve put in.

“We were freshmen on the varsity [team] and it was our first time getting to a different stage because in our freshman year, we went to our first round of playoffs but haven’t gotten further,” Hall said. “To be first in districts gives us hope to get to state.”

On Feb. 27, the Lady Panthers were up against Southlake Carroll at the regional semifinals game and scored another win with a score of 42-56 due to the team’s excellent teamwork and drive. 

“It feels good to have shown everyone who doubted us what we were about, but we still have work to do and we aren’t laying down,” Hall said.

Through repetition and great attention to detail, the team grew together and still were constantly pushing to achieve excellence.

“When the challenge becomes easier to execute and accomplish, you know you’re doing something right and it’s a wonderful feeling,” Anamekwe said.

Waking up for 6:30 a.m. practices, practicing every day, and working toward a common goal motivated the team to make a difference in the girls’ basketball program.

“For the past three years that we’ve been playing basketball together, it was a really good feeling to know that we had made history, especially since we worked so hard to get there in the first place,” Anamekwe said. “It wasn’t just for the name or the sake of it; we wanted [to win] because that was our goal.”