“Throughout the year we’ve been taught to push whether we were down thirty or up thirty we pushed,” Junior Ariel Atkins said.
The Pantherettes took on Clear Springs in the state semifinals and won with a final score of (64-40). Clear Springs brought the game to within one point, but the Pantherettes kept pushing and never looked back on Clear Springs. Junior guard Ariel Atkins led the way with 31 points after starting the night off cold and heating up in the second half.
Atkins led the Pantherettes into the state finals against Cibolo Steele on Saturday. With a packed crowd, the Pantherettes took control in the first quarter and never looked back. Senior forward Kiara Perry scored 20 points and ended up being the tournament MVP for her performance throughout the two games. The Pantherettes won (59-36) over Steele to win their 8th state championship. The Pantherettes finished the season with a (42-0) record and they became the first team to win 42 games in a single season. Senior guard, Tamara Washington said,
“We’ve been preparing all year and I’m glad we got to finish it off strong,” senior guard, Tamara Washington said.
This team will go down in history as one of the best teams to ever play high school basketball.
“They love each other. They need each other and they couldn’t do it with out each other,” Coach Cathy Self-Morgan said. “They finished it as a team.”
Photos from the State Championship
