Today the Duncanville Pantherettes are headed off for the 2015-16 UIL Girls State Basketball Championships in the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX. The Pantherettes remain the only 6A team with a perfect record at 37-0 after winning big time games against teams such as Flower Mound, Plano West, and Plano in route to the tournament. This is the third State Tournament appearance over the last four years two of which resulted in one State Championship in 2013 and a close loss in the finals in 2014.

“What they have done this year is special” boys Basketball head Coach Corey Chism said. “We have high expectations for our girls and I’m very optimistic that they will bring it home.”

The Pantherettes are also staying in the top two spots in all of the National Polls and another State Championship could very well move them to that top spot as well. The Pantherettes are quite a target for some of the teams they’re playing against. The Pantherettes are no stranger to any of the teams they will face in the tournament as they gave Houston North Shore their only loss of the season and Cibolo Steele who is currently ranked No. 10 in the state with a 36-3 record.

“This year is our year” senior Forward Ciera Johnson’s father Robert Johnson said. “They’re like locuses coming together to attack their prey.”

Pantherette head coach Cathy Self-Morgan has won three of her six state championships with Duncanville and today she will be making a run to win her seventh State Championship.

“I really like this team this year” Self-Morgan said. “These girls are really fun to be around and have worked very hard to get here.”

For some of these girls it’s their last games in a Pantherette uniform. Senior Ciera Johnson will play at the University of Louisville next year, Rosie Davis is playing at Xavier University in Louisiana and Maddison Townly will be headed to North Texas. These girls have been on the court for a State Championship game but have never won the prize yet. They plan to change that this time around. With the state championship loss in 2014, they plan to leave it all on the basketball floor this year and leave with a trophy. Chief of Staff Mike Chrietzberg has been on the floor for all of the trips to the State Tournament for the Pantherettes under Self-Morgan’s leadership.

“With their best effort, I believe they can get it done” Assistant Superintendent of Campus Support Mike Chrietzberg said. “ What they are doing is very big for the City of Duncanville and we our proud of what they have accomplished.”

Superintendent of Schools Deborah Cron was also on hand to cheer the team on as they left for San Antonio. Although this is her first year at Duncanville, Cron said she is amazed at the accomplishments of the players and coach Self-Morgan.

“This team is on fire, they are well coached, very athletic and they have been winning,” Interim Superintendent of schools Dr. Deborah Cron said. “This team will bring it home Saturday because they are determined, focused and they know what it takes to be a winner. That is what we are all about in Duncanville.”