The girls basketball team lost to Boswell High School in the regional semifinals on Feb. 23 with a final score of 44-49. Before this loss, they were undefeated throughout districts, held a 16-game win streak and were ranked fourth in the state.

“We were familiar with what Boswell was going to do,” head coach Lisa Branch said. “The mentality [going into it] was to just play our game – the game we played all year long. We wanted to score inside. We wanted to score from the outside, and we wanted to press [them] when we [could.]”

Branch said the team allowed Boswell to double team center Jordan Thomas all night long, which was not to their advantage. The Lady Hawks were in the lead at halftime with a score of 23-21, though they lost the lead near the end of the third quarter and weren’t able to come back due to consistently missed shots. 

“We couldn’t really get a rhythm,” Branch said. “I thought we kept our composure, we didn’t get rattled, [but] we couldn’t make shots.”

The team often used team bonding exercises to build its team chemistry on and off the court. Branch said being able to mesh together well on the court helped the team play as one. Captain and guard Paris Bradley said knowing each other helped them recognize their strengths and weaknesses. 

“Knowing what your team can and can’t do really helps on the court,” Bradley said. “You’re only as good as your weakest link.”

With half the team being seniors, the Lady Hawks will be losing six players next year. Branch said next year, they’re going to try to shift their focus onto more zone defense and motion offense. 

“I think they’re capable of whatever they put their minds to [next year],” Bradley said. “[However] successful they want to be is how successful they will be.”