As the final buzzer sounded in the game against the Rogers Mounties, senior Ashley Gray realized that her team was going into the state tournament as the No. 2 seeded team.
“My mind went black and I got so excited all at once,” said Gray. “I was so proud of my team!”
With the 42-40 win over Rogers, the Lady Wildcats basketball team has sealed the No. 2 seed spot for the 7A State Tournament. This is the highest seed the Lady Wildcats have ever had going into the tournament. Team manager, junior Kennedy Channel, is extremely excited that the team is getting this opportunity.
“This is the highest we’ve ever been ranked and we’re ecstatic,” said Channel, “If we play to the best of our ability, we have a chance to win, which is really exciting.”
The Lady Wildcats will play the winner of the West Memphis vs. Bryant game, and they know that winning won’t come that easily. Sophomore Evie Cannon knows that the team will have to work hard in order to take home the trophy.
“We are watching a lot of film and seeing what we can do to make ourselves better,” said Cannon. “We’re working our butts off in practice to make sure that we’re the very best we can be.
This is the first time in a long time that the Lady Wildcats will go into this tournament at such a high seed. This will put some pressure on the girls, as the expectations for them to succeed will be higher. Even though the championship will not come easy, Coach Sandy Wright is confident that her players can rise to the challenge.
“Coaches tend to put more pressure on themselves to do better,” said Coach Wright. “But this is a great experience for the girls and everyone is so excited to be going.”
The 7A State Tournament will take place in Fayetteville and the Lady Wildcats will play on March 1.