The Lady Panthers have put together an astonishing season so far with a record of 18-2 overall and remaining undefeated in region play 7-0. This marks the best start to a season in program history, setting a new standard for the team as they continue to dominate throughout the season.
“I think one thing that’s important for us to do is to focus on winning every possession, not the whole game. Just make sure we’re not looking up at the scoreboard and just saying, ‘Oh, we’re up by 20, we can loosen up on the defense a little bit,’ but making sure that we win every possession, we win on our offensive end and on our defensive end,” junior Lindsey Kopacek said.
In last Friday’s game against Central High School, the Lady Panthers delivered another commanding victory, defeating the Lady Lions 63-24. In the first quarter, they established control early, out-scoring Central 25-12 and continuing to widen the gap throughout the game.
The Lady Panthers maintained their momentum in the second quarter adding 12 more points while limiting Central’s scoring opportunities. Starr’s Mill held a steady 37-24 lead at halftime.
“At the end of the day, these games, regardless of if it’s a close one or not, or opportunities for us to get better,” head coach Brandon Cerezola said. “So that’s just been the focus all year and we just keep that mentality, whether we’re winning or losing, that we’ve got to find a way to get better every day.”
The girls came out of the locker room strong, extending their lead by 20 points and not allowing the Lady Lions any opportunities to score. The third quarter ended with a score of 57-24. In the final quarter, the Lady Panthers brought out some of their younger players to seal the win with six more points and holding Central Carrollton scoreless for a 63-24 victory.
“Well, I feel like for most teams, it’s easy for there to feel like there’s a divide between people who play a lot and the bench, but with us having everyone get included, just improves the chemistry of this team and we’re all connected so it just helps us play at a higher level,” senior Sophia Olson said.
Kopacek led the Starr’s Mill offense scoring 22 points. Sophomore Aftyn Heiden and junior Ava Glover both contributed 11 points each in the win.
The Lady Panthers remain undefeated in region play and continue to build momentum as the season progresses. The team followed this with a dominant 68-23 victory against McIntosh and a 55-40 win over Harris County.
The Lady Panthers are set to return home tonight to face Jonesboro at 6 p.m.