Lady Panthers Look To Repeat As State Champions

RIPLEY, Miss. (WCBI) – Pine Grove Lady Panthers hoping to continue its winning ways.

The Pine Grove Lady Panthers basketball team is enjoying a successful season with a twenty seven and three record. Two out of the three losses this season came at the hands of defending state champions Choctaw Central and Ingomar.

“This season has really excelled during the years we’ve been playing here,” said senior guard Lexi Elliott. “It just continues to grow more and more, but we have had a good season so far, and we’ve been really blessed to win the games we have been and just play like we have been.”

“They’ve had some games they haven’t played well,” said head coach Katie Bates. “But when you are winning and not playing well there is not a whole lot more you can ask for. You are not going to play your best every single game, so when you can fight through those bad games and still win those too I mean it’s been a pretty good season so far.”

The last two years the Lady Panthers have been out sized by opposing teams. Pine Grove doesn’t have a single player over six feet tall, but that hasn’t stopped them from being physical on the court.

“We may not have length height wise,” Bates said. “But we have length the other way.”

“Most of us are just like really long and lengthy than we are like tall wise,” said senior guard Haley Vick. “But I mean we work hard. We are always like pushing each other to play the very best to our ability. We just work extremely hard.”

Last year Pine Grove won their first state basketball title in thirty five years. Now they’re shooting for a repeat. The team will have to work hard to bring home another gold ball.

“It’s going to take us all working together,” Elliot said. “And just keep practicing like we are practicing, and play like we are playing and keep moving forward.”

“Just our constant work ethic,” Vick said. “Team work, like talking to one another constantly. Just play to the very best of your ability and just trust God. God has a plan for all of us.”

“I’m not going to predict that we are going to repeat to win it again,” Bates said. “But our goal is to be in the mix.”

Pine Grove will close out the regular season on Friday when they travel to Hickory Flat.