The girls basketball team came out with a 55-45 senior night loss against the Van Alstyne Panthers last Friday, and a 47-38 loss to the Trinity Christian Trojans last night.
“It’s crazy to think that this is my last season, senior guard Soli Stubbs said. “It has always been so much to play for Lovejoy. As I was walking through the senior tunnel, I was shocked by how fast the years have gone by. My fondest memories are the team bonding moments. Whenever we work really hard and achieve success together, it’s a great feeling.”
The Leopards sophomore guard, Samantha Basson led the team with a season high of 28 points against the Panthers. The Panthers outscored the team in the first half 29-18, but in the second half, the Leopards outscored 27-26 and outrebounded 20-11.
“I think the girls played great,” said Andrian Basson, mother of sophomore guard Samantha Basson. “I think they were warmed up by the second half and were determined to not let Van Alstyne run away with the game. We were so proud of the girls for playing hard and working together.
According to Stubbs, the teams were pretty well matched. She said the team could beat the Panthers if they played against them again.
“I feel we had some pretty good moments especially at the end,” Stubbs said. “We really started to pick up the energy and pace at the end, and we saw more success.
Last night during the game against the Trojans, Trinity Christian guard Olivia Brennan scored 30 points on the Leopards and went 14/16 on her free throws.
“We were forcing the ball places, so it didn’t need to be forced,” sophomore guard Kendall Dodson said. “We were taking shots that we didn’t need to take, and I thought we were rushing ourselves. We weren’t doing the things [our] coach told us to do before the game. We could have done better for sure. TCA made us work hard on defense and stay with our man. They made us make sure we weren’t lazy with our passes because they would steal it.”
The Leopards will play their final game before the beginning of district Friday, travelling to Dodd City to play the 6-0 Hornets.
“We just need to be more confident and work as a team better,” Dodson said. “[We need to use our plays like we know we can. We can not force shots. [If we] listen to [our] coach, we should be fine.”
