The Quitman High School Lady Panthers are dribbling their way to another state championship. The team became the district champions on February 14 after winning a game against Newton County. They are currently 10-2 in division games and have shown vast improvement over the past couple of years.
“This school has always had a good basketball program. We’ve always had some good girls’ basketball teams,” stated Coach Jennie Vance. “They had a couple of rough years between Coach Skelton leaving and me getting here. I told these kids that we can lay the foundation for what we want our future to be for these young girls, and we’ve done that.”
The girls won more games the first year Coach Vance was at Quitman than they had the previous two years. That one year has helped shape the mindset of the team and given them more determination than ever before.
“These kids have worked hard. We set a goal last February that we wanted to win district this year. We even had it put on the back of our shirts to begin with the end in mind and win the district championship,” explained Coach Vance. “The only thing they didn’t do is believe in themselves. We had talent; they just didn’t realize how good they could be.”
The girls definitely started to believe in themselves and came home with even more than just the district champion title Friday night.
Iyonna Satcher was unanimously voted the MVP in the district. She scored 29 points against Newton County in the game and has averaged a double double in each game she has played.
“I love basketball,” stated Iyonna. “I was awarded MVP after we won district Friday night against Newton County in Florence. I’m thankful for the award, and I really love playing with my team.”
Another player who received an award was Dacia Bostic. Dacia received the award for best offensive player in the district, and no one else was nominated to go against her.
“Basketball means a lot to me. I play for some people, and it fills an empty hole,” said Dacia. “I love my team. We’ve worked hard and stayed in the gym all summer getting ready for this season. When district came around, we won. I didn’t really care about winning offensive player of the year. Winning district was all I cared about. Now, we’re going to go to state, get a ring, and do it all again next year.”
The girls are continuing to work hard in the gym and are trying to achieve one more goal for the season: state championship.
