The Kingwood Park girls basketball team made an impressive run this year, wrapping up the season 24-0 after a 58-35 win against Porter. The undefeated squad now heads to the playoffs to face Magnolia in the first round on February 12th.
The team has earned several honors including the Allegiance Bank Team of the Week award from H-Town High School Sports and VYPE on February 8th as well as a second-place ranking on the February 8th Texas Association of Basketball Coaches UIL 5A poll.
As they prepare for their first playoff game of the season, the Panthers are focusing on a few key aspects of their game.
The team has felt strong chemistry on and off the court all season long. Head coach LeighAnn Wolfe attributes their ability to get along to much of their success, "when faced with adversity and tough situations on the court." The squad is strong, displaying a "balanced approach" to the game.
Wolfe looks back on two games in particular as key moments to the perfect season. The girls slipped past New Caney in an away game, winning by only two points in one of their tightest games of the season. The other closest game was also against New Caney, where the two teams coincidentally posted the same score as the game less than a month earlier, Kingwood Park's 36 to New Caney's 34. In late February the Panthers recorded another close 38-34 victory against Lake Creek. Wolfe believes that they were, "faced with some adversity" and remembers it as a big game for the team, as the girls really, "stepped up for [them] to help [them] get the big win."
Another pivotal point for the Panthers was clinching the district championship title. In the history of the school, the Kingwood Park girls basketball squad had never before earned the title outright, so this season meant a lot. Wolfe is still, "not sure that going undefeated has really sunk in for the girls."
The Panthers move forward patiently, setting their sights on one game at a time. They are working on "executing [their] gameplan," focusing on their skills and utilizing scouting reports to get ready for Friday. They are "excited for the playoffs and ready to make a deep run." Wolfe places the focus leading into the playoffs on, "what [they] can control and fine-tuning what [they] have worked so hard for all season."
The Panthers advance to the playoffs as a confident, prepared squad. Kingwood Park heads to The Woodlands High School on Friday to face Magnolia in the first round.