Friday night the Cedar Hill longhorns will be in town looking to tarnish the Pantherettes perfect 1-0 district record after their strong opener against Mansfield Legacy 55-43.
“Anytime Cedar Hill and Duncanville play it is a tough emotional game,” Pantherettes head coach Cathy Self-Morgan said. “The girls need to cut down on their turnovers and be prepared for the tough defense they have as well as their two big post players.”
With district play just beginning, the Pantherettes stand at 11-5. This is a start that head coach Cathy Self-Morgan is not satisfied with.
“ I never thought we would be 10-5,” Self-Morgan said. “But I know our girls have learned from the five losses we have and are better players today because of them.”
Self-Morgan isn’t the only one who is upset with the current record of the girls. Junior Empress Davenport is currently just as upset as anyone else.
“ This is not acceptable as a Duncanville Pantherette,” Davenport said.
Both Self-Morgan and Davenport see great potential in the team and feel as they could do a lot better. They also see plenty of things they need to work on also.
“We need to have less turnovers, shooting better, and getting rebounds,” Self-Morgan said.
There is one very important component that each great team needs, intensity. The girls come out of the locker room and warm-up with no intensity. It is only one piece to building a team, but the difference between a team with great intensity and a team with none shows a lot about them.
“ We need to have more intensity and more energy and be ready to play,” Davenport said.
The Pantherettes will be competing in a new district this year that is composed of some very tough teams. Two powerhouses in the district are Cedar Hill and Mansfield Timberview. Neither team won state last year but both made it to the final four.
“ The rest of the district teams are well coached and will be prepared,” Self-Morgan said. “So we must go out every game and give it our best shot.
The team has a few district games and then the highly anticipated Sandra Meadows Classic. Coach Self-Morgan says the tournament will host 32 of the best teams in the state and 6 of the best teams in the nation. The Pantherettes look to repeat what they did last year in the tournament.
“ We won last year. And with help from all our coaches and players I believe we can win it again,” Davenport said.
Coach Self-Morgan says the tournament comes with some advantages to their district schedule as well.
“ It is always good to get five good games out of this tournament before we resume district play,” Self-Morgan said.
Coach Self-Morgan says that this year’s district has several strong programs in it they will have to watch for. Although she says the district has several young players Cedar Hill and Timberview will pose their biggest threat.
“Both of these teams are very tough,” Self-Morgan said. “Both Cedar Hill and Timberview were in the state playoffs last year and made it to the final four.”
