The tradition continues for the Wylie girls’ basketball team – another season, another district championship, another regional championship and another trip to the state tournament.
The Wylie girls earned their third consecutive trip to the state tournament by beating Midland Greenwood 52-32 in the regional championship. That’s where the magic ended, however.
In the state semifinals, Waco La Vega used a stifling press to force the Lady Bulldogs into 24 turnovers, and the Lady Bulldogs couldn’t overcome those mistakes.
“We knew we needed to keep getting stops, so they couldn’t get that press going,” said Wylie Coach Kurt Richardson. “We just had too many turnovers. It kind of snowballed on us. It was tough.”
But Richardson said he is proud of the team.
“One loss doesn’t diminish what we accomplished this year,” he said. “Any year that ends in a state tournament game can’t be too disappointing.”
The Wylie girls had many highs and a few lows in their season, but the team showed it was resilient. They started their season by winning a championship at the Polk-Key City Classic with a narrow win over Jim Ned.
They traveled to Jim Ned a few days later, where they played another close game and had to come from behind to get the victory.
“That win at Jim Ned was an important one for us,” Richardson said. “That’s where we learned that we don’t quit.”
It was a lesson that would come in handy later when the team found itself behind in some early playoff battles.
The Lady Bulldogs also suffered through some injuries, and star-post Brittany Brewer missed several games with an injury. The girls suffered a rare loss in district, falling to Brownwood, but won the district championship outright.
Then Wylie found itself in a few tough playoff games, starting with a narrow win over Iowa Park, 39-32 and then another close game against Kennedale 57-51. The Lady Bulldogs gave their fans a fun 30-point victory over Burkburnett.
Richardson said Wylie played some quality opponents in the early rounds of the playoffs.
“Our opponents came out aggressive with us,” he said. “They started feeling confident about themselves.”
Also, getting Brittany back into the mix after the injury took time.
“It’s hard to work a player back into your rotation in a playoff game,” Richardson said. “It’s a hard time to be making changes.
Seminole gave the girls a scare in the regional finals, but the Lady Bulldogs won 41-38.
“Those girls don’t know how to quit,” Richardson said. “Until there were zeros on the clock, we knew we had a chance. We showed a lot of heart.”
The state semifinals game was the last for seven Wylie seniors, four of whom were starters this season. Brittany Brewer, Shannon Seale, Madi Garcia, Makaela Mosley, Kami Jackson, Alissa Lackey and Daylee White played their final games as Lady Bulldogs.
Brittany will continue her career at Texas Tech University this fall. She has been a four-year starter at Wylie during her time here.
“She’s been a huge presence,” Richardson said. “She’s such a hard worker. She’s a great leader. This is her 3rd year as a captain. She knows how to work hard but she keeps it fun. The girls like to be around her.”