At the end of the 2015 basketball season, the clock hit all zeros as the Lady Panthers finished play  against the Barbers Hill Lady Eagles.

The Panthers would not make the playoffs. After shaking hands, the girls walked to the dressing room. The feeling of defeat was overwhelming.

The only consolation was the thought of trying again next season.

This season, after graduating five seniors, the team will be a young one, but that hasn’t stopped stop the players from being excited for the upcoming season. Basketball is one of The Park’s more successful sports for the boys, and the new girls team looks to add the Lady Panthers to this tradition.

“We are excited to see how far we can go this year,” said Katey Searcy.

Sophomore Erin O’Shea echoed her enthusiasm.

“Our coach has faith that we will make the playoffs this season,” O’Shea said.

The Lady Panthers season opener was against the Humble Wildcats, a cross town rival. After a close game, the Panthers won by 18 points.

The Lady Panthers have not been to the playoffs for basketball, but the team believes that can change this year. With only one senior, the girls are going to have to perform at high levels to compete with teams that may have more experience. But the team still has star player Allie Byrd.

As a freshman, Byrd was on varsity. — a rare achievement in 5A high school sports. With promising skills and a varsity background, Byrd is expected to be a top player and a team leader.

“I think the team has a lot of good chemistry,” Byrd said. “We’re hoping to make it count, and make it to playoffs.”