The Lady Lions Basketball team was 23-5 going into post season. Regionals this year were at home for the girls and it all began on February, 12th at 6pm. Carterville played the Marion Wildcats. The Lions had beat the Wildcats during regular season so they knew what to expect.
The Lions defeated Marion and advanced to the Regional Championship game on Thursday night, at seven o’clock. The lions were then 24-5 after beating the Wildcats. The Murphysboro Red Devils had beat the Olney Tigers Tuesday night and would be playing the Lady Lions in the Regional Championship.
The Lady Lions defeated the Red Devils with a score of 50-44. The Lions entered Sectionals with a record of 25-5. Carterville played East Saint Louis on Tuesday, February 20th, at six o’clock at Carbondale High School for the first round of sectionals. This was a big game for the Lions as East St. Louis was a larger and faster team than those they had previously faced.
The Lady Lions fall to the Flyettes with a score of 53-34 in the first round of Sectionals. The Flyettes then faced Breese in the Sectional Championship that Thursday. The season had come to an end for Carterville, but overall the ladies had a great season ending with a record of 25-6. The Lady Lions had won the Carbondale Tournament and placed second in Benton. When speaking with sophomore starter, Jeniah Thompson, she claims that “We had a great season and there was a lot of laughter that made it even better”. The team will be missing their five seniors as they graduate this year: Montana Taylor, Hanna Schulmeister, Dava Smith, Anna Billingsley, and Sydney Monje.
The girls hosted their end of season banquet on February 27th. Before heading to Pirate Pete’s for food and fun, the team met at the high school for their awards. The night was spent reminiscing old memories and making new ones. The season was packed full of success, growth, and most importantly, making memories as teammates.