Lady Bears make history at state playoffs

The Lady Bears walked the line and made history along the way.

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Canon 7D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, ISO 10000, ƒ/4, 1/200

Years of hard work came to fruition last week when they earned a spot in the second round of the AAAA Girls State Basketball Tournament. The Lady Bears had made it to state before. Seven times since 1991, the team made the bid for state championship playoffs, only to be sent back home after first round defeats.

That didn’t happen this time.

After edging out Howard High, 44-42 in round 1 last Tuesday, the Lady Bears advanced to round 2, going further than any other girls basketball team in Burke County High School history.

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Seniors Deryanna Evans, Asia Harden and Nyerika Goodwin try stealing the ball from Arabia Mountain player in round 2 of the AAAA Girls State Basketball Tournament. Canon 7D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, ISO 10000, ƒ/2.8, 1/640

Coach Lawrence, a BCHS alumni, believes the team’s success has been built on the dedication of the players and coaches, as well as the support of the school and community.

“When we took over the program five years ago we felt to be successful on the court, we would need to consistently win each year, compete for and win region championships, and get to the state playoffs in order to fight for a state championship,” she said. “We have met each one of those goals. Each year we advance a little bit further. Now we will go into next season with revamped goals in order to continue to be successful.”

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Head Coach Leslie Lawrence talks to Senior Deryanna Evans before sending her back in the game. Canon 7D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, ISO 10000, ƒ/2.8, 1/640

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