Cedar Hill's "Team of Destiny" heads to state semifinals; Lady Longhorns' first appearance in 15 years
The Cedar Hill girls' basketball team is in the state semifinal for the first time since 2010.
The Lady Longhorns are coming off a historic win over the defending 6A Division 1 champs in Duncanville, and coach Nicole Collins has gone as far as to say they are the "Team of Destiny."
Now just two wins away from the ultimate goal, the players said they're as locked in as they've ever been.
"Coach always tells us, 'Don't ever stay on the high highs or the low lows,'" Lady Longhorns forward Brooklyn King said. "Obviously Friday was a really high high for us, but It's just back to business. We got two more games and we didn't come this far to just drop the ball."
The Lady Longhorns are ranked 10th in the state, making them the only ranked team left standing.
Collins has made It known just how special she thinks this group is and that the "Team of Destiny" name didn't come from out of nowhere.
She said the team participated in a basketball boot camp long before the first tip-off of the season, which she thinks is partly why they have had success this season.
"Our motto this year was just being a trailblazer and trying to be the first to do something that hasn't been done before," Collins said. "We've had a few teams that have come through here and gone to state, so we've gotten over the hump."
But if you ask the players, what they have up their sleeve has nothing to do with X's and O's or how good their field goal percentage is.
Instead, it has everything to do with the bond they've made off the court.
"There's no division anywhere," King said. "We're very welcoming with each other… It's just so connected, and I just feel that's why we click on the court: because we know each other on and off the court."
"We're very close," Lady Longhorns forward Rylan Jones said. "I think that's why we're having such a successful season, actually. It's just an exciting thing for all of us to get to go through this together with this specific team. We all really love each other."
The Lady Longhorns will tip off their state semifinal game against Plano East on Tuesday at the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center In Fort Worth.
