The final buzzer sounded as John Tyler chunked the basketball at the goal for a last second shot. In a second that felt like time stopped, the players and fans watched as the ball fell to the floor, missing the basket that could have tied the game. Legacy defeated the number six ranked high school (in 5A) in Texas and the fans rushed the court.
Legacy defeated John Tyler 53-50 in the Area playoffs, allowing the girls to advance to the Regional Quarterfinals something never done in Legacy’s history. Head coach Michelle Morris said the feelings in the gym that night were amazing, and she couldn’t be more excited for her team.
“For everything that these girls have overcome this year and the hard work they’ve put in, it’s so deserved,” Coach Morris said. “It is something great to be a part of. We’ve been our biggest opponent all year long, so if we just go in, execute and play our game we will be fine.”
Sophomore Cyliest Smith recently moved up to the varsity team from JV. Smith mentally prepares for games by going over all the plays and situational aspects of the game. Going into a game against an undefeated team, such as Timberview, Smith feels confident and knows that the upcoming game will be intense.
“I do get butterflies,” Smith said, “but when we walk through the door onto the court together that’s when it all disappears, and it’s game time.”
As a sophomore on the varsity team, making history means a lot to Smith, along with the rest of the team. Smith said the feeling is so unreal and said it will never go away. This year’s team set the bar high for upcoming seasons, and all their hard work and hours put in have finally paid off.
“All the coaches and teams that have doubted us and put us at the bottom can come pay for a ticket to our next game and come see what’s up,” Smith said. “We are not done yet. I want this for our seniors and coaches so badly because they deserve the best.”
Coach Morris has only been a part of the coaching staff for two years and their main goal coming in was to get the girls to playoffs. Morris and the rest of her staff did everything they could to help prepare the team, and the team executed everything asked of them. The next opponent for Legacy is Timberview, who is currently undefeated.
“We’ve achieved our number one goal to get to the playoffs everything else is just icing on the cake,” Coach Morris said. “We are taking it one game at a time and we will keep doing what we do.”
The Broncos take on undefeated Timberview Mon., Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. at Lake Ridge High School.
