The success enjoyed by the Apalachee High School Lady Wildcats can be traced to the summer.
A quality summer which produced success helped give the players the necessary confidence to set a school record for wins during the 2010-2011 season.
“We had a great summer,” said coach Michael Parks, who has overseen the building project of the Lady Wildcat program. “The success was had carried over into the season. We played like we were expecting to win.
The 13-12 record couple with a five-win performance in subregion play has set a new standard for AHS.
“It has been a process,” Parks said. “The girls have worked very hard. Every thing we are accomplishing is new. Making it to state would have been great but we went one step further than last year. We just were not able to quite get there.”
One area which the team showed marked improvement in was winning and playing well on the road.
“From a maturity standpoint, being able to win on the road is big,” Parks said. “At home you often play over your head. When you go on the road it’s just you. That was a huge step for us. For us to be able to do that was probably our biggest accomplishment. Going on the road involves dealing with so much. You have to ride on a bus, get used to an unfamiliar gym and the go out and play well. I think we are certainly going in the right direction now.”
Two years ago, the Lady Wildcats managed just five wins. Last season that number increased to 10. The victory total increased once again this time around.
“Even early in the season you could tell we had the confidence we needed to play well,” Parks said. “We played well against Walnut Grove who has had an incredible season. That helped get us started on the right path. We will look to continue all of this next year and go even further.”
