Lady Cougars fall to Southern Lab

Cedar Creek head coach Katie Hall knows Thursday's 56-16 loss to No. 1 Southern Lab (26-7) in the Division IV select quarterfinals isn't how the Lady Cougars wanted their season to end.

But now that it has, the first-year head coach of the Cedar Creek girl's basketball team can confidently say her group gave everything they had until the final buzzer sounded.

Entering the 2023-24 season without four dependable All-District starters from year's past, all while program expectations remained high as usual, Hall said her group developed as the season went on and learned to trust in each other to get back to the quarterfinals. Playing in the district title game. Continuing the school's tradition of deep playoff runs. Memories that will last a lifetime. That's what leaves Hall proud as she reflected on her team's journey over the season after Thursday's loss.

“We had a great season and the work we put in over the last 10 months is something they should be proud of,” Hall said. “They gave energy and effort. I couldn't have asked for anything more. They walked out of there with their heads held high. That result doesn’t define our season. And now the young players got a taste of what we need to do to get to the next level if we want to get to the top.”

Creek finishes the season 17-12 overall, making the quarterfinals for the eighth year in a row in the process.

The game itself at Southern Lab got out of hand quickly as the Kittens took advantage of Creek's offensive struggles, whether it was missed shots around the rim or turnovers that had the Lady Cougars trailing 35-8 at halftime. Mallory Smith led Creek with 5 points in the loss, while Leah Sutherland added 4 points. Creek finished with 39 turnovers.

“Give credit to Southern Lab, they're very talented,” Hall said. “They sped us up a lot and we just didn’t take of the ball like we needed to. We knew going in it was going to be a challenge, and we had some shots but missed them and we missed a lot of free throws in the first half. It was tough to overcome that.”

Hall said her postgame comments to her team revolved around the program's growing culture and the ability to make the day-to-day work of a season fun and worth grinding for. As young players move forward in the program and enter next season with game experience and many lessons learned, Hall said Creek will be competitive for the foreseeable future.

She also couldn't leave the locker room Thursday without acknowledging the Lady Cougars' senior class of Sutherland, Olivia Underwood, Ainsley Riley, and Ava Hartwell - leaders who made the season's playoff run possible.

Hall thanked the seniors for their commitment to the program and trust in her to lead the team in a new direction, but most of all for their mindset on and off the court of giving all of yourself towards the collective good.

“They’re competitors,” Hall said of the senior class. “They bought in and they led. Those girls laid it on the line and I hope the younger ones behind them saw what it takes to compete because those seniors did that and they never let up. I learned these girls are capable of doing great things if they put in the energy and effort. I learned they love to compete. And I just want them to have fun with it. Basketball is fun and I want them to enjoy playing and remember the why of why we’re playing.”