After taking strides last season, Jefferson High Lady Panthers Basketball coach Sarah Layng has the team taking baby steps this season. This may not sound like a tall order, but considering how last season ended – taking second at state, their first championship appearance since 1994 – it’s easy to get antsy for the tournament.
“The team is playing with a lot of excitement and a lot of confidence right now,” Layng said. “They are anxious to have a game.”
Senior Izzy Morris – who hit a game-winner in an overtime thriller against Lodge Grass to qualify for state – is one of those who can’t wait to get back.
“I was pretty excited after making that shot, but I was even more excited about how enthused the team was,” she said. “It really brought us together.”
Austie May, a returning senior, agrees, adding that she’s never seen the team’s chemistry so strong, which she considers a good sign going into this season, especially with eight freshmen, many of whom got to know the upperclassmen during the summer program.
“We have the best team vibe. There’s no drama,” May said, “and we really play off each other well.”
Layng, in her fourth year as head coach, can also attest to this, and believes in the leadership she’s seeing from Morris, May and her daughter MacKenzie, a junior.
“They were big impact players on the team last year and have really gained a lot of confidence, strength and maturity after being part of a tournament run,” Layng said, “and they play really well together. I look to them to lead the charge.”
Much of this comes naturally after experiencing a deep playoff run.
“Once you get a taste of something that great, you want more of it,” said MacKenzie Layng. “You want to go get it again.”
Nevertheless, the work is cut out for this year’s Lady Panthers, who are entering the season without four key graduates, including all-state standouts Rachel Van Blaricom and Brynna Wolfe, as well as all-conference second team players Cia Stuber and Dakota Edmisten.
Taking this season one game at a time, Layng said she believes this tenacious, scrappy team has an opportunity to return to the championship game.
Though there are some out there who are skeptical of the team, Morris said “doubt” is not a word being uttered in the Panther’s locker room: “There are a lot of teams who are looking down on us because we lost a lot of great seniors, but we’ve got a lot of good returning players who are motivated to work their hardest and be the best they can be.”
The team might be underdogs, MacKenzie Layng said, but they like being underdogs. They embrace it, she said, and are ready to roll.
May shares her team’s confidence and is ready to hit the court: “Look out for us.”
