Pittsburg players reflect on perfect championship season

Mar. 7—Even with gold medals glittering around their necks, nothing had shone quite as brightly as the faces of the players as the Pittsburg Lady Panthers celebrated their state championship win.

"It's amazing," senior Trinity Wiseman said as she and Catyn Graham burst into laughter.

The Lady Panthers had just completed a journey that only 63 other girls basketball teams in Oklahoma have done — win a state title with an undefeated record. But they said the road to get to this point started with last season's loss in the area tournament.

"I think it was a really big push to us, because we've been so many times (to the area finals). And this year, we just said we need to do it," Wiseman said. "And our freshman, they really, really helped by stepping up and they've played a big role."

Pittsburg starts two freshmen in Katie Allen and Tori Kilburn, with sophomore Aspen Duvall subbing in off the bench. Allen said getting to experience everything she has this year has been a whirlwind, but one she knows is always going to remain special.

"It's history for our school, and it's a really cool thing for it to be our freshman year. It's just awesome," Allen said. "It just feels so great, so you just want to do it again over and over."

"It was like a dream. It's still unreal for me that we just won," Duvall said. "I didn't know how to feel. I just ran and screamed."

Of course, nerves were sometimes a factor for the younger players.

"100 percent. I was nervous until the last buzzer, so the whole time," Allen said.

But that wasn't always the case.

"I tell myself that I want to win more than the other team," Kilburn said of her pre game routine. "I want this more than everyone on the floor."

Kilburn also had to contend with formidable opponents in the paint throughout the season. But she said no matter how much taller they may have been, she kept a mindset that made her feel even taller.

"I just keep in my head 'they're not going to score on me. I'm not going to let them score on me,'" Kilburn said. "And if they do, then I just go score on them."

The three young players said they've all learned from a trial by fire as this season progressed. But they were backed by all of their teammates, which became like a family.

"We've all grown, and just continue to grow, and we feed off of each other in everything that we do," Duvall said. "It's just a really good environment to be in, honestly."

In some cases, the term "family" was literal, as highlighted by twin sisters Catyn and Camryn Graham.

"It's really nice having someone that will have your back every time," Catyn said.

"It really pushes us in practice too, because we get very competitive with each other," Camryn admitted. "It's a lot of fun."

The sisters even got to share a special moment during the post-game trophy ceremony with their father and superintendent Chad Graham, as he was the one to place the medals around his daughters' necks.

"That was probably the best moment out of the whole night," Catyn said.

"Yeah, it brought a lot of tears from my eyes, receiving that from my dad," Camryn said.

In the end, every Lady Panther of every class said they were excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. And now that they've got a taste of gold, they're already looking forward to next season.

"I'm excited," Catyn said as Camryn added: "I think we'll be back, and we'll be a lot better next year."

However, the journey has officially ended for Wiseman as she will graduate in May. But she said she couldn't have imagined a better way to cap off her high school career.

"Amazing," Wiseman said with a smile. "It feels absolutely amazing."

Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.