By Jack Walker

Staff Writer

By all accounts the 2009/2010 Lady Panther basketball season can be best described as a learning experience and one that is easy to forget.

With just two seniors on the team, and at several times two freshmen in the starting lineup, the wins were scarce as the team struggled through the season. For the second season in a row the Lady Panthers were only able to beat Anna in District 10-3A play and the second 2-8 season closed out the alignment that included the two Paris teams along with Commerce.

For the next two years Van Alstyne will be in a five-team district, which includes Bonham, Anna and Commerce from the old league with Celina added for variety.

The team got off to a pretty good start, going 2-2 in its first four games but the schedule got tough and the team didn't respond very well. In non-district play the Lady Panthers lost to Lovejoy and Prosper, two teams that made pretty good runs in the post season. They managed a win over Celeste in the Sherman Holiday Tournament, then went into a two-game skid in the final non-district games.

The Lady Panthers opened the season against the two top teams of the league, North Lamar and Paris. For the first half of the North Lamar game Van Alstyne played as well as they had all season. It all went away in the second half and Van Alstyne lost the district opener 52-37. Paris only lost one game in district play and they had little trouble disposing of Van Alstyne in game two as the Lady Cats won 72-25.

The Lady Panthers were competitive in the Bonham game before falling to a late rally by the Lady Warriors who came away with the 52-42 win. At Anna, the Lady Panthers held on despite a late Lady Coyote rally to win a 42-40 game for their first league win.

The Lady Panthers lost by double digits in their next three, setting up a home game with Bonham. Once again Van Alstyne came out hot in the early going before cooling in the stretch and dropping a 56-49 game to the Lady Warriors.

In front of a Pack the House crowd on senior night for the Lady Panthers, the girl's team posted its second district win as they hammered out a 48-41 decision. Kendra Cook, Bailey Offill and manager Tiffany Hernandez were recognized for their hard work as they rang down the curtain on their home basketball careers. In the season finale at Commerce, the Lady Tigers posted a 65-45 win to end the Lady Panther season.

At the conclusion of the season, seven Lady Panther players were recognized for post season honors. Bailey Offill was selected to the first team, all-district and Kendra Cook along with junior Holly Fortner were named to the second team.

Freshmen Sierra Motley and Hunter Offill were on the honorable mention list and Bailey Offill, Leslie Zielinski and Olivia Wilkins were academic team selections.

In mid-April the position of head coach for girls varsity basketball was posted.