by Sam Abbas | sports editor

After taking first place in the district and winning their first playoff game, 37-29 against the Converse Rockets, the lady jags will be advancing to the second round of the playoffs where they will be playing the Brennan bears.

“I think the team is going to push past adversity to come together and play the Johnson Jaguar fast paced game that they have been taught in order to have a successful second round of the playoffs,” coach Melissa Carrillo-Hurtado said.

The lady jags look to have a deep playoff run after winning first place in the district and closing out Converse in the first round. This team has maintained focus all year long and it has ultimately resulted in a successful season.

“The team plays at such a high level when they trust their head coach and assistant coaches and buy into what is being taught. They know the importance of team and that we win as a team and lose as a team,” Carrillo-Hurtado said.

When the talent on the team comes together and the team plays as one unit, they have had more success on the court. This has been a big part of the lady jags playoff run as they continue working together.

“The team has had success because of their ability to work well together, to perform, and to play unselfish basketball. They do not simply rely on one or two individuals; they rely on fifteen individuals to work hard together in order to win,” Carrillo-Hurtado said.

The team has had many goals throughout the season but none bigger than the ultimate goal: a state championship. The team approaches each goal one step at a time and has ultimately had success by doing so.

“We take it one day at a time, but we see amazing accomplishments to be achieved in the near future for this team and will continue to work hard everyday to reach each goal,” Carrillo-Hurtado said.