LFO Girls Capture Another Region Title

Fort Oglethorpe, GA-(WDEF-TV) Three years ago, the LFO girls basketball team did not win a single game.
Now they’ve won their region regular season title three years in-a-row, even though their head coach wasn’t sure a three-peat was possible.

Said head coach DeWayne Watkins: “I’ve coached more this year than I’ve done the last two years combined.”

This LFO senior class has had quite the transformation from 0 and 20 as freshmen to three time region champ.

Said Zoey Gray-Martin “Last year we lost two of our seniors and it’s been really stressful trying to replace what they showed last year.

Said Christian Gass: “We just had to go out and show and prove how good we were this year.”

Said Watkins: “It’s my 15th year as head coach. We’ve had some two in a rows but never a three in a row.”

Coach Watkins emphasized focus is the reason for the success as a pro and college basketball player and former military.

Said Watkins: “And you have to commit. I mean, if you’re not committing, for instance, if you’re a division one athlete, you may be a good athlete, but if you don’t commit, they’ll go get somebody else.”

Which means practices will be focused yet fun.

Said Gass “It can be intense sometimes. I mean, he can definitely be challenging. It’s also like a fun time to practice.”

Said Gray-Martin “You’re going to be sad, happy, everything. Um, especially when coach Watkins goes on his little rants.”

The team has improved all season from a one point loss to Cohaulla Creek to a win against the same Colts team.

Two weeks later, I don’t think I’ve had such a great game as a player and I don’t think our team has had such a like good collective game.

And that’s a reason to dance.

Said Gass “We have a clip of it. So we, um, it was just nice to see him celebrate and be proud and be happy because, you know, normally he’s very like laid back and he’s really like, like, he really doesn’t show his cards. And it was nice to see him like excited for the win.”

Said

Watkins: “and all the success we’ve had I was very subdued. But this team this year again, I knew it was going to take a lot.”