It has been my pleasure for the past six years to follow the Brandywine girls basketball team as it has competed at the highest level.

The Bobcats have reached the Class C quarterfinals five of the last six years. The team has captured district and regional championships as well as holding the BCS Athletic Conference title in its stranglehold.

Not only are these young ladies outstanding basketball players, but they are also great people.

They are smart, just look at a recent issue of the Niles Daily Star and see that six of them are listed on the Brandywine honor roll as all A students.

While in four of the five years the Bobcats have come away on the wrong end of the final score, that did not diminish the tremendous success that this team has enjoyed throughout the years.

I was there when the reached the state semifinals in 2010 and I was there last night when the final buzzer sounded.

Each year I have to watch the latest group of seniors depart and that is tough. But I am comforted by the fact that a new batch of seniors will step forward and guide the Bobcats to future success.

The same was true last night, only this time, Brandywine said goodbye to just one senior — Brooke Smith.

Now it is time for the juniors and sophomores on this year’s roster to begin preparing for their task of continuing the tradition of Brandywine basketball.

Each and every one of the players who held onto each other and shed tears last night will dry their eyes and start preparing for next season in the not too distant future.

I look forward to watching them compete in other sports between now and next winter. But then it will be time once again to climb on board the Bobcat Express and see how far it will go.

 

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com