The seniors on Bryan's girls basketball team have encountered stormy seas, but they hope their perseverance will help future Lady Vikings find sunny skies and smooth sailing.
Bryan will take another step toward the end of a long season when the Lady Vikings host A&M Consolidated in Viking Gym at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The second round of the Crosstown Showdown has been designated Bryan's game to support the Coaches Versus Cancer program to raise money for research.
The Lady Vikings are 2-22 overall and 0-9 in District 12-5A. Those are bad numbers, but Bryan seniors Khadijah Brisby and Queen Taylor see good in this season, and in the future of the program.
"I've learned about leadership," Taylor said. "I've tried to step up to the plate and help the underclassmen so they'll become a better team next year and the year after that."
Despite their record, the Lady Vikes were lively during Monday afternoon practice. The gym echoed with cheers and groans as one group edged the other 23-22 in a full-court drill.
"It's been a very difficult year," Brisby said. "Being the person that I am, I try to keep a positive attitude. We keep working and we improve every day. I would love to come back [next season] and see them doing better. That would make me so happy."
The other seniors for the Lady Vikings are Trenise Barnes and Hannah Parker. They are part of a team that lacks height and depth. Girls basketball is one of many Bryan programs feeling the effect of having its talent base divided when Rudder opened four years ago.
"It's always frustrating to lose, but this is a really good group of kids," Bryan coach Beth Jesurun said. "They come in every day and work hard at practice. There's a lot to be said for trying to get better every day, and this group has improved tremendously since they were freshmen.
"It's not always about the win-loss record. It's how you improve as a person, academically and athletically. We really push all three things. Athletically we've improved, but the record doesn't reflect that."
Taylor and Brisby are in their second seasons with the varsity. Both realize their high school basketball careers are down to five games.
"It's very sad," said Taylor, who hopes to attend Tarleton State and become a social worker. "I'm leaving a great team and a coaching staff that I love to death. I'm not going to get help from them when I'm in college like I do now."
While the Lady Vikings are out of the playoff hunt, A&M Consolidated is well-positioned to reach the postseason. The Lady Tigers (21-8, 7-2) dropped out of the state rankings after going 1-1 last week, but Consol bounced back from a Tuesday loss at Temple to edge Killeen Ellison 43-42 on Friday.
Consol coach Karen Heintz has been telling her players that opponents will be different in the second round of district play than they were in the first. The Lady Vikings hope that will be the case in the crosstown rematch. Consol took the first meeting 59-9 at Tiger Gym in December.