Prairie Home Lady Panthers basketball seeks return to glory of 2017 season

Prairie Home girls basketball is back for another season and with a new look.

A season ago, under the direction of head coach Christopher Herriman, the Lady Panthers finished with a record of 17-6. But their season ended in heartbreak when they were defeated by Otterville 46-43 in the district semifinals.

This year, the Lady Panthers have a young team boasting a lot of fire power. Each player comes with a love for the game and the skill set to back up that passion, Herriman said. Although only two of his players are coming back from last year's team, Herriman said he believes his Lady Panthers can make some noise in their conference when they learn how to play together.

"We have only two returning from last year's team, so just about everyone is different," Herriman explained. "This team has a great deal of heart and what they lack in experience, they will make up for in effort."

One of Prairie Home's biggest goals, Herriman said, is to bring the community its first district championship for girls basketball since 2017. That year, the Lady Panthers won not only the district title but also finished in fourth place at state. But Herriman said the team knows that it's a long road until then. The goal for his team during the early weeks of the season will be learning how to utilize their strengths, and he said they have quite a few of them.

"We have a good amount of speed and a very aggressive playing style. We have some natural leaders and strong personalities, I am excited to see how they apply these abilities in the game of basketball," Herriman said.

While the Lady Panthers don't lack upperclassmen on their team, they are at a disadvantage with their experience on the court, which may just be their greatest challenge this season.

"We have lots of upperclassmen on the team that haven't played in a few years. Getting them all on the same page and working together will be vital to our success," Herriman said.

For the Lady Panthers to play good basketball, they will have to rely heavily on themselves and each other at all times, Herriman said. Trust in your teammates is one of the most underrated keys to success for any team, and it's something that Herriman said he and his staff will take pride in all season.

"Trust in each other and confidence in their individual abilities. Once they start believing the potential I see in them, they will be very hard to beat," Herriman said.

The Lady Panthers dropped their first two games of the regular season to Slater and Russellville, respectively. They will seek to turn things around when they return to action Thursday at Green Ridge.

Lady Panthers schedule

Dec. 2 at Green Ridge, 6 p.m.

Dec. 3 vs. Santa Fe, 6 p.m.

Dec. 6-11 at Pilot Grove Tiger Classic, TBD

Dec. 14 at Otterville, 6 p.m.

Dec. 16 vs. Northwest (Hughesville), 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 27-Jan. 1 at 27th Annual Holiday Classic at Otterville, TBD

Jan. 3-8 at 93rd annual New Franklin Tournament, TBD

Jan. 10 at Higbee, 6 p.m.

Jan. 14 vs. Jamestown, 6 p.m.

Jan. 20 vs. Chihowee, 6 p.m.

Jan. 21 at Pilot Grove, 6 p.m.

Jan. 26 vs. Smithton, 6 p.m.

Feb. 1 vs. Montrose, 6 p.m.

Feb. 4 vs. California (JV), 6 p.m.

Feb. 7 at Community, 6 p.m.

Feb. 10 vs. Calvary Lutheran, 6 p.m.

Feb. 15 at Tuscumbia, 6 p.m.

Feb. 17 at Jamestown, 6 p.m.