As time wound down in Monarch stadium, it became clear to everyone watching that the Millbrook Wildcats would not repeat as state champions. The semifinal game against Southeast Raleigh, a crippling 47-31 defeat, was the end of a tumultuous season, one in where the girls navigated through a multitude of injuries before making a deep tournament run. Although the wound of the elimination is still raw, it gives us an opportunity to look back at the legacy of the 2017 girls basketball team.

 Millbrook Girls basketball has been a powerhouse these last few years under Coach East. When East took over the team in 2007, they were 14-6. In just four years, he won his first state title as head coach. His most recent state title came last year, as he led a team full of stars, such as Kai Crutchfield and Dazia Powell, while also having one their best players, Sisalynn Norman, out for the year with an injury. Kai Crutchfield hit a buzzer beater to win the state title, solidifying the team’s legacy, and with most of the team returning for the 2016-2017 season, many predicted them to have another deep run and possibly repeat as champions. It did not come to fruition, but allowed for reflection on what they had accomplished. On what kept her class hungry, senior Dazia Powell said, “Since freshman year, we wanted to do the best we could and come out on top as much as we could. We had the mindset of winning and that’s exactly what we did.” Over their four years in high school, the Millbrook seniors have done exactly that, leaving Millbrook with a combined record of 110-12, establishing their dominance over the rest of the state.

 The upcoming loss of six seniors, including the reigning North Carolina Player of the Year, has some students worried about the future of this team, but junior Lauren Braswell wants to extinguish those fears: “We are losing six outstanding players, but we have young girls with enough talent to fill their shoes and be just as great. We just have to work hard.” With Coach East still on the sideline, the prospect of another deep playoff run is good, but only time will tell.

 Despite not accomplishing their goal of being back-to-back champs, the Class of 2017 left behind an untarnishable legacy, one gained by hard work and dedication to their craft, and legitimized by their state title win in 2016. The loss to Southeast Raleigh hurt, but it allows for time of realization: this class will be remembered as one of the greatest basketball classes in all of Millbrook history; write that in stone.