For the first time in school history, the girls basketball team won a district title last Friday, beating Colonial 51-50. It was the first matchup against Colonial this season, and despite a 26-1 record, Hagerty was the underdog to the visitors, who were ranked third in 7A.

This win was especially satisfying for senior Hannah Kohn, who was part of the team that lost to Colonial in last year’s district final.

“I was really happy because we played them last year in the district championship and we lost. I knew we had a good shot for a comeback this year, and honestly, this win felt like redemption,” said Kohn.

Throughout the entire game, Colonial and Hagerty were neck and neck, only points apart. Kohn had 29 points during the game, scoring two free throws with only four seconds left in the fourth quarter, keeping everyone on the edge of their seat. 

“Those last few seconds were really nerve wracking,” said Kohn.

To prepare for this game, the team watched film of their last few games, as well as last season’s game against Colonial.

“Watching film definitely helps. We map out each game and who we’re going to guard, and how our offense will look,” said Kohn. 

While focusing on the technique of how they were actually going to play, the team also focused on how they would approach this game mentally. 

“I think we were especially nervous for this game because of last year’s playoff, but I knew that we would have a good chance of winning because of how we’ve been playing all season and our record,” said Kohn. 

The team concluded that the only way they would be able to pull off a win was to keep being aggressive and competitive on the court and play how they play during normal games throughout the season. 

“Stakes were definitely high and you could feel the competitiveness on both sides. This game was definitely more physical than we’re used to, and even more aggressive than what we watched on film. That was probably the most challenging part,” said freshman Cece Hayes.

During these playoff games, Head Coach Josh Kohn has encouraged the team to continue the same prepping strategy that they’ve had all season. The team has begun mapping out their next game on Thursday versus Ocoee, in order to be as successful as possible.

“We are going to continue to study our opponents and prepare for each team we face as well as continue to rehearse our offense and defense,” said Kohn.

Despite beating Colonial in the district final, Hagerty is the number three seed in the region. If they beat Ocoee, they will have to travel to second-seeded Colonial for the regional semifinal.

“We have the passion to win and confidence. That helps us no matter who we play, even during these more nerve wracking games,” said Kohn.