Summer Creek Girls' basketball team looks to defend state title this season

For Summer Creek Girls basketball, teamwork makes the dream work.

"Just making sure we're playing team basketball," head coach Kiara Marshall said. "When we're playing together, we're really, really good."

The Lady Bulldogs are defending 6A Division I State champions. They currently have a 15-game winning streak with real talent and attitude on the floor.

"I love most of the dirty work," junior Erin Newsom said. "If you need some dirty work, put me on there.

"(We are) some dogs, you know, just that simple," senior Kennedy Simpson said. "We come in and work hard; I feel we work hard, better than anybody."

Senior Kennedy Simpson was the State finals MVP last year and a McDonald's All-American nominee this year.

"I like feeding from the crowd, when they turnt, we turnt," she said.

Simpson is just one part of this special group.

"Our team is special because of all the pieces that we have together, like our team isn't just dependent on one person," Newsom said. "If one person is having a bad game, then somebody else can step up. If that person is not having a good game, then we have our bench to go in and do something. So our team is just very diverse."

Lady Bulldogs next play Cy Creek on Tuesday at Campbell Center in round three, hoping to win and advance to the regional finals on Friday.

"I'm always going to bet on my kids," Coach Marshall said. "They have a great mentality, and they work hard."

Summer Creek, focused on getting back and winning State again.

"There's not much I can say for that, I most definitely think that we can get there again, that we will get there again," Newsome said.

"I think we can go back to back," Simpson said. If we work, keep putting the work in, being disciplined on what we are doing now, we can go back to back."