Ask Coach Hammond and he will say this year will be one to remember.
The 2019-2020 season ended badly for the NPHS Girls basketball team in two ways. First, they ran up against a Lincoln Pius X team that was clicking on all cylinders and would end as the eventual state champion. The second reason, COVID had just hit and no one was sure what was going to happen next.
As they entered 2020, the girls basketball team watched fall sports like a hawk, how would Volleyball do in the COVID era? Could they get through a fall sports season? What would basketball look like since it was a close contact sport?
Coach Hammond didn't have time for these worries, he had expectations and a team to coach. He wanted to prove that last year's ability to host districts followed by a run to the state tournament wasn't just a "blip", it was the new normal for NPHS basketball.
We see you coach, and boy did you come through this year.
Its no secret to anyone who follows Lady Dawg basketball closely that the start of the season didn't go so well for the Blue and Gold. But a harder schedule is what you get when you want to be considered one of the best.
Early injuries and a rough schedule had the girls 3-3 heading into the Christmas break and just 4-4 heading into the new year.
The opportunity to rest and recoup is exactly what the doctor ordered. The Lady Dawgs came out in January on fire running off a 12-2 record to finish the season 16-4. That was good enough to end up number six in power points and for the second year in a row, host a district tournament.
Another couple of W's over urban teams put the Dawgs back in the state tournament for the second year in a row. They would go on to lose in the first round to #3 Fremont bringing an end to their season.
Two trips in two years to the state tournament, perhaps we do have a new normal for Lady Dawg basketball.
Heres a look back at the season starting with some audio from Coach Hammond:
The girls getting the send-off headed to the state tournament:
And photos from the year:
