The Lawrence North High School girls basketball team reached its peak at the right time.
The Wildcats (19-10) won sectional and regional titles before falling Feb. 18 to No. 7 Bedford North Lawrence 47-40 in the semistate championship game. The Wildcats had beaten Ben Davis 70-55 in the semistate opener at Southport.
“Our keys to our postseason success were from all the hard work, effort and intensity brought every day during our regular season that prepared us for the postseason,” Wildcats first-year coach Stephen Thomas said. “Our ladies bought in and trusted each other, which provided a confidence that we had that we needed to all be together to be successful. Thank you to my staff as well who did a phenomenal job all season long.”
Thomas was previously a Wildcats assistant under Chris Giffin for five seasons. Giffin was named Lawrence North boys basketball coach after Jack Keefer retired following the 2021-22 season.
“Being an assistant previously definitely helped having a foundation and trust already with one another,” Thomas said. “Having relationships and a familiarity allowed me to continue building their potential and developing their talents. Couldn’t be prouder to be the head coach at Lawrence North with the tradition of excellence is in the DNA of the program, and I am very thankful.”
Senior Monica Williams led the Wildcats with a 14.1 points per game average. Senior Laniya Early was second on the team in scoring at 9.0 ppg game and a team-high 4.9 rebounds per game.
“Monica Williams, Laniya Early and (senior) Maykalya Washington-Cobb were excellent leaders all season,” Thomas said. “Monica and Laniya as our top scorers brought it every night and had phenomenal senior seasons and careers at Lawrence North High School. We couldn’t be prouder of the accomplishments on the court but as scholar-athletes as well. Their imprint on the program stretches farther than just their abilities to score. They were asked to be great teammates, and their talents, hard work and trust took over from there.”
