Higbee Fans:
The 2014-2015 Higbee Lady Tigers basketball season will be one that is remembered for years to come, or at least until we have a better season. During our historic run this season it was amazing to hear stories of past teams from 1982 and 1968. The coolest part was players from those teams being so excited for this team in 2015. There was a lot of pride and school spirit that was rekindled during our season that was very special to be a part of. Including the day of the district championship game: we had fans make and post signs from Higbee to Glasgow, fans line the road in Armstrong with signs standing outside of vehicles honking and hollering for us, Austin Nelson with chest paint without a shirt in 20 degree weather in the back of a pickup truck, having more fans at a game supporting us than I have seen before at Higbee. It was a special day and something to be proud of, we took a moment before the national anthem and I had the girls look around the gym to see how much support was on their side, it was incredible. These 11 girls were able to pull fans into the stands on a nightly basis that were excited about Higbee Lady Tiger Basketball. They enjoyed the gritty defense when we held opponents scoreless for multiple quarters throughout the season.... They enjoyed the overpowering offensive runs en route to big wins... 28-0, 46-14, 46-16, 58-19, 39-1... They watched girls battle through illness to keep a 10 game winning streak alive. They saw us play in two shootouts on college courts at NCMC in Trenton and MACC in Moberly and walk away with 30+ point victories. They watched both a 10 game and 5 game winning streak in the same season. They watched us battle in low scoring games 33-23 and high scoring games 76-61. They watched us beat teams that Higbee Girls hadn't beaten in years and years: Otterville, Bunceton They watched a team become a family. They saw heart, passion and desire every time we hit the hardwood. They saw a team use a turbo clock on people, and for the first time in years never lost a game by 30+ points. They saw a team go 21-7, with a .750 win percentage They saw a team go 7-0 on our home court. They saw shear determination to win with no excuses. They saw JV battle against a varsity team twice and beat a class 3 team. They saw us play 3 games in every single tournament we played in, which hasn't happened in a very long time. They saw Higbee beat Northwestern in the consolation game of their tournament. They saw Higbee beat Bucklin/Macon County for 3rd in our final appearance in the Marceine Tournament They saw Higbee beat Otterville for 3rd in our inaugural appearance of the Keytesville Tournament. They saw Higbee finish Second place in the district tournament, the best district finish ever. It has been hard for me to take time and write this, because this season has been amazing to be a part of. It's hard to turn the page on something so special and to focus on the future. I admire how much the attitude has changed in two short years. These girls made the decision last summer that they were going to change this program and turn it around. These girls didn't know what it was like to win, but this year no one was stopping them. As for individuals I will celebrate them in a separate email once I receive all post season awards. There should be a lot to celebrate. Life lessons are why I coach. I want to have a positive impact on these ladies that last more than the 4-6 years I may coach them, and I like to think I'm doing just that. It is great to be a part of this community and I appreciate all of the support I have gotten all season long and over the past two years coaching in Higbee. I hope to become more involved so that my impact can be greater than it is now. A very proud Coach, Tanner Burton |
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