By Matt Browning / Photo is of Maryn Archer

The Derby girls basketball team was selected as the Visit Wichita Team of the Month for December after the Lady Panthers defeated Salina South 55-20 on December 8th.

We actually started off in the first quarter playing right into the game plan of Salina South,” Derby coach Jodie Karsak said. “I am pretty sure that they wanted us to take quick shots against their zone defense and then have us play on the defensive side longer than normal. The more the ball is out of our hands, the less we can score.”

Derby, a top-five ranked team in VYPE’s Power Rankings, led only 12-7 after the first quarter, but then outscored the Cougars 26-7 in the second and third quarters to pull away.
For the Panthers, who have state championship aspirations, staying focused night in and night out is not a problem.

“Yes, we respect every team that we play, but our motivation and focus is about us.” Karsak said. “We understand that each game is about us getting better. So that by the time March rolls around, we are playing our best team basketball in order to make a run.”