The gymnasium was full, the fans were cheering, and the Lady Greyhounds were breaking a sweat against the Monmouth Girls’ Basketball team. After 115 losing- games in a row, the Lisbon High School Girls’ Basketball team was poised to break the streak.

For the seniors on the team, it was their first potential win in their entire high school career. A discouraging notion but the seniors never gave up on basketball and continued playing. The intense game started with the Greyhounds pumped up and ready to go after watching their JV team defeat Monmouth’s JV team in an unprecedented 51-20. Teachers, students, parents and other community fans were packed on the bleachers with their pompoms, spirit and enthusiasm. Everyone had a feeling that Friday was the night for Lisbon.

Starters for the game were sisters Dominique, Belle, and Soleil Mathieu, a senior, junior and sophomore, respectively, sophomore Rachelle Henry, and senior Krystal Doughty. The game was intense and stayed neck-and-neck for the entire length. Dom Mathieu played a great game with her quick passes, amazing dribbling and unstoppable lay-ups. Sister Belle pulled down many rebounds and clinched the game by making all her foul shots.

The score was a two- point difference with Monmouth leading when the first half ended. Coach Gentle had great words of advice and pumped the girls up even more between the halves. His coaching this season has really shown through the team’s improvement. The rowdy crowd kept the exciting atmosphere in the gym through the third quarter. The game stayed close until the fourth quarter when Monmouth was getting tired, and Lisbon took the lead by four points. Soleil Mathieu fouled out but the team remained strong. Top scorer Krystal Doughty continued making her amazing three- pointers and jump shots.

At the one minute mark, the gap between Lisbon and Monmouth grew in favor of Lisbon. Monmouth was unable to stop the momentous occasion from coming to life. The final score was 36-29. The fans were hugging each other, the parents were screaming with delight, and the hard- working girls on the court produced giant, proud smiles as they celebrated on the court. We can only hope that this win is to be the start of many to come for the talented girls and their great coach.