The Lady Bobcat’s season came to an end at Mingo Central on Thursday, April 22 after they made the nearly three-hour trip for the 7 p.m. regional championship game.
The Hinton News readers have not yet met the Lady Bobcat Seniors. The Lady Bobcats had three seniors this year. They were Taylor Isaac, Gavin Pivont, and Riley Richmond. Isaac is the only one that has signed to continue her basketball career. She will be an Alderson Broddus Lady Battler. I asked for comments from all three of these girls on their time as a Lady Bobcat, what they’ll miss, and anything else they wanted to add.
Isaac said, “First, I would like to thank God for giving me the opportunity to play the sport I love. I would also like to thank the many Lady Bobcat fans that have supported me along the way. I also owe a big thank you to my entire family for their support through the years of my basketball career.
I would also like to thank Gavin and Riley for the wonderful memories over the past four years and for pushing me to be a better player on the court and a better person off of it. I am thankful for the opportunities I was given as a Lady Bobcat. I am excited to head to Alderson Broaddus here in a few months to start a new chapter of my career as a Lady Battler!”
Pivont said, “I want to thank my parents and family, my teammates, coaches, my supportive friends, and this community for their unwavering support and encouragement over the past four years. And of course, I’m thankful to God for all of his blessings and strength. I have loved the sport of basketball since I was in the 3rd grade when I would watch my older sister play, Avery Pivont. Although being a Lady Bobcat has required a lot of hard work, sweat, and tears, I haven’t enjoyed anything more than being able to compete for my school and represent my school by wearing that jersey.
To Riley and Taylor, we have stuck it out through some pretty tough mental and physical times and have pushed our bodies past limits we never thought we’d have to. Since the 7th grade, I wouldn’t have wanted any other classmates and teammates to lean on and stick it out with other than you two. I am so proud of both of you.
To the rest of my team, you are going to be great. You have unlimited potential you’ve barely tapped into, and I am so excited to get to watch you all excel over these next several years. Thank you for being such great teammates.
A special thank you to my parents, grandparents, sisters and entire family, and other special individuals who have supported me and believed in me more than I supported or believed in myself. Along with God and the community, you are the ones who I continued to play for the most. And a very special thank you to my coaches — for all their hard work, time, and the dedication that they’ve given to the team each year. It has meant so much. I will forever cherish the time I had being a Lady Bobcat.”
Richmond said, “I would like to thank everyone that has contributed to my experience being a Lady Bobcat, especially my mother for being there from start to finish and my coaches for always pushing me to be the greatest I can be.
There are many aspects of the game of basketball that I will miss, but most of all, I will miss the girls on the team. Taylor and Gavin have been there from the beginning. Us three went from playing against each other in elementary school to sharing an unbreakable bond on the court. They have been there by my side through every first day of practice to the last game we would ever play as a Lady Bobcat. I can truly say that being a Lady Bobcat has shaped me into the person I am today and I wouldn’t trade my experience for the world.”
The Lady Bobcats season may be over but these seniors will have these memories to hold onto for the rest of their lives.
