Harris County girls basketball coach’s work in standout season earns All-Bi-City honors
Entering her eighth season at Harris County, girls basketball coach Steffanie Ramsey knew her team had a chance to do something special. Twenty-eight wins and the program’s first semifinals appearance in 18 years later, Ramsey’s Lady Tigers made it a season to remember.
Harris County was dominant throughout the 2017-2018 season, at one point piecing together a 20-game win streak. The Lady Tigers took home a region title and picked up three state tournament victories, the last being a dramatic 45-43 win at home over Carrollton.
Thanks to the team’s triumphs, Ramsey has been named the All-Bi-City Large School Girls Basketball Coach of the Year.
“(This season) meant a lot to me,” Ramsey said. “It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but to get to the Final Four was major for us. To watch the growth they’ve had, it’s incredible. A lot of people doubted us because they would always say we were one guard short. My guards came in and played their hearts out.”
Ramsey said she saw the pieces starting to come together for Harris County in June at the start of summer workouts. With senior Jessika Carter leading the way, the Lady Tigers were determined to put in the effort to chase a state championship.
Once the summer ended and basketball season drew closer, Ramsey recognized a true bond on the team and the will each player had to do whatever it took for their teammates.
That drive was evident through the early portion of the season, which included playing in the Crescom Holiday Invitational in December. Even though opponents knew going in Carter was Harris County’s go-to player, the Lady Tigers continued to outscheme and get wins whether Carter was on or not.
In Ramsey’s mind, the key to the Lady Tigers’ winning ways was pure unselfishness.
“Everybody knew we were going to Jessika, and wherever she lacked (her teammates) picked her up,” Ramsey said. “When they lacked, she put the team on her back. It played out well for us.”
The Lady Tigers’ biggest moment came in the Class 5A quarterfinals, when Carter’s late shot and additional free throw pushed Harris County to the semis. Ramsey said the win was an important one and signified how far the team had come over the course of the year.
“To be able to compete and play with them and come out on top, it says a lot about what we’re doing here at Harris County,” Ramsey said.
A loss to Flowery Branch ended Harris County’s push for a championship prematurely and ended the high school careers of Carter and three other seniors. Despite their departures, Ramsey is confident in the future of the Lady Tigers program.
With the return of rising senior Taziha Fanning, who led the team in scoring as a sophomore, and several other key pieces, Ramsey looks for Harris County to give opponents issues again in 2018-2019.
“I think we’re still going to be a force to be reckoned with,” Ramsey said. “I think I’m still going to have one of the better posts in the area in Taziha along with ZiKeyah (Carter-Ransom) coming in. I think we’re still going to be pretty tough. We’ve got three main guards coming back, so as long as we work we’ll still be fine.”
This story was originally published April 14, 2018 at 12:35 PM with the headline "Harris County girls basketball coach’s work in standout season earns All-Bi-City honors."