Members of the Enterprise girls basketball team include from left, front row, Kayleigh McMahon, Hannah Harbour, Kate Brannan and Kayden Townsend; back row, coach Tim Reid, Brooke Kyle, Sarah Brannan, Hannah Herrington, Shawanda Gray, Faith Guy and Albreyona Hicks.

ENTERPRISE — The Enterprise girls basketball team’s lone blemishes on the season were a 63-36 loss to Bay Springs Jan. 9 and a 51-29 loss to Taylorsville Jan. 12.

A lesser team might have been demoralized by those defeats, but these Lady Bulldogs instead got back to work and fixed some of the things that led to those losses.

“Our turnovers,” senior forward Albreyona Hicks said. “We’ve cleaned those up. That was our biggest problem — and blocking out.”

There’s perhaps no better example of the fight this year’s Enterprise team has than its most recent two contests, which were Region 5-2A rematches against Bay Springs and Taylorsville. Friday night, Enterprise overcame a 12-point deficit to beat Bay Springs 46-45 despite not having Hicks and junior guard Shawanda Gray available due to injury. Tuesday night, the Lady Bulldogs got Gray back and beat Taylorsville 37-35, giving Enterprise an 18-2 record on the season, 4-2 in the region.

Lady Bulldogs coach Tim Reid has overseen a group of upperclassmen that suffered through a losing season just two years prior before improving to 14-12 during the 2016-17 school year. Now, Enterprise has a legitimate shot at the playoffs, and Reid said it’s been fun watching his older players grow over the last couple of seasons.

“It’s great for our team and for them individually,” Reid said. “It’s also an opportunity for our younger players to improve and get some game experience. I tell these ninth graders they’re contributors, whether they’re playing or they’re practicing. They may not see (the results) this year, but they will in the future, and that’s what we told these older kids several years ago.”

Gray remembers the frustrations of seasons past, which makes this year’s successes much more sweeter.

“It’s extremely heartfelt when you go through so much pain and heartbreak, to know how much you’ve been through and that it’s all paid off,” Gray said.

What’s been the keys to success? Enterprise’s starters going into the season include Hicks, the senior, and three juniors. The fifth starter, sophomore Faith Guy, saw playing time last season, giving Reid an experienced roster.

“It makes a big difference,” Reid said. “We have four girls who came back who played a tremendous amount since they were in ninth grade, and Faith had gotten a lot of playing time for us as a freshman.”

The players have noticed the difference, too. Junior guard Sarah Brannan she and her teammates are now capable of things they weren’t back when they were underclassmen.

“There are plays as freshmen we couldn’t make because we didn’t expect certain things,” Brannan said. “When you have two roughs seasons, you know what to expect.”

The younger players have also contributed as well. During Hicks’ and Gray’s absence against Bay Springs Friday, freshmen Brooke Kyle had five key fourth-quarter points, and fellow freshman Kayleigh McMahon hit a field goal with 1:25 remaining that helped her squad edge out Bay Springs. Gray said all five of the freshmen have made their presence felt, whether it was on the court or off the court, and the overall team chemistry wouldn’t be as good as it is without them.

“It’s the love we have for each other and the game,” Gray said are the keys to the team’s success. “We know what each other can do, accept that and play our roles. It’s unbelievable how the freshmen came up from the eighth grade and have had so much love for us, and we have so much support for them.”

Reid said he expected his team to be competitive in its region this year, but even he admitted he didn’t foresee an 18-2 record 20 games into the season. Winning some close games early, combined with playing in some close games last year, have made his girls resilient.

“The no-quit attitude they have is impressive,” Reid said. “They’ve been down and have come back, so they know they can. (Getting down early) is obviously not what you want to do, but they play until the buzzer sounds, and I think most teams that play them know we play until the end.”

After beating Bay Springs and Taylorsville, Brannan said she and her teammates have even more confidence knowing they’ve overcome the best their region has to offer.

“It feels like we’re capable of anything,” Brannan said. “We played the two biggest teams in our division with two players hurt, and to pull that off feels great.”

For Hicks, the enjoyment of watching her team’s success has been mixed with frustration, as she has been out since December with a broken radius on her left arm. She plans to go back to the doctor next Tuesday and request a soft cast so she can play for her team on senior night that night.

“It’s stressful and kind of sad, because I want to be out there, but I know I can’t,” Hicks said. “It’s something I love to do that I can’t do, and it makes me mad.”

Hicks hasn’t given up on her season, however, and she said she and her teammates already have an idea of their goals going forward.

“Our goal is to win the divisional tournament, makes the playoffs and see where it takes us,” Hicks said.

Enterprise returns to action next Tuesday at home against Clarkdale before traveling to Heidelberg Feb. 9 to close out the regular season.