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WEST UNION -- No bio sheets needed overnight for this Doddridge County girls basketball team.
Between the four starters and two reserves who return this season from last year's state quarterfinal appearance and the arrival of eight freshmen, Doddridge County girls basketball coach Lisa Cheeseman brought her players together for a team bonding activity as part of a lock-in at a local church. DCHS ranks as a small school in terms of classification, but two-hour practices and passing by one another in the hallway doesn't guarantee team chemistry. A gathering such as a lock-in might provide insight about individual. Or if you will, create togetherness for the season ahead.
"When you are on the court, you need this special chemistry because you will play better," said DCHS senior Abby McDonough following Tuesday's practice. "If you play like an individual and don't like one another, the team will go down real quick. Bonding away from the court is going to strengthen our team.
"I'm always trying to push personality out of people. So this lock-in will bring us closer together and let us show more of our personality."
McDonough, along with fellow classmates Carrie Lloyd and Emily Gola, have followed a progression since the early portion of their career to make DCHS girls basketball relevant. During their sophomore year, the Bulldogs advanced to a Class A regional co-final. Last season, the girls program returned to the state tournament for the first time in 25 years.
DCHS lost in the quarterfinals to the same Webster County school the Bulldogs defeated during the regular season.
"We were nervous and uncomfortable for our game at the state tournament," Gola said. "We had super high expectations and I think that's what threw us off from the very beginning. We didn't take the time to think how grateful we were for being there. We had championship goals -- we didn't think about having to win that first round game first. We learned it's a step by step process."
Any conversations during last night's lock-in in all likelihood stays inside those church doors. At Tuesday's practice, coach Cheeseman revealed a few regrets in terms of preparing her girls for last season's experience in Charleston. Some of those thoughts may or may not have been shared with her players overnight, but leading up to the evening festivities she was completely clear about what she envisions for her 2022-23 squad.
"Our theme this year is 'finish' -- we want to finish this thing," Cheeseman said. "It's a continuation and a step up from last season. We have taken a step up every year. I'm hoping we skip a step by winning in the semifinals and go the finals.
"It will take a lot of work. I tell the kids every day, we are not going to get handed anything. We are not the most talented team, but we have a team full of kids who believe that we can and will work hard enough to get there."
Should the current version of the DCHS girls basketball team fulfill their dreams and return to Charleston, and play for a championship, the veterans on the roster can relay their experiences to the newcomers. The overnighter is the perfect setting for preparing the freshmen for what lies ahead.
"As for my junior year, I will remember that feeling and knowing that we made it to states -- that is one feeling you can never get rid of," Lloyd said. "That is a memory that will always be played in my mind."
Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com