As the Lady Mustangs of Lynchburg-Clay High School prepare for their first tournament game on Saturday afternoon, they sit at No. 2 in the State of Ohio in the Associated Press Basketball Poll in Division III with an outstanding 21-1 record thus far.

Head Coach Whitney Lewis had just learned of the rankings when they came out on Tuesday but says herself and her team are very grateful for the recognition.

“I’m not sure as far as the history of our program, but this is the highest ranking in my tenure as coach,” said Lewis. ” We are very grateful to be recognized with a No. 2 ranking in the AP polls. It is nice when others acknowledge the sacrifice and hard work we have put forth all season. Our girls have earned that with the success they have had this season and it nice to see that our hard work does not go unnoticed. Having said that, we understand that this is based on what we have already accomplished. Right now we are looking to move forward and start a new season in the tournament and hopefully be just as successful.”

Coach Lewis herself played on a Lynchburg basketball team that lost at the buzzer in a regional finals game. Even though something can be learned from the past, Lewis says her and her team are also learning and building with experiences this season.

“I have played in a lot of basketball games for several different basketball teams and that game is by far probably the most memorable,” said Lewis. “But this season is far more than past experiences. We learn something from every experience we go through, whether from our game last week to beat North Adams for the Gold Ball or our lone loss to Greenfield earlier in the season. We take what we’ve learned and apply it to the next game and our enthusiasm and excitement for success becomes greater. I can’t wait to see what we are able to accomplish this post-season.”

The No. 2 ranked Lady Mustangs will start their tournament run this Saturday, February 13 at Valley High School at 1 p.m. when they take on the winner of West Union and Northwest.

Reach Robert Stegbauer at 937-393-3456 ext. 1679 or on Twitter @RStegbauer.