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The Lady Panthers had a great year in the 2009-2010 season, but suffered losses in the regional championship and in the State Final Four. Two weeks after that season ended, the 2010-2011 season began.

We believe championships are won when nobody is in the stands. So Head Coach Steve Cole set standards and new goals for the new season. After sharing an article on Toughness with the team which was written by ESPN and CBS college basketball analyst Jay Bilas (himself a former Duke Blue Devil and ex-NBA player), the Lady Panthers adopted the philosophy that toughness has nothing to do with size, physicality, or athleticism. They wanted to establish themselves as a tough team. With the motto "Players play, but tough players win," the team goal was to first win the region and then to return to the Final four; this time with a win and an opportunity to win a State Championship. Forest Park started their goal with a strong off season and summer work out with strength training and summer camps.

The season started in Memphis, TN at the 2nd Annual Tennessee Turkey Jam. The Lady Panthers wanted to accomplish two things by playing in these out-of-state tournaments: 1) Get exposure to college coaches and 2) play against quality players. Both of these goals were accomplished. There were at least 29 college coaches at the tournament and the competition was strong. Shortly after the long drive to Memphis the Lady Panthers faced one of the top teams in the state, Ridgeway High School, and their top player, Hasina Muhammad. Hasina is ranked in ESPN top 100 players in the country and is already signed to play at Auburn University next year. The Lady Panthers left Memphis with one win and one loss.

Forest Park started regional play at home against Jonesboro, followed by Morrow, Tri Cities, Creekside and Lovejoy. At this point, the Lady Panthers had 5 wins and 0 loses in the region. They averaged 69.6 points per game and they defended their basket, only giving up 31.8 points per game.

During the Christmas break, the Lady Panthers were again on the road. Because of the holiday, only part of the team would be traveling. Coach Cole didn't want to cancel, so a very undermanned team made the trip to Olive Branch, MS for the Magic Citi Showdown and to Cincinnati, OH for the Braggin Rights Classic. The Lady Panthers faced high quality teams and players, and exposure to college coaches at both tournaments. Marian Catholic from Chicago ranked top 10 in Illinois, Largo High School from Maryland ranked top 5, and Nazareth from New York was #1. Top player, 6'3" Tiffany Jones, has already signed to play for Syracuse next season. The Lady Panthers, with half of the team, left Mississippi and Ohio with only one win and four defeats.

After the out-of-state competition the Lady Panthers were poised and ready for a long playoff run. They settled in to tackle their first goal of winning the Region championship. The team opened at home and ripped off 12 wins in a row, averaging 65.0 points per game and allowing their opponents only 32.3 points per game. The Lady Panthers take their perfect regional record of 17 - 0 into the regional playoff.

Because of their record, Forest earned a #1 seed and would advance to the semi-finals in the regional playoffs and a spot in the 4AAAA state playoffs. At the regional playoff games at Mundy's Mill, Forest Park faced Lovejoy in the semi-finals. Although the Lady Panthers faced Lovejoy twice this season and scored 149 points in 2 games, Coach Cole's team doesn't take Lovejoy for granted. The team played hard and defeated Lovejoy 79 to 24 and moved on to the Region 4 Championship game against North Clayton. The goal that Coach Cole set was captured with a thrilling overtime 56 - 49 win by the Lady Panthers.

Forest Park Lady Panthers, for the second year in a row under Coach Cole, headed to the 4AAAA State Play Offs, this time as Region 4 Champions and the #1 seed. And because of being the #1 seed, Forest Park had the privilege of hosting the first 2 rounds. The Lady Panthers now set their focus on Region 2, #4 seed Ware County. Junior guard Ashlee Cole scored 26 points. Senior forward and strong rebounder Nikki Wilson scored 11 points. Freshman Kayla Potts and sophomore Raven Wynn added 10 points each. Junior Cyndi Bivins scored 9 points and Senior center Keyonna Allen scored 8 points. The Lady Panthers closed the door on Ware County 78 - 43.

The next 4 games underlined why the out-of-state tournaments against nationally ranked opponents was important. The Lady Panthers had not faced opponents all year like the McIntosh Chiefs. The McIntosh Chiefs were led by All Star sophomore guard Gabby Seiler and two deadly shooters, senior Laura Higgason and sophomore Amanda Lindsey. Their offense was a slow down but very methodical offense. Coach Cole and Assistant Coach Eric Wilson put together a great game plan to defend this type of offense with a lot of single and double screens. The Lady Panthers had 3 scorers in double figures, led by junior Ashlee Cole with 18 points, followed by senior Keyonna Allen (who dominated the inside) with 13 points and senior guard Jessica Anderson with 10 points.

The next game for the Lady Panthers may have reminded you of the movies Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray or deja vu starring Denzel Washington. Go back to March 2010, Fort Valley State University, 4AAAA Sweet Sixteen, the opponent: Statesboro Blue Devils. The winner advances to the Final Four. Forest Park wins by 6 points, 50 - 44.

Fast forward to 2011, Fort Valley State University, 4AAAA Sweet Sixteen, the opponent: Statesboro Blue Devils. Both teams returned 4 starters. Junior Ashlee Cole led with 22 points, 11 scored in the 4th quarter, and 6 for 6 from the free throw line in the 4th. Freshman point guard Kayla Potts added 11 points and 8 rebounds. Forest Park wins, again by 6 points, 47 - 41. deja vu.

Forest Park closed in on their second goal of playing in and winning the final four for the opportunity to win a 4AAAA State Championship. They had a giant hill to climb as they faced the #1 team in 4AAAA, the Douglas County Tigers. The Tigers were undefeated with 30 wins.

The Forest Park offense struggled in the first half, scoring only 11 points. But the Lady Panthers held Douglas County within striking distance by allowing only 19 points. Late in the 3rd quarter when Forest Park needed a spark, in came junior guard Cyndi Bivins who hit back-to-back 3 point shots. Going into the 4th quarter the team was down by 1. Then the Lady Panthers exploded on the #1 team in 4AAAA in the state with a 27 point 4th quarter. Freshman guard Kayla Potts led with 17 points; junior guard Ashlee Cole had 14 points; senior center Keyonna Allen had a double double with 10 points and 11 rebounds; and junior guard Cyndi Bivins finished the game with 9 points. The final score was Forest Park 56 - Douglas County 47.

The Lady Panthers next faced off against Fayette County. Both teams were on a 19 game winning streak. The Fayette County Tigers had the most balanced team Forest Park had faced all year. On their team was point guard Keyondra Jenkins who can shoot and penetrate, a deadly shooter Aneesa Watson, and 6'4" Elem Ibiam controlling the inside. Next year Elem will play for the University of South Carolina. Rounding out the team was Brianna Banks, ranked #24 in the ESPN top 100 players in the country. She will attend the University of Connecticut.

With 54 seconds remaining in the 1st quarter, senior center Keyonna Allen left the game and did not return. Forest Park was down by19 at the half. Reflecting on their motto about tough players, they fought back late in the 4th quarter. This time the spark came from senior forward Nikki Wilson and sophomore guard Raven Wynn. At 5'11" Nikki Wilson battled the tall front court players from Fayette County. She finished the game with an incredible 18 rebounds, 9 points and 5 steals. Off the bench, Raven Wynn pushed the ball up the court to add 12 points and 9 rebounds. Ashlee Cole finished the game with 13 points and 5 steals. Down by only 3 at one point, a missed lay up here and a missed free throw there kept Forest Park away from the Big Cup this year. The game ended with a 55 - 45 loss for Forest Park.

This has been a great year for the Forest Park Lady Panthers. For the first time since 1972 they advanced to the State Championship. In his second year with the Lady Panthers Coach Cole has back-to-back Final Four appearances and one Regional title. The Lady Panthers are returning 2 starters next year, leading scorer Ashlee Cole and point guard Kayla Potts. Also returning are Cyndi Bivins, Raven Wynn, Tiffany Wilson, Lisa Pease, Kristin Pittman and Tamara Brewster. All these girls have 2 years of state play off basketball experience. The future is very bright for Forest Park.

Coach Cole will be losing 5 seniors this year: Nikki Wilson, Keyonna Allen, Jessica Anderson, Kierra Dennis and Cabrisha Anderson. This class holds a special place in Coach Cole's heart. He has coached them since they were 9 years old in YBOA and AAU and was reunited with them last year as high school juniors. All 5 seniors have a GPA above 3.2 and scholarship offers in basketball, volleyball or softball.

In the 2010 - 2011 season Coach Cole was Region 4 Coach of the Year. Ashlee Cole, Kayla Potts and Keyonna Allen were named First Team All Region. Nikki Wilson and Jessica Anderson received Honorable Mention. Ashlee Cole also was recognized for passing 1000 points in her career and was named Southern Crescent Player of the Year. Coach Eric Wilson, Forest Park Lady Panthers JV team, had an undefeated season, winning the JV Championship. Coach Jimmy Macon, Forest Park Lady Panthers Freshman team, also had an undefeated season, winning the Freshman Championship.

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