MOUNT VERNON, Texas - The Mount Vernon girls basketball team has had some good years recently. In fact, in 2016, the Lady Tigers made it all the way to the regional semifinals.
But this year, Mount Vernon made history and for the first time ever, they're headed to the state tournament.
Mount Vernon sophomore guard Sam Lowry says, "It's amazing, the whole town is behind us and we're super excited. It's never been done before in Mount Vernon so we're just over the roof with excitement."
While they've had success on the court, they've dealt with a big issue away from the gym. Head coach Brad Floyd almost lost his job over accusations of misusing school funds. He faced a UIL hearing and while he will have to miss some games next year, Coach Floyd will be with his team at the state tournament.
He says, "I think our kids showed a lot of maturity and stepped up and kind of led the way with all the stuff that was going on and it makes you proud to be part of a team like this."
On Thursday, Mount Vernon will play their state semifinal game against Buffalo (tip-off is at 1:30 PM in San Antonio). And they're hoping to finish out the season with 2 more wins and bring a state title back to East Texas.
Junior guard Jakayda Fountain says, "It'd mean a lot to our community, it'd mean a lot to us, it'd mean a lot to our school. We deserve it, this is what we've worked so hard for."