Photos contributed by Terry Thompson

GOLDTHWAITE — Expectations surrounding the Goldthwaite Lady Eagles weren’t that high this season, even though they were the two-time reigning Region IV girls’ basketball champions.

After losing seven seniors from last year’s Region IV winner, Goldthwaite did return two all-state players in juniors Kenley Howard and Rylee Greenway. A third junior, Angelica Oosthuizen, missed her entire sophomore season because of a knee injury.

But the remaining varsity spots had to be filled with players who had never played on the varsity. A 2-7 start had some locals just hoping for a playoff berth.

Once the playoffs were made with a 20-12 regular-season record, a bidistrict win followed by an area loss to state-ranked Port Aransas seemed to be Goldthwaite’s ceiling.

But last Friday, Goldthwaite beat Burton, another state-ranked opponent, 42-31, giving the Lady Eagles (24-12) their third consecutive regional championship.