It seemed like we were better than them this year, but for some reason . It is tough to lose to the same team twice.

It was inspirational to see Jermaine there. It has been hard playing without him, but we have been trying to get through it.

We fell short a year ago. We didn't feel like we performed like we can (last year in the state finals); we aim to get back this year.

We always think about Jermaine. We know that he wants to see us win, but we also understand that there (are) a lot more important things than basketball.

This year we've got a new lineup. But we still know how to play ball even though we're young.

We don't need him there to know he is a part of this team. He thinks he can't do anything to help us, but with him in our minds it affects our game more than he knows.

We learned once you get up in a game, you've got to be able to maintain that lead. You've got to be able to keep your composure. You can't let the other team get back into the game. Basically, we just gave the game away.

It is devastating to lose to them two years in a row. It is the second time, we have had what it takes to win, but came up short. It is a bad feeling.

I think we did surprise a lot of people. We lost some games we shouldn't have lost and at times we didn't look like a good basketball team, but we pulled together when the state tournament came and now we're at state.

I thought we couldn't win without James in there. He is our big guy, and we were a little out of sync without him.