After coming one win short of reaching the state championship game last year, the Pflugerville Panthers are poised to make another playoff run this year. A big reason for their success has been the play of junior forward Adesuwa Ebomwonyi who has been a huge presence on both ends of the court.

“Things have been going great,” she said. “We’re building our chemistry now. We know each other and we are playing together as a team.”

The Panthers picked up an impressive win two weeks ago when the knocked off cross-town rival Connally. Entering the contest both teams were 5-0 in district and making solid cases to be district champs. Ebomwonyi helped Pflugerville pull away in the game, putting in eight points and grabbing seven rebounds in the third quarter as the Panthers turned a five-point lead into a 13-point advantage.

“It felt really good,” she said. “I was really focused. We were not going to come out of their without a win. We were really prepared.”

Ebomwonyi’s play has been especially big for Pflugerville because they have played the entire season without their all-state post player Nneka Enemkpali. Ebom-wonyi knew coming into the season more of the rebounding work would fall on her and she readily accepted the challenge.

“Last year Nneka would get all the rebounds and I had nothing to worry about,” she said. “This year I’ve had to learn to rebound more. I have to be the big man down on defense.”

While she has happily done the extra work, Ebomwonyi is excited about the impending return of her front-court running mate. Enemkpali has been cleared to practice and should be back in the Panther lineup soon.

“We are excited to be getting her back,” she said. “We got through it.”

If she needed any advice about post play Ebomwonyi has a knowledgeable source in her family. Her brother, Osas, played for the Pflugerville boys team and now is a freshman on the Lamar University basketball team in Beaumont. She said that growing up she had plenty of chances to learn first hand from her much taller brother.

“We have a basketball goal outside and we would play,” she said. “He’s 6-foot-8-inches tall. It’s tough for me to get a shot off. But that helped me. He’s always helped me through stuff.”

However, it was a friend who actually got Ebomwonyi to start playing.

“I was in the sixth grade,” she said about when she started. “I had a friend who was going out for the team so I decided to try out too.”

In a very short period of time Ebomwonyi has gone from joining her first team to being one of the best players on one of the state’s top basketball teams. In this time she says she has learned to love the game, especially the big games.

“I love the tough games,” she said. “I love being in that moment, especially when we win. I also love my teammates and playing with them.”

As you might expect from a team that reached the state semi-finals last year, the Panthers are eyeing the state championship this year. Ebomwonyi feels they have the ability to do just that as long as they keep doing what they’re doing.

“We have to work on the little things,” she said. “We have to come out strong every game.”