If you've been freeze dried or doing hard time you may not know about the hottest team in Dr. Phillips HS just yet.  Long overshadowed by the success of the equally undefeated Men's Basketball program, DP Women's Basketball has quickly, yet quietly, become the top-ranked team in Central Florida.  Led by a fearless freshmen class, the Panthers have scorched every obstacle in their way en route to 13-0 record; the best start in school history. 

Much of the fascination with the team stems from the fact that DP starts five freshmen: Alexis Brown, Halee Davis, Hannah Schaible, Sydnei McCaskill and Stephanie Ratliff, but don't think for a second that's where the talent ends.  Letricia Smith, Brittany Marshall, Ashley Young, Shya Garrett, Tanisha Wilson and Ashley Diedrich all come off the bench and conribute, making this not only one of the most talented teams in the area, but also one of the deepest.  Heralded junior BreAnn Davis is also expected to return to the lineup just in time for the Panthers' playoff run.  Not since the Panthers won the state championship in 1991-1992 has so much interest and excitement been directed at the program but despite the increased attention, second-year coach Anthony Jones says the ladies continue to stay focused and most of all, humble.

"They like to goof around, and sometimes they can get a little silly with each other.  But when it's gametime, they're all business.  They know what the expectations are and they know what they're capable of doing.  We have a lot of experienced players that have developed into true leaders also.  It's not about boxscores with our girls, it's about W's.  They all have the same goal and that's to get to Lakeland."

This week saw the Panthers blast through the Florida Prospects Christmas Tournament with a perfect 3-0 record, including a 76-16 thrashing of South Lake in the championship game.  They'll get a taste of some national competition next week at The Rock Holiday Classic at Windermere Prep.  DP will open up against Gainesville The Rock Tuesday at 10:30 AM and could face teams from Tennessee, Alaska, Ohio or Nebraska.