Cumberland County has a lot to be proud of in its varsity girls basketball team.

The words of Lady Dukes senior forward Bria Anderson say it all.

“It feels amazing. I’ve never had a feeling like this,” Anderson said after the team made history Feb. 17, winning its first Conference 42 tournament championship after defeating visiting No. 2 Mathews High School 42-40.

The following Wednesday, the Lady Dukes, seeded third in the region, made school history again when they defeated visiting No. 6 Essex High School 59-32 in 1A East tournament quarterfinals, clinching their first-ever berth in the state tournament, which starts Thursday.

The hard work, dedication and determination has paid off for the girls, and we’re extremely proud of them.

Lady Dukes Head Coach Omar Liggins has created a program that other schools should look to as an example of unification and excellence in sportsmanship.

We commend Liggins for his leadership in inspiring the team to reach new heights, serving as a beacon for every student in Cumberland County.

Cumberland’s conference championship trophy is more than a physically-manufactured accolade. It represents the high esteem, loyalty, respect and sportsmanship the girls have shown to each other and the teams they’ve competed against over the season.

Liggins said seeing the team win its first Conference 42 tournament title meant a lot, “especially for me, a guy that’s not from around here. You get a job here to do something that hasn’t been done around here, it feels good to me, so I know if it feels good to me, I know the community’s going to love it, and I know it feels great to the girls. So, I’m proud of the girls. The girls did it.”

The girls did do it, indeed, and we’re proud of their making history and a period of time that is etched in the history books of Cumberland High School.