Wilde Lake Girls’ Basketball went from a 1-20 record in the 2023-2024 season to finishing 11–11 and winning a regional championship in the 2024-2025 season. As a member of the team, I have witnessed this transformation firsthand. We shifted from being a team other schools underestimated to a team other schools had to prepare for.
Despite the doubters, the team won regionals last season. Head Coach Rhonda Corkeron says her proudest moment was “winning regionals because it has been so long and there were so many doubters.” Our team believes in never giving up and continuing to push through challenges. We believed we were better than what we heard in the school halls or on social media and were set on proving ourselves. Even to this day people around the school building are surprised when they see our banner hung on the gym walls, or have no clue that the Girls team won last year. Wilde Lake Girls’ Basketball hasn’t had a strong reputation since the 1990s. While we didn’t have a perfect, undefeated season, we showed up and showed out in the playoffs, shutting down every doubter we had at the start.
Coach Rhonda played basketball at Wilde Lake during her high school years and went on to play Division I college basketball at Temple before eventually playing professionally overseas. She has always loved basketball, but wasn’t always sure being a coach was something she wanted to do. She started her coaching career with her daughters when they were younger and continued her coaching at The Lake. Her oldest daughter, Kalani, played for the team and currently serves as one of the assistant coaches. Her youngest daughter, Quinn, is a current senior and starting player for the team. Being a good basketball team isn’t always about the players, no one recognizes the work coaches do outside of practice and the constant thought of the game on their mind. Coach Rhonda always makes our basketball environment a place where we feel comfortable. “Be the change” has been her motto throughout the season. Believing that this group of girls we have on our team is special, and we have the opportunity to be a part of something amazing. Coach Rhonda loves coaching and believes that even when her daughter leaves, the girls on the team “feel like my daughters, so it’s like I get to continue with my extended family.”
This season, our team will carry over the energy from last year. We made an impact last season and won’t let people forget it. While we lost three seniors last year, this season we welcome two freshmen to the team, Jordan Bradford and Gabby Kyere. Assistant Coach Kalani says, “Basketball is a game that ebbs and flows, so momentum like that is difficult to keep going in the same direction.” Our first game of our 2025-2026 season proves exactly that, beating River Hill Highschool 48-35. Starting off our season with a win sets the tone for a great year ahead of us. The team has been in the gym putting in hours to come back even stronger this year, knowing that other teams are watching and preparing for us. We can’t wait to continue to “Be the change” and make a difference.
