[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3318]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WENONAH HIGH SCHOOL LADY DRAGONS ON THIRD 
          CONSECUTIVE ALABAMA GIRLS 5A BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Alabama (Ms. Sewell) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I have the great pleasure of 
rising today for the third time in 3 years to congratulate the Wenonah 
High School Lady Dragons on winning their third consecutive Alabama 
girls class 5A basketball championship.
  The Lady Dragons beat Central High School from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 
58-33, imploring what the local news said was a suffocating pressure 
defense to cruise to their third consecutive title on March 5, 2016, at 
the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Legacy Arena in Birmingham, 
Alabama. The Wenonah Lady Dragons forced 32 turnovers that resulted in 
19 points on their way to victory.
  ``The sign on our wall says `Discipline plus defense equals 
championships,''' said Wenonah High School coach Emanuel Bell. ``We're 
going to press. That's what we do.'' They put pressure on the other 
side.

                              {time}  1030

  The MVP of the game was Alexus Dye, who scored 12 points and grabbed 
10 rebounds. ``Our defense is what got us here and led us to the win,'' 
said Dye.
  The other star of the team was Wenonah's very own Kaitlyn Rodgers, 
who scored 12 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, blocked 6 shots, handed out 
3 assists, and added 2 steals. ``This is what we came here for, and we 
want to go out with a bang,'' said Rodgers.
  Mr. Speaker, more noteworthy is the fact that, according to Coach 
Bell, ``Every kid on my time averages a 3.0 GPA or higher. It's easy to 
coach players with academic and athletic talent,'' says Coach Bell.
  Well, Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate the month of March as Women's 
History Month, recognizing trailblazing women throughout our history, 
clearly these young women have blazed their own remarkable path, both 
athletically and academically as student athletes, and we are happy, 
proud to commend them.
  So on behalf of Alabama's Seventh Congressional District, I want to 
extend a heartfelt congratulations to these outstanding players and to 
Coach Bell.
  While March Madness has gripped the rest of the State and the Nation, 
in Birmingham, Alabama, we are very proud of Wenonah High School's Lady 
Dragons. I am confident that these young ladies have bright futures 
ahead of them, and we will look back on these 3 consecutive years of 
championship wins with great accomplishment and pride.

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