There’s no easy way to put it. Success has been scarce over the course of the Perry’s relatively short history of women’s basketball.

When coach Mike Curtis became the coach three seasons ago, he took over a team coming off of a 5-13 season, one that hadn’t posted a winning record since the 2009-2010 season.

But since then, the Pumas have recorded two .500 seasons, entering the playoffs as the 12th seed in 2017 and narrowly missing out on the playoffs last season.

“Last year, we were good," Curtis said. "We had talent. We just didn’t really know how to put it together. We had to go through some adversity, which is just, you know, the foundation for success.”

But the Pumas didn’t dwell on the disappointment of being edged out of last season’s playoffs. In fact, they were back at practice at 6 a.m. the next day.

Continuing to grind in the face of adversity has paid off. When the 6A rankings came out on Jan. 15, they found themselves ranked first for the first time in school history.

Now, with a week left in the season, the Pumas find themselves ranked third, poised to enter the playoffs with a good chance of winning the state championship.

Leading the way for the Pumas are sophomores Madison Conner, Tatyanna Clayburne and Shayla O’Nei l- all averaging double-digit points this season.

Smoothing out the edges of a youthful core is the only senior on the team, Simone Simmons, who brings a veteran prowess to the court.

“Everybody knows who the leaders are and they’re doing it the right way,” Curtis said. “They’re not just ‘I’m a leader. You’ve got to listen to me.’ They’re really communicating. They’re really leading by example and we couldn’t be more proud.”

But this Pumas team’s success goes beyond the statistics and leadership of a few individuals.

“This year is more of a team effort,” Clayburne said. “Everybody works together. We’re basically like coach said, we all want the same thing. We’re all trying to get state championship. We’re all trying to be at the biggest place we can and that only works with each other.”

Curtis echoed Clayburne’s sentiments, noting camaraderie as a driving force behind this season’s success - success that can’t be undervalued on a team that features seven sophomores.

“I think the biggest thing for us is they really put a big emphasis on getting better every day and doing it together,” Curtis said.

Despite their youth and relative inexperience, the Pumas have managed to go 13-3 with two left.

But a handful of the Pumas games this season have featured comeback wins, including one against top ranked Xavier, speaking volumes about the team’s maturity.

“We’re all young, but it’s like, we all have the same personalities, minds on and off the court,” Clayburne said.

But what’s been arguably more important than the hard work, leadership, or maturity of the Pumas is the attitude the team has instilled within them.

“Love. We just love the game,” Curtis said. “We love them as people and I think when you really just care for people, then the trust just comes and then they start to trust you and they listen better and then it just kind of rolls downhill, but it starts with love and we really do care for them.”

After a loss Friday in their second matchup against Xavier this season, the Pumas have games left against rival Chandler and No. 2 ranked Hamilton, which they suffered a loss to earlier in the season.

These final games could determine a lot about playoff seeding but that hasn’t deterred the Pumas from keeping the same mindset that has done them well all season.

“We just go day by day,” Curtis said. “We’ve been keeping it real simple, just all about effort and trust.”