The Pine Creek girls basketball team is driven by the memory of one of their biggest supporters

They're tenacious, well coach and they've got one of the state's best players in Brooklyn Stewart but perhaps the biggest reason for Pine Creek's success is their family atmosphere and it starts with a paddle. A paddle that belonged to a superfan named Yolinda, who is the Aunt of guard LeeKaya Burke-Perryman, "My aunt passed away. She used to come to all of our games and be in the student section. And I think that this is just a representation of how people support us. Like it helps us," says Burke-Perryman. Brooklyn Stewart adds, "If you get the paddle, that means we're pretty much recognizing you for what you've done, what you've brought to the team."

Zoe Maher says "I think it represents that there is a lot of life outside of basketball. But the fact that we are such a family is what sets us apart from a lot of people."

It's markings all have a special meaning, "Family with the heart because we're all family. We have what we think we become, and then we have the basketball with the heart in it, and then we have the Denver Coliseum," says Burke-Perryman. The Denver Coliseum has just been something that we want to get to. It's just a reminder of what we have to get past."

Yolanda is still very much a part of the team. In what she's still at every game and she'll be there for the team as they chase down their goals, "She was at every single game our biggest cheerleader. So it just shows that she's with us at all times, says Burke-Perryman. Honestly, it means a lot that I have coaches that still care and like, still want to keep her part of our family. It just shows that Pine Creek is truly just a family and will forever and always be a family. Always an eagle."