Along with her classmates, Cernuto was moving on the way seniors do in every town and in every state. For that, her basketball teammates and coach Terry Batts were prepared. They knew she would no longer be at practice every day or in uniform on game nights. It's what happens. Seniors graduate and leave, others move up and the cycle continues.

But those kinds of typical feelings pale in comparison to what the Eagles have felt toward Jennifer Cernuto the past few months. They have felt a much deeper sense of loss.

Their former teammate and friend lost her life July 1 in an automobile accident on I-77, and in the time since that tragic day, those at SouthLake have remembered the young lady whom they say touched so many lives simply by the way she lived. Their collective feeling toward Cernuto has manifested itself in many tributes, most recently when her former teammates dedicated this season to her.

"I don't think mere words can even begin to describe everything she was and still is to me," says SouthLake guard Lauren Shanks. "The ultimate blend of beauty and strength, of kindness and tenacity, of gentleness and passion. ... I could never have dreamed that God would bless me so much as to simply know this wonderful woman."

SouthLake's uniforms now include a colorful patch that includes Cernuto's name and number, two crosses and a team logo.

Batts says Cernuto was a quiet leader, an extension of the coaching staff on the court and someone he could count on, especially when the opposition had the ball.

"She was the best defensive player that I've ever had," he says. "She could stay in front of any girl. She slowed the ball down for us no matter who we played."

More than anything, though, Batts says Cernuto was a caring person who made practices and games fun for everyone. The Eagles are now trying to follow Cernuto's example.

"We gotta lift each other up," says Batts. "Jen was the one always lifting everybody up."