Losing a couple of key players with college-level skills last offseason should’ve meant at least a small step backward for the West Las Vegas softball program.

But the Lady Dons and their coaches had other ideas.

West won nearly two dozen regular-season games, went 11 of 12 in a sturdy district race, and earned a No. 5 seed in the Class 3A state tournament. Then the Lady Dons surpassed what they’d done the year before, reaching the state championship game after knocking off the No. 1 and No. 4 seeds.