There are several constant reminders for Audrei Rogers of her two sisters’ success as members of the Lady Tigers basketball team.

Aside from the banners hanging in Tiger Gym with her sisters Heather (Rogers) Davis and Megan (Rogers) Chavez’s names on theAm from the 2000 state finalist team and the two banners from 2001 and 2002 regional finalist teams  and the pictures of those teams in the lobby of Tiger Gym, Davis and Chavez are in the stands regularly watching Audrei’s every game.

For Audrei, it’s a lot of pressure to live up to, but it’s a legacy she fully understands.

“They made it to state, so when we lose I usually will get calls from my sisters,” Audrei said. “They left a legacy here.”

The Smithville Lady Tigers (9-19, 3-3 District 23-3A) picked up a big win Tuesday over Caldwell to move them to 3-3 in district play, which preluded another big game Friday at home against Rockdale, a team that defeated Smithville by one-point in the first round.

The Lady Tigers needed to win Friday to keep the playoff hopes, and the Rogers legacy, alive.

Should Smithville had lost that game to Rockdale, the Lady Tigers chances of reaching the playoffs for the 19th consecutive year would be slim, if not gone completely.

“If we don’t make the playoffs, there will always be something left unaccomplished,” Audrei said. “We will all feel like we let the community and school down.”

Head coach Robin Ramsay is trying to keep things in perspective for Smithville, who still has a decent chance to keep the playoff streak alive.

Ramsay said she recently talked to the team about letting go of the pressure and just have fun.

“It’s really hard on them,” she said. “Every one of these girls cares about the streak and understands the tradition. I had to tell them to just get that off their shoulders and be a team. It’s not going to kill me if the streak ends. I just want them to develop as a team and reach their potential, whatever that may be.”

It has been an up-and-down season for Smithville, who was coming off back-to-back wins going into Friday’s game with Rockdale.

The streak has never been in more jeopardy in the last 18 years, but there is still hope and work left to be done.

Rockdale only defeated Smithville 34-33 in their first meeting on Jan. 10 in Rockdale.

Should the Lady Tigers have defeated Rockdale Friday, they could go into their final game against La Grange on Feb. 7 needing only to win to keep the streak alive, or defeat one of the district powerhouses – Giddings and Navasota.

Smithville just defeated La Grange 46-39 on Jan. 20 at Tiger Gym.

“We have to be cautious with Rockdale,” Ramsay said. “It’s a big game.”

The Lady Tigers are coming off a trip to the regional semifinals in 2011, but the bulk of that team did graduate and this young group, which features mainly juniors and sophomores, has had a roller coaster of a season.

As for Audrei, who is the only player with siblings that have played on previous Smithville teams, the Rogers legacy will always sit in the back of her mind and anything less than keeping the streak going will be a disappointment for her.

“We have to get there,” she said. “If we don’t, it’s going to be a huge let down for this town. We want to keep that streak going.”