Olive-Harvey College Lady Panthers 2 wins away from 1st perfect season in program history

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Last season, the women's basketball team at Olive-Harvey College on Chicago's South Side won 10 total games, with just five players on the roster.

That's when head coach Jeff Dillard tapped into his local pipeline, and it changed everything.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

The Lady Panthers of Olive-Harvey College in Pullman have won every game this season, beating opponents by an average of nearly 31 points. They're two wins away from the first perfect season in program history

"I kind of can't even explain it, that it would be this perfect," Olive-Harvey College forward Khaniah Gardner said.

"It's very exciting to even think about because who would have thought we would be in this situation? We still got to get in the gym and work," sophomore Cashay Dixon said.

"I knew they would be really good, just looking at the chemistry that they have," Dillard said. "So, I knew that they could be good. Now, 28 and 0, I didn't want to put any limits on them. And I told them, if we work hard, I don't see a team on here that we can't beat."

Dillard is in his second season at Olive-Harvey, after serving as an assistant at Simeon Career Academy, coaching Dixon, Gardner and Nakia Bardney before they pursued higher-level college basketball out-of-state. But, this season they transferred home to play together for a familiar coach in their own backyard.

"I kind of knew the team he was building, perfect for me to just join this team," Gardner said.

SEE ALSO: 3 young heart patients and their families get free trip to Cubs spring training in Arizona

"We started something then; we can bring it here, too, won city and state, do something different together and make a change," Dixon said.

"I've actually known Cashay before high school. It definitely helps we know each other's strengths and weaknesses," Bardney said.

"Not enough light is being shined on city colleges, and when we show the talent here, stay here, develop opportunity to play and compete, maybe more players will stay here," Dillard said.

Because of the junior college ratings system, the unbeaten Panthers aren't ranked in the top 25.

In fact, they're considered the 155th best junior college team in the country. But, they're numbers that matter far less than the impact they have had on this program and each other, which they all know is bigger than basketball.

"That was one thing we really wanted, depend on each other, give them a little push, and they really do that," Dillard said.

"Without accountability, without our school work, if you make a mistake, it's cool, we just trying to help each other at the end of the day," Bardney said.

"Just as much, we have to represent Olive-Harvey, and that's what I've been trying to teach our team," Gardner said.

And that is winning, no matter what happens in the final two games and beyond.