The girls basketball team will play against Plano East for its first district game Dec. 7. The game will take place at 7:00 p.m. in the Hawk Arena.

“We want to compete, play hard and stick with our game plan,” head coach Lisa Branch said. “[The games] have all been very close and competitive games [and] they could’ve gone either way. Playing those teams has prepared us for district.”

The season has started with nine wins and three losses. The team practices at 6:30 a.m. every morning on non-game days, during 3rd period and on Saturdays. At practice, players work on addressing personal weaknesses and improving their physicality. 

“[The girls] play for each other, [and] they love to be around each other,” Branch said. “There’s been tough competition, [but] we’ve risen to the occasion. [We take] our shortcomings and change and learn from those.”

Last season, the team lost 53-24 against Plano East and ended up placing 4th in the district while Plano East was co-district champions with Coppell. This year, Plano East has a win-loss ratio of 8-3. 

“Last year, it was a challenge,” Branch said. “We began the season with 15 potential players, [but] we finished the season with only seven. This year is head and shoulders above last year as far as team chemistry, camaraderie and the sisterhood that they’ve formed.”

With a new year comes a new team and set of challenges. Senior Dana Gingrey has been on the varsity team for three years and said she has been practicing hard to prepare for the season.

“I work a lot on ball-handling and having confidence,” Gingrey said. “[I’ve been working on my confidence] by [thinking] how to challenge a certain thing. The more confidence I get, [the more] I know how to [tackle] these [weaknesses].”

Branch said there is tons of talent this year, and junior Paris Bradley is one of the top players this season. Bradley has been on the team since freshman year and was involved with the Cy-Fair Elite Sports basketball program for five years but is currently playing for the Proskills EYBL 16U girls basketball club as a combo guard.

“I’m constantly learning as a player,” Bradley said. “[I’ve] learned from my losses [and] mistakes. We’ve lost against [Plano East] in the past, and it’s made me feel determined because most of the time [they are] close games, so I feel we can definitely get them this time.”

The team is going into districts with a competitive mindset and hopes to take home a championship. Branch said she is proud of the girls and how much the team has grown and continues to push the team hard to achieve their goals.

“This year feels a lot more special for this group, just because of their camaraderie, their closeness and their team chemistry,” Branch said. “They genuinely like each other and play for each other, so I think it’s going to be a great game, [and] I love our chances.”