The boys basketball team will play a district matchup at Little Elm on Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.
The team played Little Elm earlier this season, where they lost 65-55. Center Bryan Enabulele said the team has improved since the beginning of its district run.
“The first time we played Little Elm, we had a lot of miscommunication,” Enabulele said. “We wanted to [run plays] our own way instead of playing as a team. We’ve now been focusing more during practice [on] the different ways to [adjust to each player’s skill set.]”
The team faced Denton Guyer, who is first place in the district, on Jan. 21 and lost 58-41. With six games remaining in the district season, guard Nirav Perumal said he is confident in the team’s ability to win.
“Obviously [Little Elm is] a good team, but every team is good in this district,” Perumal said. “You have to [work as a team] and be competing and willing to put in the work.”
The Hawks are currently tied with Coppell and Flower Mound for fifth place in districts while Little Elm is third in district standings. The Hawks have six games remaining to secure a spot in the top four of the district and a place in the playoffs. The team will need to win at least four more games to qualify.
“We’re in the final stretch of the season where every game is a playoff game for us,” head coach Eric Reil said. “We’re one game out of [being] third or fourth in district. If we lose more than two games, we’ll be out automatically.”
The Hawks are two games behind Braswell, who is fourth in districts. Enabulele said winning this game against Little Elem is crucial for their playoff spot.
“We just got to play each game the same way,” Enabulele said. “Don’t get nervous [and] don’t let it get to your head. [Focusing on] every game is important.”
Little Elm’s frontcourt pair of guards, Kensington Candler and Darius Johnson, have been averaging a combined 30 points this season. The team plans to focus on creating contested shots for the pair to prevent from scoring.
“[We know there’s pressure,] but at the end of the day, it’s just a game,” Reil said. “We expect our kids to go out and execute the game plan. We expect them to go out and bust their tails, which they’ve been doing for us all year. It’s going to be a fun atmosphere.”