The girl’s basketball team will play its second district game against Marcus on Dec.13 in the arena at 5:45 p.m.
Last season, the Lady Hawks played Marcus twice, winning the games 76-51 and 78-48. Head coach Lisa Branch said the records don’t matter going into the game due to having a relatively new team.
“We have to be prepared to [play against] their best,” Branch said. “I know that they’re going to bring it. We’re going to have to be ready to defend, we’re going to have to be ready to take care of the ball.”
After a district-opening win against Coppell, the team had a surprise presentation for guard Sydnee Jones celebrating a major accomplishment — scoring 1,000 points for the Lady Hawks. Coming out of the non-district season, Jones said the team wants to work on their ball handling skills and their defensive skills — specifically rebounding.
“Everyone’s a little different this year,” Jones said. “We’re trying to watch [more] film [to] see what defense we need to run and what defenses [our opponents] are in. We want to do whatever we can to start off districts strong.”
The Lady Hawks have started the district season 1-0 after beating Coppell 45-34 Dec. 10. Going into the game, Marcus holds an overall record of 9-8, while the Lady Hawks hold are 7-7.
“We’ve got a lot to work on,” point guard Nariah Johnson said. “[With] different people, we’ve been trying to make sure everyone is playing their role when we need them to and being there for each other.”
The Lady Hawks went undefeated in the last district season. But with eight new faces on the team this year, Branch said having a change in skills present within the group has led to a number of adjustments being made by different members.
“Different people have to step up and be leaders, and that’s uncomfortable for some of them,” Branch said. “We only have two seniors this year and not a lot of experience, but it’s something that the team needs.”
The game will also serve as Killian Middle School Night. Branch said the team is looking forward to bringing a positive attitude to the upcoming game.
“I’m just looking forward to the environment,” Branch said. “We want to exceed [Marcus’] energy. This is our home court; this is something that we take pride in [and] we want to defend our home.”
