As the athletes run down the court, the voices of players yelling out to the point guard to pass them the ball echoes through the gym. The point guard completes a chest pass to the power forward and the crowd goes wild as the forward completes the dunk for the two points needed to win the game. As basketball season dribbles into full gear, the boys’ and girls’ team continue to put their sweat and tears into the district round for a successful game.

The girls basketball team has faced a myriad of adversity, but that hasn’t stopped them from continuing to give 110 percent effort towards having great games and an overall, better season. According to basketball coach, Erika Ware, even though the season record isn’t as amazing as desired, the effort the team puts in is unmatchable, and every game is seen by the coaches and players as an opportunity to improve and progress the team’s abilities.

“We have had an extremely tough season; we have two of the top teams in our state for our varsity girls, but they come out to compete everyday. And, although our season record may not match, we are growing in skill, talent, and heart every game,” Ware stated.

Sophomore, Tamaya Derrough, also believes that while the record may not show it, the team is constantly growing. She believes that the key to success for the team is the chemistry; whether they are playing or not.

“Despite what our record is, I feel like we are growing as a team. I feel that our team can improve more on communication, on and off the court,” said the Varsity player.

For the boys varsity team however, the season record has shown to be rather good. The team has only lost one game in district, but are still looking to improve. Jalen Lake, is proud of how the season is going, but despite the good record, is still searching for ways to better the team.

“The season is going well, we have only lost one game in district so far. We are coming together as a team and improving after every game. We still need to get better at our half court and transition defense, as well as our offensive rebounding. I believe that those are key factors we need to progress as a team,” said the sophomore.

The team has had to triumph through adversity. They have had to make adjustments according to who they are playing for a successful game. Lake explains that since the team is smaller compared to other teams, they must work harder and focus more on the technical aspect of the game.

“We are a smaller team so we have to make sure we work harder on the defensive end and box out and get rebounds when playing against bigger teams,” said Lake.

Both the girls and boys basketball team continue to put in the work needed to having a triumphant season, and regardless of season record, have proven that they are deserving of the utmost respect and support. The girls have an upcoming game against the Summit Jaguars at 6pm, at Lake Ridge, while the boys have their next game against the South Grand Prairie Indians at 7:30pm, at the same location.