The Leopards (7-14 overall, 1-5 in district) hope to build off their first district victory on Tuesday as they face Sherman (9-8, 2-3) at home on Friday, Jan. 22.

Sherman is led by 6-1 sophomore shooting guard Jaylyn Cleamons who had 18 points in Tuesday’s game against Prosper. Head coach Kyle Herrema said the key to defeating Sherman will be tempo control.

“They are up and down the entire game so for us we have to do a great job in defensive transition to stop the ball,” Herrema said. “Also to contest every shot, they are averaging about over 30 3-point attempts per game so we have to make sure we have a hand up on every possession and also get those long rebounds to start our own fastbreak.” says Head Coach

Offensively, Herrema said the team has to focus on breaking the Bearcats’ press.

“We are going to have to do a great job of taking care of the basketball,” Herrema said. “There are opportunities for great shots on the back of the press. They are not very big so we can look over the top, but they do provide a lot of pressure.”

The team defeated Denison High School (4-11, 0-5) on Tuesday 41-39 in a game that came down to the wire. With 15 seconds left and the game tied, freshman Kyle Olsen made a floater from just inside the free throw line to give the Leopards a 2-point lead. Denison came down the court with 10 seconds left and drove the lane. Senior Drew Hawley took a charge giving the ball back to the Leopards to seal the win.

Herrema said Thursday’s practice was good preparation for Friday’s matchup.

“We broke down our press breaks, so rather than just going through the press breaks, we really looked down at the options of what’s available today and the kids did an outstanding job in preparing for them [Sherman],” Herrema said.