The girls basketball team (22-6, 7-1 district) looks to rebound from its first district loss of the year as it hosts West Mesquite (2-15, 0-8) on Friday at 7 p.m. In their previous matchup against West Mesquite earlier this season, the Leopards won by a score of 66-21.

Head coach Lance Boxell said that the team is getting ready for West Mesquite by focusing on being mentally prepared.

“[West Mesquite] has not won a district game up to this point, which can sometimes make us think that our best effort is not needed,” Boxell said. “We need to focus on the big picture and try to use this game to become a better team.”

Senior Taylor Meixelsperger said the girls have moved on from their recent loss.

“We are going to move forward by respecting each opponent we play from here on out, and that starts with West Mesquite tonight,” Meixelsperger said.

Last Tuesday, the team was handed its first loss of the season against district rival Highland Park. Highland Park scored the first 12 points, and the Leopards ultimately lost 56-51.

“We need to learn that we have to be ready to play each game,” Boxell said. “We were not ready and got down early and had a hard time for the rest of the game trying to dig ourselves out of that hole.”

After the slow start, the team picked up its energy, but it was just too late to mount a comeback.

“I liked the way that we battled for the entire time after the slow start,” Boxell said. “We picked up our intensity and gave ourselves a chance to win.”

Senior Kaylee Rekieta thought the team did not perform to their normal capability.

“We did not execute our plays, and we missed some shots that we really needed against Highland Park,” Rekieta said.

Recently, the Leopards earned state recognition, as they were ranked 11th out of the 25 best teams in 5A girls basketball by TABC.

“We are glad to get some state recognition but also realize that our success this season will be based on if we are able to accomplish our goals of making the playoffs and making a deeper run than last season,” Boxell said.

Boxell explained that the team has one goal for the rest of the season.

“Our goal is to win district,” Boxell said. “We want to be the number one seed out of district 15-5A.”

After the game against West Mesquite, the team will go on the road to face Forney High School next Tuesday.