The girls basketball team (26-8 overall, 11-3 district) will travel to Wills Point to take on Mount Pleasant in the first round of the UIL 5A state playoffs in a battle for the bi-district championship.
The game will take place at 8 p.m at Wills Point High School.
The Leopards will face a Tigers team that lost its last game to Sulphur Springs, 59-41.
Mount Pleasant will be looking to avenge last year’s meeting in the first round of playoffs, where the Leopards ultimately came out on top, 53-46.
Senior Taylor Meixelsperger said the team has been putting in extra practice this week to prepare for Mount Pleasant.
“We have stayed after school all week,” Meixelsperger said. “Also, we are focusing on playing our style of game. Sometimes Mount Pleasant plays out of control, so we cannot let them affect how we play, and we have to execute plays on the offensive end of the floor.”
Head coach Lance Boxell said the team has placed an emphasis on outside shooting and defensive rebounding.
For the seniors, one loss would mark the end of their high school basketball careers. Senior Kaylee Rekieta said she is hopeful that will not come anytime soon.
“We have to give it all we have because it could be our last game playing together as a team,” Rekieta said. “Because of this, we have had high intensity practices and have watched film all week on Mount Pleasant.”
In the Leopards’ last game, they defeated Royse City 49-44. A late 7-0 run propelled the team to secure the win. Rekieta finished with 20 points and a combined 10 steals and blocks. Meixelsperger and sophomore Carsen McFadden each finished with 12 rebounds.
This game marked the end of district play for the team, as they finished in second place in District 15-5A with only three losses in district. The team came up short to first place Wylie East, who finished with an overall record of 27-4 and only one district loss.
If the Leopards defeat Mount Pleasant, they will play the winner of Prosper and Frisco Centennial later in the week.
