Girls basketball to travel to Austin for tournament

Drew Doig, Staff Writer • November 29, 2018

Junior Carsen McFadden dribbles the ball past the Highland Park defender in a home game on Dec. 12 of last season. Lovejoy would go on to win the game 43-28.

The girls basketball team (8-5) will make the 3.5-hour bus ride to Austin to play in the Buda Hays Basketball Tournament Thursday through Saturday. The team will open up against Connally and Poth High School on Thursday in pool play.

Depending on the how the Leopards perform, they will either be placed in the gold, silver or consolation bracket after pool play.

“In the tournament we are hoping to face some different types of opponents than we are used to seeing in the DFW area so that we can be put in a lot of different situations and have a chance to improve as a team,” head coach Lance Boxell said.

In the Leopards’ last game, they lost at Prestonwood 64-25 on Nov. 20.

“Prestonwood overwhelmed us early in the game with their athletic ability, and I think it took our confidence away and let it affect our play on the court,” Boxell said.

The team was led in scoring by sophomore Julia Brochu with 12 points, and senior Ireland Miller led the team in rebounding with six boards.

“It was a big test of mental toughness for our team,” Miller said. “However, I think our team grew individually with each player gaining a new strength and learning more about the game.”

Boxell said he hopes the team quickly moves on from the loss at Prestonwood.

“I think every season you have a couple of games that you would like to forget about and move on, and the Prestonwood game is one that we want to forget and look forward to the tournament this weekend,” Boxell said.

After the tournament, the team will go on the road to face Denton Braswell on Tuesday, Dec. 4.

About the Contributors

Drew Doig, Staff Writer

Entering his fourth and final year on The Red Ledger staff, senior Drew Doig will continue to be a sports writer. Drew, or “Doig” as he’s more commonly called, is a member of the varsity basketball team, National Honor Society, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Outside of school, Doig enjoys hanging out with friends and watching sports. A fan of everything Auburn, Doig plans to attend Auburn University. However, with major persuasion from his brother Grant, he could end up attending the University of Arkansas. Doig also enjoys playing video games and will take on any worthy opponent in NCAA 14 or NBA 2K. You can find Doig on the grill as he enjoys throwing on a nice New York Strip with fellow senior Kyle Olson. He enjoys watching The Office and will recite a line from Dwight Schrute when need be. Doig hopes that his wealth of experience on the staff and expressive personality will land him on the TRL’s heralded “RIP wall” next to some of the all time greats that came through E103. Doig couldn’t be more excited to be on the staff for his senior year along with fellow veteran Joseph Vastano, and he’s ready to take the class to an elite level.

Grace Nguyen, Section Editor

Fueled daily by three iced vanilla coffees, standing at 5’2”, Grace Nguyen will walk into the E103 door with no problem. Grace is entering senior year, and the only reason she is believed to have survived high school is because of the napping couch in the photography studio. During her time on staff, Grace has been to almost every football game, win or loss, and wouldn’t have changed a thing. Yes, Grace has been tackled by football players, run over by coaches, and body slammed by referees. Nonetheless, Grace will confidently walk on the field this year, bruises and all, alongside her sideline media team. Stepping outside the newsroom, which is rare, Grace enjoys playing softball, hanging out with family and friends, and finding excuses to go to every $3 Pazookie Tuesdays at BJ’s. After high school, Grace hopes to pursue a career in sports photojournalism, so watch out for her still getting run over by athletes on ESPN in the years to come. Although it’s bittersweet to leave newspaper upon graduation, Grace is thankful for all the opportunities that she’s had on staff. Through The Red Ledger, Grace created long-lasting friendships and won a lot of awards that she never imagined was possible. Grace hopes that current and future staffers will think of this national-award-winning publication the same way as she did–a second family and their home away from home.