The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

Boys basketball set to commence district season

Senior+Luke+Ledebur+contests+a+layup+from+sophomore+Carson+Holden+in+practice.
Olivia Lauter
Senior Luke Ledebur contests a layup from sophomore Carson Holden in practice.

Through the first 20 games of the season, the boys basketball team has gone 14-6, including a consolation championship in the Prosper tournament and placing first overall in the Great East Texas Shootout. The Leopards will look to start their district season out on the right foot as they host the Sherman Bearcats (8-13) tonight at 7:30 p.m.

“I think in the last couple of years, we’ve kind of gotten off to a slow start in district, which forced us to have to play catch-up,” head coach Kyle Herrema said. “To me, this is a very important game. We need to step up and play well from the get go, so we can set the tone for the rest of district play.”

The team went 2-1 in The Colony tournament with wins over Frisco (46-38) and Leander (57-47), but lost to the #7 ranked host team 57-39.

“When you have five days off with no practice and run right into a tournament, it’s ugly for everybody,” Herrema said. “We played pretty sloppy, but the competition was really good and it helped us get back in shape.”

Despite a 63-51 loss to St. Mark’s the following week, Herrema said he was impressed with the way his team never gave up.

“[St. Mark’s] was a really talented with four Division I players on their roster,” Herrema said. “But I loved that we really battled back after we got down big and cut the lead to six late [in the game]. Their effort level from opening tip to the very end was just one of those things that made you really proud that they’re your kids.”

The team ultimately ended up finishing its pre-district season on a high note in a 54-40 win over Midlothian Heritage on Monday. The Leopards shot 61 percent from the field and were led in scoring by sophomore Carson Holden who had 20 points. Senior Kyle Olson put up 15 without missing a bucket all night (7/7 from field, 1/1 at the line). Not to mention, the Leopard defense was responsible for the 27 percent shooting performance by the Jaguars.

“We just played really, really well on both ends of the floor,” Herrema said. “It wasn’t a fun game to watch. There was a lot of fouls and [Midlothian Heritage] played zone to slow the tempo down. But it was a good game for us to play going into district. I’m really encouraged by what we’re doing right now.”

Despite a slow start to the district season in years past, senior Kyle Olson is confident in his team’s ability going into tonight’s home opener versus Sherman.

“Unlike last season, we’re going into district with a lot more momentum,” Olson said. “I don’t even think we were .500 this time last year going into district. This season we’re doing good. I think we kind of got everything figured out with our roles on the team and what we need to do to win.”

Leave a Comment
More to Discover
About the Contributors
Alexis Russell, Staff Writer
Alexis Russell is a senior this year, and it is her second year on staff. She mostly writes about sports, including volleyball, basketball, and baseball. Her favorite teams are the Mavs and Cowboys, and her most prized possession is an autographed cardboard cutout of Dirk Nowitzki’s head. Her hobbies include wake surfing, skiing, and sitting in her massage chair. Her all-time favorite movie is Dodgeball, and her favorite band is Del Water Gap. After graduation, she hopes to study International Relations at either UT or Arizona. She looks forward to a great year with The Red Ledger.
Olivia Lauter, Section Editor
Heading into her fourth and final year in TRL, senior Olivia Lauter could not be more thrilled to soak up every last minute of shooting sports, events and portraits for her favorite publication. Lauter has spent every day of her high school career with a camera around her neck, and you won’t catch her without it until graduation day. As well as being the photo editor for TRL, Lauter is a varsity cheerleader and involved in PALS and NHS. When she’s not on the sidelines with her camera or cheering on the Leopards, Lauter is with her friends, who she adores more than life itself. You will probably hear “last time, best time” and how “bittersweet” senior year is continually from Lauter this year, but she is just excited to spend one more year doing what she loves alongside the people she loves on TRL.

Comments (0)

The Red Ledger values the opinion of its readers and encourages them to discuss its content. All comments are subject to approval by The Red Ledger staff. The Red Ledger does not allow anonymous comments and requires a valid email address. The email address will not be displayed but will be used to confirm your comments. Comments are reviewed as often as possible. Comments with inappropriate content will not be published. Once submitted, comments become the property of The Red Ledger. To see our full Comment Policy, visit https://www.theredledger.net/about-us/policies/
All The Red Ledger Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *