The girl’s basketball team lost a close contested matchup Friday against Mckinney North. The away game went to the final minutes, but ultimately the Bulldogs took the game 45-40.

“The team executed our game plan almost flawlessly,” head coach Mike Motsney said. “[Mckinney] North is very athletic and only had one loss on the season. We battled extremely hard and gave them all they could handle. Ultimately, we came up short, but I was very proud of their effort, especially being short-handed and on the road.”

Junior guard Samantha Basson led the team with 26 points. Senior center Victoria Lafon led the team in rebounds with seven and sophomore Chloe Scheaffer had six.

“We played smart and with a lot of energy throughout the game,” junior forward Linnea Maddux said. “It was tough because we have a few players out right now, but we adjusted well and every single person fought to win. There are some things we could have prevented, but I think the team really showed up and played hard.”

The leopards hosted a Bulldog team with one loss on the season while holding the third overall rank in Texas 5A.

“Mckinney North challenged us because they are one of the best teams in our district,” senior center Victoria Lafon said. “We knew we had a big challenge ahead of us but we had to believe that we were capable of competing with them and we did. The majority of it was mental for our team. We have had a lot of growth this season but we had to believe that we had a chance and could win.”

The team went into the game expecting a wide range of athleticism from Mckinney North. 

“McKinney North is a team loaded with athletes,” Motsney said. “The game plan was to play a lot of zones, we’ve played man almost exclusively the entire year, to prevent their athletic guards from penetrating the lane and posting up our smaller guards. We planned on being very patient on offense, not only to get quality shots but also to limit the scoring opportunities of [Mckinney] North. They like to get up and down the court and score quickly in transition. This was something we were keying on to help us pull off a win.”

The team went into the game short-handed minus two starters.

“We knew they were going to be tough to beat, but we knew we could win if we executed everything correctly,” Maddux said. “Everyone was expected to come out with energy from the very start. We had prepared well for the game and walked into it with positive mindsets.”

The leopards take on the 16-7 Denison Yellow Jackets Tuesday, in addition to an away matchup on the road against Rock Hill this Friday.

“I’m optimistic for the rest of the season especially since we have three players returning from injuries and other things for the second round of district,” Lafon said. “I think that if we continue to put in the work, push ourselves, and play as a team, we will be very successful in the next few weeks.”