With a trip to the playoffs on the line, the boys varsity basketball team plays its final regular season game at Marcus High School tonight at 7:30 p.m.
The team needs to win tonight in order to secure a spot in the playoffs. A loss would create a tie with Marcus for the fourth and final spot, and possibly a three-way tie for the final two spots with Coppell if the Cowboys lose their game tonight against Flower Mound. Coach Gary Collier said that a tie would likely result in a play-in game Thursday for the final playoff spot.
With an overall record of 14-11 and a 4-5 record in district 5-5A, the Farmers are tied with Coppell for third place behind Hebron and Flower Mound. This is Collier’s second year coaching here and he is proud of the team’s progress.
“We look to a lot of our senior players to be leaders,” Collier said. “Our team gets along better than it did last year, which in high school is more important than in professional leagues. It’s important for them to get along and they do. There’s no bickering or animosity toward one another, they’re all very friendly.”
The team is relatively young and has gained a lot of much needed experience this year. They have improved in skill and have become stronger as a whole instead of just having a few good individual players.
There was a lot at stake in the team’s first district win against Marcus. Pride and bragging rights were gained from a long time rivalry that dates back to when Marcus and Lewisville were the only two 5A high schools in the district, and Collier said the rowdy crowd greatly impacted the way they played.
“The more people we have cheering us on the more we can feed off their energy,” Collier said. “They’re gaining a lot of confidence by just beating them here, but if they win the last game it’ll certainly be a catapult into the playoffs.
“However, the second time facing a team is tougher, you understand them a little bit more and figure out their tendencies, because we have a chance to look at the tape of the past game we played before and kind of understand how and what to do differently.”
Senior shooting guard Myles Ward is confident in their chance of winning again.
“The second time playing a team is harder, but you can learn from your mistakes and adjust,” Ward said.
Collier said the team’s ultimate goal is “just to go as far as we can go.”
“The playoffs are a little bit different than the regular season because it only takes one game to lose and it’s over, so in every game you only have to be better than the other team for that one game,” Collier said. “It doesn’t matter what you did in the past. Hopefully we can go far and the guys can be more enthusiastic.”
