It’s win or go home for both boys’ and girls’ basketball teams Friday night.

The girls will continue into the second round of playoffs against the state’s 13th ranked team, Mansfield Timberview, at 7 p.m. at Colleyville Heritage. The boys get their final shot to make the playoffs in a tiebreaker play-in game vs. Marcus at Flower Mound High School also at 7.

GIRLS

The Lady Farmers entered the playoffs after an overtime win against Coppell, and last Monday took on Colleyville Heritage, taking home a win with 37-34.

Heritage was ranked top in district 6-5A, with an overall record of 25-10 heading into the game, while the Lady Farmers finished ranked fourth in the district 5-5A, with an overall score of 5-24.

“I think it was a good win for us,” junior Elizabeth Simon said. “I felt like we had the game when we first got in there, we had to keep our minds straight. We couldn’t just back down because they’re top in their district and we were #4 in ours, so I just feel like we came out and we showed them.”

After the win, head coach Charlotte Jones said she saw a big change in the girls.

“I think they felt real good after this last win,” Jones said. “It was almost an emotional win for us because it was like we finally got over the hump, and we could finally see the big picture. Their attitude is more positive, they’re encouraging each other, they’re motivating each other, they’re uplifting each other.

“They’re working harder in practice. They’re taking it seriously, and they’re actually holding each other accountable. If they see somebody do something wrong, they’re quick to correct it before I correct it.”

Now the girls have focused their attention on Timberview, a team which beat Heritage 73-21.

“That was the past, and this is the new, and we’ve come a long way, so I feel like that’s not really a disadvantage to us,” Simon said. “Doesn’t really scare us, doesn’t phase us.”

Simon believes that Friday will not be their last night in the playoffs.

“I feel that we have a really big chance to continue and go further,” Simon said. “We do have a [6-2] post, Precious Agu, and we have a freshman, Naomi Hawkins, she’s 6-foot, and we also do have some good point guards who can run the game.”

Jones said she’s pleased with how far the Lady Farmers have come.

“I’m really proud of the girls,” Jones said. “I think they’ve overcome a lot, like criticism from the community and the fans and people underestimating us. Just being the underdogs, and I think they’ve really done an excellent job of keeping their composure, tuning out the outside talk and just focusing what’s happening on the inside.”

BOYS

On Tuesday the boys missed out on a chance to lock up a playoff losing 47-45 at Marcus. Luckily, the game wasn’t their final chance.

Since both teams are tied head-to-head with a district record of 4-6, tomorrow’s game will determine who will join Hebron, Flower Mound, and Coppell in the playoffs.

The upcoming game is especially important to senior shooting guard Jaden Wright  who has never made it to the playoffs before.

“I feel like we should’ve won but losing will make us work that much harder,” Wright said. “I don’t get tired of playing Marcus only because the rivalry is so exciting. We need to get this win, go to the playoffs, and get serious.”

Coach Gary Collier is hoping for a big improvement on Friday from the Farmers.

“We’ve got a chance to look at the tape, look at the past games we’ve played before and kind of understand how to do some things differently,” Collier said.

Pride and bragging rights are also at stake as the teams face each other for a third time with the season split 1-1. However, if Lewisville does takes the final playoff spot, Collier said the team has the ability to go far.

“I  think some of the top priorities for an athlete is to compete fairly and compete as hard as they possibly can,” Collier said. “It’s not always the best team going into the playoffs that has a tendency to win. Sometimes you look at skill level, but a lot of the time the games aren’t always won by the teams that are most skilled.

“Just make sure you’re playing your hardest. If it’s worth doing, it’s important for you to play hard.”