With a win against Duncanville [61-52], ranked 17th by the TABC (Texas Association of Basketball Coaches) Division 5A poll, already tucked into its belts, the boys’ basketball team  is preparing to play Dunbar, head coach Gary Collier’s 1990 alma mater.

“It feels good going back and playing your old school,” Collier said. “It’s always exciting. It’d be more exciting if we get a win.”

Collier said tonight’s 7:30 p.m. home tipoff will be a challenge for the Farmers. Dunbar is ranked 18th in the TABC 4A poll.

“Dunbar is a little smaller and more goal-oriented,” Collier said. “They’re gonna be a little quicker, not as big, but quicker. We’ve got to do a good job containing penetration stand in front of them, and taking advantage of our size [compared to them].”

Collier said the biggest thing the team needs to work on to win against the Wildcats is getting one-on-one action in the game.

“I think the team is expecting for them to push the ball up the floor,” Collier said. “They’re going to be very aggressive. I know defensively they’re going to be very aggressive and will pick it up full court, they [almost play] street ball. They run and gun. There’s no real big method, no plays.”

Tuesday night proved a challenge and victory for the Farmers against Duncanville. Duncanville had a 13-9 lead in the first quarter, but the Farmers took it back in the second, outscoring their opponents 20-6. Senior Diamante Langston scored 21 points, senior Robert Lopez scored 10 points, and junior Marquis Williams scored 13 points.

“It feels really good, it’s good to get off to a good start,” Collier said. “Duncanville is a tough team so it does a lot to our confidence going into the rest of the season.”

Collier has been at Lewisville for three years now, and said that despite the rocky beginnings, he has hopes to make it into the playoffs. Collier said the win brings a bright outlook on the future for the team.

“It’s been a pretty good transition,” Collier said. “The first year was a little rocky for me. Last year we did a little bit better. We made the playoffs and we’re hoping to get better this year. I think this team has more experience than it has last year. We have the same four starters last year, we’re just missing one, and because of that we have more experience where we gel more.”

Collier said what he’s enjoyed the most about his time in Lewisville is his great players.

“[The kids] come from great homes and great parents and they all get along,” Collier said. “I like them because you never have to worry about them off the court for the most part. They’re not troublemakers, they’re very respectable and they have a lot of pride during the school year.”

Seeing as there won’t be many home games this year, Collier hopes that there is a good show of supporters at the home games to watch the Farmers’ hard work and effort in action.

“We’ve been practicing very well,” Collier said. “We’ve got a good group of guys, they understand the value of practice. We’ve been practicing hard and playing hard and getting along with each other. Hopefully everybody comes out to support us on Fridays.”