The playoffs are growing closer and closer for boys’ basketball. After the loss to Flower Mound 45-43, the chance of making the playoffs is even more slim. With the record of 14-10, the team has to win the next five games to guarantee a fighting chance.

As easy as that sounds, the competition is stiff. With Plano West, Plano East, Plano, McKinney Boyd and Marcus, the boys will have to fight each and every quarter.

“Certain times we struggle offensively; I think defensively we are a better team than we are offensively,” head coach Gary Collier said. “But right now we’ve got to win games to make the playoffs. Still, we’re going to need help from other teams and we are going to do the things we are supposed to do.”

Junior starting post Trenton Sandifer is also preparing for the upcoming competition.

“[I am] not being stronger than the guys I guard the majority of the time because most of the time they are bigger than me,” Sandifer said. “Another weakness is taking stupid shots…I believe I can work on that during season.”

Along with Sandifer, junior small forward Patrick Bethea will be working on his ball handling and joining Sandifer in the weight room. Both are hoping to get stronger for the remaining season and next.

Collier tries to push his team in practice as well, creating game-like situations to help the boys prepare for the pressure.

“It’s tough to simulate pressure in the game,” Collier said. “A lot of times you can have the best free throw shooters in the game but they won’t shoot well in [that particular] game. But if they are down by two with one second left [and] they got two free throws and they have to make both, it’s hard to simulate that pressure in practice.”

With five games left in the season time is still continuing to wind down.

“We just gotta continue to play hard, we got to continue to practice hard, so hopefully we can continue to do that,” Collier said.

The boys play tonight at 7:30 against Plano West at home. On Tuesday, they play Plano East at 7:30 away.