With eight players on the team, the boys’ basketball team prepares for the first game of the season on Friday, Nov. 15 with high expectations of exceeding the scores of the previous year. The plan for this season is to overcome communication problems and work as a team.

“I can tell we’re very small this year,” junior point/shooting guard Kylin Green (23) said. “I feel like we just have to pass the ball, play together and we’ll have a chance [to win].”

With last year’s district record of [10-4], the players are certain they can do better this season than last year. Even with a smaller team, they are determined to work hard with the practice they did in preseason.

“We’ve been practicing way harder than last year,” senior point/shooting guard Kj Pruitt (2) said. “We got a better team [this year and] I feel like we’re more focused. I feel like we’re ready [and] we’ve been going pretty hard. I feel like we’ll be pretty good this year.”

During the first game, the players will have a chance to fix their troubles of communication and determine their line up, which will help in the long-run to perform better as a team. Although the games ahead of them are with state champion teams, they want to improve on their communication skills and work together on the court to win.

“Win or lose, we will be more prepared for a possible deep playoff run,” assistant coach David Watson said. “Anytime [we] face that type of competition, [we] have an opportunity to find out what [we] are good at and what [we] need to work on. The team has been putting an emphasis on building mental toughness and togetherness through intense drills and conditioning.”

The team’s goal this season is to make district and state in order for them to win the championship. Watson believes using their style of play will help wear down opponents on the basketball court.

“We have high goals for this season,” Watson said. “We are viewed as one of the most talented teams in the state and with that comes great excitement. Our goal is to bring a state championship to Lewisville. We feel that goal is attainable.”

The first game is against defending 6A state champion Duncanville on Friday, Nov. 15 and the second game is against the number-one ranked defending 4A state champion Dallas Faith Family on Saturday, Nov. 16. Both games will be played at North Crowley High School. The players will prepare to face tough opponents and a strenuous schedule. 

“Our biggest local competition traditionally has been Hebron or Flower Mound,” Watson said. “However, we play in a strong district where nearly every team is able to beat one another. In addition, we play one of the toughest schedules in Texas this season.”