The Cooldown- Week 21
Cover Photo courtesy of the Dallas Morning News and Staff Photographer Chitose Suzuki.
The district and regular season finale is officially here for the women. On Tuesday night, the women wrap up the regular season and take the rest of the week off before the playoff gauntlet starts a week from Tuesday. As for the men, three district games remain before the playoffs tip-off two weeks from now. For many teams across the state, all the work put in over the last year leads up to this. The most important basketball is played in February and March, and teams spend all year talking about the possibility of making the playoffs, winning a district title, making a playoff run, and maybe even making it all the way to San Antonio. That last goal will only be a reality for a handful of the best teams in the state, and we’re about to find out which teams will persevere through a tough playoff road. Now, let’s recap a few games from the last week across the metroplex.
Lancaster takes down Duncanville
A Tuesday night tilt between Lancaster and Duncanville went the way of the Tigers, 68-60. Lancaster is ranked No. 6 in the latest TABC Top 25, while Duncanville is ranked No. 4. Desmeon Jones led the way for Lancaster with 20 points, two rebounds and three assists. Amari Reed logged another double-double, finishing with 18 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks. Jaylon Brown chipped in 15 points and four assists and Kollin Douglas added eight points and six rebounds. Kayden Edwards, who recently surpassed 1,500 points for his career at Duncanville, finished in double figures to lead the Panthers. Duncanville rebounded with a 60-47 win over Mesquite Horn on Friday night, led by Edwards with 21 points. Beckham Black added 13 points for the Panthers in the win. Lancaster continued its winning streak on Friday night in a 76-61 win over Mesquite. Jaylon Brown led the way with 20 points while Devon Pearson Jr. added 18 points and 16 rebounds and Amari Reed chipped in 16 points and five blocks. Both Lancaster and Duncanville are 9-1 in district play, with Duncanville taking the first meeting between these two teams 59-57. With just a few games left in district play, it looks like we’re heading to a tie for the top playoff seed.
Frisco Wakeland outlasts Frisco Lone Star
On the women’s side, the No. 3 ranked Frisco Wakeland Wolverines outlasted Frisco Lone Star 72-70 in double overtime. The win was important to help Frisco Wakeland maintain a one game lead on Highland Park for the top playoff seed in the district with just one game left on the schedule. The Wolverines take on R.L. Turner on Tuesday night to close out the regular season. Frisco Lone Star put up a good fight, nearly knocking off the No. 3 team in the state. Ultimately, a layup from Kaylei Thornton late in the second overtime clinched the win for Frisco Wakeland. Charlotte Cavin led the way for Frisco Wakeland, scoring a game-high 31 points and adding 13 rebounds. Thornton scored 18 points, none more clutch than the final bucket to clinch the win, and added 10 rebounds. Madison Epps scored 10 points to give Wakeland a third scorer in double-figures while Chloe Chiniara and Kyla Stengle each scored five points in the win. Frisco Lone Star was led by Patience Simmons, who scored 29 points. Kendall Foster scored 15 points while Kennedy Jones and Makala Wallace each chipped in nine points for the Lady Rangers. Frisco Lone Star wraps up the regular season on Tuesday night against The Colony, a team it lost to 44-40 back in January.
Prosper beats Princeton
Keeping it on the women’s side, Prosper defeated Princeton 53-42 on Friday night to clinch its first district title since 2018, according to the Dallas Morning News. The Lady Eagles jumped out to a 14-9 lead after the first quarter and never looked back, out-scoring Princeton in all four quarters to clinch the district title. Kendall Mosley surpassed 1,000 career points for her career at Prosper in this game en route to scoring a team high 16 points. Kamryn Phoenix and Emma Privatsky each scored 11 points to give Prosper three players in double-figures. Elizabeth Pittman scored eight points, Kristin Taylor scored five points and Ava Scott chipped in two points to round out the scoring for the Lady Eagles. Terrayah McCoy scored 16 points to lead Princeton while Chandler Evans chipped in 13 points. Rayleigh Williams scored eight points and Mariah Hart scored five points in the loss. Princeton is also playoff bound and wraps up the regular season on Tuesday night against McKinney Boyd. Prosper closes out the regular season on Tuesday night against Plano West.
Player of the Week
My Player of the Week is Frisco Wakeland’s Charlotte Cavin! As I outlined above, Cavin had a big night for the Lady Wolverines in a double overtime win over Frisco Lone Star, dropping a double-double with 31 points and 13 rebounds. On Tuesday, Cavin scored 33 points in a 64-28 win over Carrollton Creekview. Averaging 32 points for the week is certainly Player of the Week worthy! Cavin will play a pivotal role in the 2024 women’s playoffs as a top scoring option, along with Kaylei Thornton, for the No. 3 ranked Wakeland Wolverines.