Girls’ Varsity Wins District, Makes History

A Big Win, Moving Towards Playoffs

Junior+Pujita+Shukla+celebrates+with+her+teammates+senior+Annie+Callahan+and+Kalee+West+and+freshman+Sarai+Estupi%C3%B1an+after+winning+outright+district+championship+on+Feb.+6.+

Courtesy of Pujita Shukla

Junior Pujita Shukla celebrates with her teammates senior Annie Callahan and Kalee West and freshman Sarai Estupiñan after winning outright district championship on Feb. 6.

Garrett Wilson, Reporter

The girls basketball team plays Willis in Bryan at 7 p.m. tonight to start their playoff push to get to the state championship.

The Feb. 6 win over Pflugerville Connally by a score of 70-44 gave the team the title of district champions.

The girls basketball team are a lock for the playoffs because they finished first in their district. This means that the team will enter a 64 team bracket, including top teams throughout the state to compete for a state title weeks after the regular season ends. The girls have won signature games against Hutto, Georgetown and a 77-37 win over Cedar Creek back in January.

Junior Pujita Shukla, the starting forward for the girls varsity basketball team talked about the team’s mindset at practice.

“We already practice with the mindset that every game is a playoff game because we need to be prepared,” Shukla said.

A pre-game ritual for Shukla consists of closing her eyes during the national anthem before a game.

“It’s weird, but I need to have a mental review really quick before the game starts, so I feel prepared,” Shukla said.

The girls varsity squad are 27-7 overall, including a 16-0 record in district to become the first team in history of girls basketball to win district outright. 

“Recently we have been more competitive, and we focus on film and play breakdown,” Shukla said.  

The boys basketball team also played the Cougars on Tuesday, but lost 56-52 to make their district record to 11-4. With playoffs knocking on the door for the guys also, they will need to be extra prepared to compete with the other elite teams in the state. Small guard junior Dillon Faulkner and Center senior Mason Brooks will have to make countless plays to get the Timberwolves back to second in the district. 

Junior Power Forward, Josh Baker, said its important to prepare for the playoffs.

“We don’t want the same thing to happen last year to us again as we lost in the first round,” Baker said. “Knowing to execute the play effectively is crucial for the playoffs.”