On Tuesday, Jan. 9, the varsity girls’ basketball team went against their long-time school rival, the Westwood Warriors. Keeping a strong lead throughout the entire game, McNeil won the game 61-36. With their district record now 3-3, the Lady Mavs are making their way up in districts and are now tied with Round Rock for the fourth-place spot.

“We started off super strong,” senior Riley Samples said. “We were able to score easily and force a lot of turnovers with our full-court press.”

The game kicked off with a 8-0  lead in the first few minutes of the game. The Mavs’ aggressive defense caused them to keep at least a 10-point lead throughout the entire first half. The team’s consistent on-ball defense as well as their strong drives to the basket helped the Mavs score half their points in the first half from the free throw line with 13 made free throws, ending the first half 28-15.

“Our offense stayed hot through the first and second half, keeping a strong lead for the majority of the game, our shots were falling, we were attacking the paint with ease and our team defense allowed very little scoring,” Samples said.

The Mavs entered the second half strong with two deflections in the first minute. Stepping up defensively the Mavericks held the Warriors to only scoring 20 points in the second half, while the Mavs were able to get ahead 30 points, including a buzzer-beater from Juliette Cronin, winning the game 61-36.

Samples led the team offensively contributing 26 points to the final score, while simultaneously locking up the Warriors on defense.

“We are getting a lot better as the season progresses,” Samples said. “I’m super excited to see how we do in the second half of district play.”

The Lady Mavericks will play next at Round Rock HS against Round Rock, finishing the first half of their district games.