With basketball season right around the corner, local programs are getting ready for what could be and outstanding year on the hardwood for the teams of southern Denton County.
Last season, four of the seven area programs reached the postseason in girls basketball and with a number of talented players returning, 2024-25 could be even better.
The Liberty Christian girls finished 22-15 overall last year, with an 8-0 mark in district competition and reached the state semifinals.
Coach Kelly Whisenhunt said 2024-25 is shaping up nicely as well.
“The girls have been putting in a lot of hard work over the summer and into the fall learning new offenses and defenses that cater to their strengths,” Whisenhunt said. “Strong leadership and team chemistry have developed quickly.”
The Lady Warriors won a district championship and return three starters in Kathleen Timmons, Skylar Zingelmann, and Liz Egger from last year’s squad. Keep an eye on senior forward Maya Arzamendi as well.
Whisenhunt said Liberty does face an additional challenge this year, however.
“We have moved up a classification to TAPPS 6A, so adjusting to the new district will be key,” Whisenhunt said. “It is a small district, so each game becomes super important. If we continue to grow together from freshman up to seniors, we have the potential to create a memorable season.”
Staying in Argyle, the Lady Eagles went 34-6 overall last season and reached the regional finals.
With two returning starters in seniors Kennedy Hafer and Brooklynn Northeim, coach Chance Westmoreland said he is feeling confident about Argyle’s chances this season
“We lost three starters who were four-year varsity players but returned a core of our team in addition to some really good JV players,” Westmoreland said. “We have the potential to compete for a district championship and hopefully a deep playoff run.”
Argyle finished second in district in 2023-24 with a 12-2 district record and Westmoreland said his team should be right in the mix again.
“We should compete for a playoff spot,” Westmoreland said. “We have quality depth and players with a lot of playoff experience.”
Additional players to keep an eye on for Argyle are sophomores Wrigley Green and Landry Murphy.
Going back to TAPPS, the Lady Lions roared last year, as Coram Deo Academy finished third in district competition with a 21-13 overall record for the season.
Coach Jackie Manack returns four starters in Selah Johnson (District Offensive Player of the Year), Campbell Skelly, Emily Revering, and Kate Schmitz, all of which were all-district selections last year, and Manack said things are shaping up pretty well for 2024-25.
“With only losing one senior from last year’s team, we are sitting in a pretty unique spot with the bulk of our team returning,” Manack said. “We are hoping to capitalize on the chemistry they’ve created over the last two seasons. There is a lot of leadership in our five seniors and I’m excited to see how this season goes.”
Couple those factors with a 9-3 mark in district competition in 2023-24, and Manack said she is excited about her team’s chances.
“We will be competing for a playoff spot this year in a tough district,” Manack said. “We have the court IQ and team chemistry to close out close games, as well as the court maturity of an upper-class heavy team.”
For Flower Mound High School, 2023-24 brought with it a 20-12 overall record and third place finish in district competition.
The Lady Jags return Maya Bujak and Addison Gray as starters, and coach Sherika Nelson said she is expecting another competitive season from her team in 2024-25.
“Things are going well this preseason,” Nelson said. “We have a lot of youth on our team this year and every practice is important for us as we find our identity and strengths. We also have eight seniors that are great leaders, and we will rely on them to be consistent for us on and off the floor.
“Overall, it is a great mixture of experience and youth, and we are looking forward to the season.”
Flower Mound finished 9-5 in district competition last season enroute to a playoff berth.
Players to watch include Maci Pringle, Lorelei Ebert and Brooklyn Gray.
“Our goal is to make the playoffs this season,” Nelson said. “We feel that we have a solid transition game on offense and the ability to defend well with pressure to make our opponents work hard every possession.”
Across town at Marcus, the Lady Marauders are looking to rebound from a tough 2023-24 season in which they finished 12-20 overall.
Marcus has two returning starters in Addison Wragge and Lauren Smith, and coach Mallory Singleton said her team is ready to get things started.
“Things have started off good in preparation for this season,” Singleton said. “Our girls love to compete, and they bring the energy to practice every day.”
Singleton said a postseason berth is within the realm of possibility and it all comes down to how the team gels.
“Every year the goal is to compete for a playoff spot,” Singleton said. “This year we have a different group of kids who will bring a new look to a difficult district.”
Over at Guyer, the Lady Wildcats finished 10-20 last year, but return all five starters from last season’s team and expectations are high.
Players to watch for Guyer this season include Destanie Green, Madison McGhie, Baylee Bowman, Amaya Langford, Audrey Mitchell and Peyton Underwood.
Coach Jake Floyd said he is encouraged by how much experience he has back for the 2024-25 season.
“All five starters and all but one player are back after being young with little varsity experience last year,” Floyd said. “We added two freshmen to the group which should be deep, talented, and competing for the playoffs.”
The Lady Wildcats finished sixth in district last season with a 4-10 mark in district competition, but Floyd said he believes it will be a much different story, perhaps one that involved the postseason, this year.
“We have plenty of talent and now the experience to do it,” Floyd said.
Over in Justin, the Northwest girls’ basketball team finished fifth in district last season with an overall record of 7-24.
The Lady Texans return one starting player in Avery McClung, and coach Lindsey Pouncy said while she will have to deal with inexperience this season, her team is showing some spunk.
“Our girls have been working hard and we’ve gotten a core group bought into choosing extra,” Pouncy said. “We only have two returning varsity players, so we’ll be very inexperienced, but hungry. We are getting better daily and are excited for the opportunity to compete in a tough district at the 6A level.”
Northwest was 3-9 in district competition last season, but Pouncy said it would be a mistake to overlook the Lady Texans this season.
“We will never count our girls out,” Pouncy said. “We have athletes that are putting in work and buying into what we are trying to do. If we can stay healthy and continue to improve at the rate we are improving we may surprise people.”
