Even though the Indian basketball team clenched its fourth consecutive district title with a 71-50 win against Andrews on Feb. 5, it’s not enough. The Indians are protecting a 38-game district win streak, and there are still two more district games.
“We have talked to the guys all the time to protect it, so that is what we have to do,” Coach Paul Page said. “We want to be undefeated. If you want to win it, you want to win all of it.”
The Indians will take on Shallowater at home tonight.
“They are still competing to go to the playoffs so we can’t look past them,” senior forward Noe Molina said. “If we have the right mind set, we can beat them.”
Shallowater has an 18-7 overall, 5-3 district record.
“It is probably going to be one of our toughest games in all of district because they are tough on the inside,” senior post Hunter Weishuhn said. “We will come out with a win.”
Weishuhn’s 22 points and 13 rebounds helped the Indians add an eighth district win to the 23-win season.
“Our identity is playing hard,” Page said. “So we will bring some of what we’ve done this season to this [Shallowater] game.”
After cutting it close in recent games against Levelland and Estacado, the Indians did not want another buzzer beater against Andrews.
“We could have easily looked past [Andrews] because we had already beaten them, and we took the other two games too lightly that’s why they ended up as buzzer beaters,” Weishuhn said. “We weren’t going to let that happen again.”
Page said the game against Andrews meant something to the players because part of the district title was on the line. An Estacado win over Cooper the same evening sealed the title for the Indians.
After sitting out with a high ankle sprain, senior wing Xavier Martinez-Rodriguez was able to get back in the action against the Mustangs.
“It was just a good feeling to be part of the team again,” Martinez-Rodriguez said. “Just getting to rush again and the feeling of being in the game was good.”
Weishuhn suffered a separated shoulder against Levelland, and according to Page, it limits him as far as shooting.
Weishuhn expects the team to go undefeated and come out of district with momentum.
“Whoever we face [in the playoffs] including Wylie, we can take out and knock off,” Weishuhn said. “We are all ready and believe we can do it.”
Senior point guard Isaac Rangel said the team has worked too hard to lose.
“We want to go undefeated and go to state,” Rangel said. “We just have to keep doing what we do and work hard.”
Junior forward Blue Franklin, who had 14 points and seven rebounds against Andrews, said confidence is key in playoffs.
“It doesn’t matter who we play, we are just going to go in for a win,” Franklin said. “We will not just let them walk all over us because they think they are better.”
Page said the coaches have challenged the team to be courageous from the beginning, and he is just not ready to look to the playoffs yet.
“Once we [look at the playoffs], we will be done,” Page said. “I have to keep their eyes on the area of champions. Once we are undefeated [in district], we can look at the next level.”