The varsity boys and girls basketball teams will continue district game play against Dumas at home Friday, Jan. 6.

The Dumas games will follow a 63-40 win for the girls and a  36-57 loss for the boys against Palo Duro Tuesday, Jan 3. Senior Angel Hayden said the girls’ victory was due to cooperative team play.

“We started off great just passing the ball,” Hayden said. “Our shooters were on and we played together as a team so it worked really well for us.”

Hayden said listening to Coach Joe Lombard will be crucial in the Dumas game.

“Our expectations are to play as a team and do what Lombard says–just follow him because he knows what he’s doing,” Hayden said.

With season goals in mind, senior Dakota Puga said the loss motivated the team for future games.

“If you lose a district game, it just makes you want it more,” Puga said. “If we keep losing district games, then we won’t make it to playoffs, and that’s one of the biggest goals we have.”

Puga said the boys’ strategy for the Dumas game involved countering Dumas’s offense.

“Dumas is usually a pretty good team,” Puga said. “They always shoot well against us. Coach Schulte’s game plan for this week is to just take away the three-pointer from them and play good defense.”

The team usually takes competition week by week with the goal of making playoffs.

“Everyone wants to go to the playoffs,” Puga said. “That’s one of my biggest goals–to get to playoffs and after that, win a couple gold balls.”

The junior varsity boys basketball team helped varsity practice for play against Dumas.

“Our JV players do a great job and help us out,” Puga said. “They shoot the ball really well, so they give us a good look at what they’re going to be showing us.”

Both varsity teams will face challenging district play on their ways to playoffs.

“Randall High coming down from 6A just makes it a little bit harder to win district,” Puga said. “We also have Plainview in the district, so a lot more district games.”

In addition to the challenges posed by district play are the challenges posed by the return of cancer for Schulte’s daughter, Tatum.

“It’s really hard on Coach, but he’s always there for us, and we’re always there for her,” Puga said. “Her having cancer also makes us want to play harder, play for her, because all she wants is for us to win.”

Hayden said that Schulte’s condition affects the girls’ team as well.

“Everyone knows Tatum and she keeps me going and pushes me,” Hayden said. “Just talking to her motivates me to play just because of what she’s going through.”