Lady Elks make playoffs on Summit loss; face Denton-Ryan in first round
Lady Elks make playoffs on Summit loss; face Denton-Ryan in first round
Lady Elks to face the District 7-5A champion Denton Ryan Lady Raiders in first playoff game since 2015
MANSFIELD and HALTOM CITY – The Burleson Lady Elks varsity basketball team made the UIL Playoffs for the first time since 2015 as the Cleburne Lady Yellow Jackets beat the Mansfield Summit Lady Jaguars 58-38 Tuesday at Summit High School.
The Lady Elks (9-7 in district, 17-13 overall) made the fourth and final District 8-5A playoff spot as they finished a game ahead of Summit (8-8, 12-22), avoiding a playoff-tiebreaker.
The Lady Elks were prepared to play the tiebreaker-game against Summit, Lady Elks head coach Brenda Gomez said. She said the players “had the right mindframe” as they felt their fate was in their hands.
Gomez is “over the top” about the Lady Elks making the playoffs for the first time in her three-year tenure as head coach.
“I’m just so happy that the kids have this opportunity to know and understand that hard work has paid off,” Gomez said. She added that she hopes making the playoffs will encourage others to stick with the Lady Elks basketball program and stick with basketball in general.
Gomez said making the playoffs added “topping to the cake” after she felt like her players finally bought into her coaching approach in the first half of the 2023-24 season.
“Finally it’s not just talk anymore,” Gomez said. “It’s hard work and belief that whenever you decide to work together and know that everybody’s a part of the team, and that’s including coaches, that limits are unbelievable.”
The Lady Elks will face the District 7-5A champion Denton Ryan Lady Raiders (13-1, 28-7) in the first round of the 2024 UIL Playoffs Tuesday at 8 p.m. at W.G. Thomas Coliseum in Haltom City.
Gomez said “there’s no getting around” that the Lady Elks have to be mentally tough to win in the playoffs. She added that mental toughness will be the key to every part of their game from now on.
“When we believe that [mental toughness] has got to be a part of our game, we can do some amazing things,” Gomez said.