Slam dunks, highlight reels and the best regular season record in school history: that’s the resume the Little Elm Lobos basketball team has built this season, making them one of the top\u2011ranked teams in Texas.<\/p>\n
“Whenever we play out there together, we don’t really think too much,” Little Elm guard John Weems said. “We’re just out there having fun. It’s like second nature to us. We just play together, move the ball…it’s just a fun game.”<\/p>\n
But those are just boxes that have been checked off.<\/p>\n
What the Lobos are really after is their first state title.<\/p>\n
“We have nine seniors\u2026 It’s our last year,” Little Elm guard Kensington Candler said. “We just want to get it. My first two years, we weren’t that good. Last year we made the playoffs, lost, but we don’t want to feel that feeling again… just trying to win a state championship for us and the city.”<\/p>\n
“I try to tell them to know that they have a target on our back,” Little Elm head coach Damon Barnett said. “A lot of people are going to try and come at us and try to be the one to say they knocked us off and beat us.”<\/p>\n
Little Elm has been turning heads, not just because they are winning, but because of how they are doing it. They defend, they’re lethal on the fast break, and they attack the rim with authority. They’re so good at it, they’ve earned a nickname: the Showtime Lobos.<\/p>\n
“We bring a different level of excitement to our fanfare, ” Barnett said. “They’re exciting to watch. Fans love watching the highlights and things like that.”<\/p>\n
“We play really fast, and other teams can’t really keep up,” Weems said. “We try to make the game really fun to watch for our fans and the people coming in because we don’t want to waste their time.”<\/p>\n
Speaking of the fans, the Lobos have stressed that they are playing for more than just themselves, because the entire city has rallied around this team.<\/p>\n
For a school that’s never gotten past the third round of the playoffs, the thought of being the team that finally brings home the trophy is something the players say they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n
“It means more for me to win for our community, because we got a lot of support from our community,” Barnett said. “It’s a memory that you will forever remember… long-lasting, something you can tell your kids about, but for the most part, we want to do it for our community.”<\/p>\n
“It’s really crazy from just having a little student section… maybe 40 people in the student section, and now the games are sold out,” Candler said. “I would have never imagined we would have this much support. Little Elm hasn’t won in a minute. We just want to get this for us, the city and coach Barnett.”<\/p>\n