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Back on top: Horn claims outright district championship for first time in five years
By DEVIN HASSON, dhasson@starlocalnews.com
It is hard to nitpick at a program's pedigree when it has never missed the playoffs.
At Horn, though, expectations are high and although they have been near the top of the district standings every season, they set their sights on a return to the top this year.
The Jaguars completed their mission on Tuesday, as their 46-25 victory over North Mesquite gave them their first outright district championship in five years.
"It's huge, we were looking at the banners around the gym and we saw that it had been 2007-2008 since the last outright championship," said Horn head coach Kacie Brewer, who is in her first season with the Jaguars. "The girls set that as a goal so to see them go out there and achieve that is very rewarding."
After a district-opening setback to Rockwall, Horn did not lose again in district play and it ran its overall winning streak to nine in a row against North Mesquite.
The Jaguars put the clamps on the Stallions from the start as they raced to a 25-5 lead at halftime. Lauren Bradshaw scored 14 points and Jada Underwood added 10 for Horn, while Makqhuisha Carruth led North Mesquite with 14.
While Tuesday provided the exclamation point, the 12-5A title represents a season-long journey.
"We've had some people out at different times all year long," Brewer said. "I'm so proud of the team and how they stepped up through adverse situations. They always have each other back and they step up when they need to."
The Jaguars, making their 11th consectutive postseason appearance, will bring a healthy team into the playoff opener against Sachse. Although the Mustangs finished fourth in 11-5A, they are just one season removed from a trip to the Class 5A Region II championship game.
"They definitely have a good team and we're going to have to be ready, we're starting a new season 0-0," Brewer said. "I felt like the second half of district, we really played with a lot more intensity and we are going to have to continue to do that. We've gotten a couple of our goals and now we want to make it to the regional tournament and hopefully, the state tournament."
While those latter goals have eluded Horn during the years, they have enjoyed some playoff success, making it beyond the first round in eight of 10 trips. And as they did in reclaiming the district title, the Jaguars are hoping this season ends with more history being made.
"I think they just need to do what they have done all year, play with heart, hard work, leadership, character," Brewer said. "In the playoffs, there is always the chance that you might not get to play another game and that is big for them because of the unity they have. They bought into it from the start and it has helped us get this far and it will help us now in the playoffs."
Follow Devin Hasson on Twitter at @DevinHasson.
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