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The DeSoto girls basketball team will be making its sixth trip to a regional tournament in the last eight seasons thanks to Tuesday’s 58-57 victory over District 11-5A rival Mesquite at Lancaster High.

DeSoto (33-5) will face Spring Dekaney (38-1) in the second of two Region II semifinals at 8 p.m. Friday at Baylor’s Ferrell Special Events Center in Waco.

UIL BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS
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Under Larry Goad, in his 27th year as head coach, DeSoto has reached at least the third round of the playoffs in eight straight seasons. DeSoto was a state finalist in 2008.

College signees Jordan Jones (Texas A&M) and Bryce Owens (New Mexico), a pair of 5-foot-6 senior guards, combined for the dramatic winning basket with 14 seconds remaining against upset-minded Mesquite (22-11).

Jones intercepted an inbound pass with DeSoto trailing 57-56. The steal led to a go-ahead layup for Owens. DeSoto withstood Mesquite’s final possession that ended in a missed 3-pointer.

The victory was the 16th in a row for DeSoto, which ended the regular season ranked No. 4 in ESPN Dallas Class 5A Top 10. Three of its wins in the current streak have come at the expense of Mesquite, including two in district play.

Jones, averaging a team-best 14.3 points a game, led DeSoto with 15 points. Owens, second on the season for the Lady Eagles with a 10.4 average, had 13.

Jones is ranked No. 14 nationally in the Class of 2012 by ESPNU Hoop Gurlz and No. 3 among point guards.

Mesquite’s Briana Caro led all scorers with 26 points, including eight 3-pointers.

The Lady Eagles have gotten solid play from 6-foot senior Summer Melontree, the team’s leading rebounder, and 6-foot junior forward Camesha Davis.

Duncanville completed its second straight undefeated District 5-5A girls basketball campaign with a convincing 63-41 home court victory over Mansfield Timberview on Tuesday night.

The district title was the 69^th for the storied program.

The Pantherettes extended their win streak to 21 games and stretched their string of victories in district play to 32 dating back to the 2009-2010 season.

Duncanville (33-1) is No. 2 in ESPNDallas.com's Class 5A Top 10 and No. 22 nationally in the POWERADE FAB 50 Girls' Basketball Rankings.

Senior guard Empress Davenport, a Texas signee, and sophomore guard Tasia Foman each scored 16 points to lead the Pantherettes against Timberview, which finished third in 5-5A. Duncanville didn't pull away until the second half.

Plano West handed Duncanville its only defeat, 58-50, in the finals of the Collin County Roundball Classic on Dec. 3. That defeat was avenged when Duncanville defeated Plano West, 55-38, in the finals of the Sandra Meadows Classic on Dec. 29 at Duncanville.

Duncanville faces off against Hurst L.D. Bell (26-9), the fourth seed from District 6-5A, in a Region I bi-district playoff slated for 6:30 p.m. Monday at Grand Prairie High’s Amos Turner Gymnasium.

No. 3 ranked Plano West and Irving MacArthur, the top-ranked Class 5A team, are in the opposite end of the Region I bracket and could meet Duncanville only in a regional final.

"We accomplished one of our goals of going unbeaten in district,'' said Duncanville coach Cathy Self-Morgan. "Now our goal is to win the next seven. It won't be easy. We are in a very tough region. But I like the way we are playing.''

Waxahachie returns to the girls state basketball playoffs after a rare absence a season ago.

The Lady Indians (20-9), runner-up in District 15-4A, face Round Rock Cedar Ridge (25-10) in the opener of a Region II bi-district doubleheader scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Waco High.

The second game matches 15-4A champion West Mesquite against Hutto, fourth-place finisher in 16-4A.

Waxahachie has relied on defense to make up for a lack of height and a youthful lineup. The Lady Indians start two sophomores, two juniors and one senior.

“Nobody is taller than 5-8, so we have to be good on defense,’’ said Waxahachie coach Lesli Priebe, who guided the Lady Indians to the Class 4A state title in 2006.

Waxahachie counts on the rebounding and scoring of 5-foot-7 junior Ja’Mayia Perez and the all-around play of 5-foot-6 senior guard Taylor Hill.

Cedar Ridge is a new high school without a senior class, so its roster of two freshmen, five sophomores and three juniors is younger than that of Waxahachie. Cedar Ridge enjoys an advantage in height with 6-foot-2 sophomore Courtney Brown.

The teams closed the regular season in opposite fashion, with Waxahachie winning its final three and Cedar Ridge dropping its last three to fall into a tie for second place in District 16-4A. Cedar Ridge settled for the third-place playoff berth after losing a coin flip with Pflugerville Connally.

In its two most recent playoff trips in 2009 and 2010, Waxahachie advanced three rounds before losing in the Region II semifinals.

“We’ve gotten great effort from our girls this season,’’ Priebe said. “We’ll need to play our best against Cedar Ridge.’’

The Frisco Wakeland Lady Wolverines would have felt guilty this season if they'd taken a possession off, had a lazy practice or failed to meet their obligations off the court.

A simple glance at their bench would remind them what it means to persevere against long odds.

Wakeland assistant coach Jenny Mills was diagnosed with breast cancer last summer and began chemotherapy just as basketball season began.

Despite her condition, Mills missed just one game this season.

"She handled it like a champ," said Wakeland head coach Darilyn Krempin. "She's one of the strongest people I know. I think a lot of it is because she kept on going and didn't allow it to hold her back."

The Lady Wolverines (23-10, 11-1 in District 9-4A) rallied behind their coach this season. After losing the star players from their powerhouse 2010-11 team, Wakeland had a relatively slower start to the season and some outsiders began questioning whether it was the same team it had been the past two years.

But after surviving a difficult nondistrict schedule, Wakeland closed the season by ripping off eight straight wins, capped by Tuesday night's 61-35 victory over Carrollton R.L. Turner to clinch the District 9-4A title.

According to Krempin, Wakeland's success has come because of its belief in the team mentality that's developed around the program because of Mills. The Lady Wolverines rarely have the same leading scorer twice in a row as Alana Aguirre, Faith Hunt, Bria Platenburg, Danielle Westerfield and Darian Dunn have all shared the load during district play.

"We've had the success we've had this year because of the real team, family bonding, because of the things outside of basketball," Krempin said. "It's been a really unique, cool, special season, not even because of anything to do with being district champions."

In turn, Mills has drawn strength from her team. Krempin said the assistant's condition has improved and that "the worst is behind her."

"She's doing great," Krempin said. "I think it's helped her get through it. I think it's good that it was during the season instead of during the summer when we're all away from each other and sitting around doing nothing."

Wakeland opens the playoffs at 7 p.m. Monday at Prosper High School against McKinney North.

The defending Class 5A state champion Flower Mound Marcus boys are attracting all the attention heading into the playoffs, but the Marcus girls may be poised for a run of their own behind a stellar defense.

Marcus (22-12, 11-3 in 8-5A) finished second in a highly competitive District 8-5A behind Plano West and held numerous area powerhouses to surprisingly low point totals.

Plano West, No. 3 in the ESPNDallas.com Class 5A area rankings, boasts one of the best offenses in the area and averages 64 points per game. It scored just 47 in a win over Marcus.

Plano East, which averages 57 points per game, put up just 29 on Marcus in a loss earlier this year.

Plano isn't too far behind East and West at 56 points per game. In two games against Marcus, Plano scored 29 and 37 points -- both losses.

On the year, Marcus is giving up 42 points per game, and any team with a great defense has a chance to win.

Unfortunately for Marcus, it opens the playoffs against a team that may have an even better defense -- Denton Guyer.

Guyer (25-8, 10-4 in 7-5A) finished dead last in District 7-5A a year ago and had its issues even before it moved up to 5A, but the team has rebounded under second-year coach Harold Colson, who put together strong defensive teams during his tenure at Arlington High.

The Lady Wildcats give up a miniscule 34 points per game.

The two play at 6 p.m. on Monday at Trophy Club Byron Nelson in a game where points will be at a premium.

Denton Ryan is no stranger to standout point guards, and this season is no different.

This year, the Lady Raiders boast a surging Teana Ogden, a junior who is already getting noticed on the recruiting trail.

Her evaluation on ESPN HS describes her as an "ultra quick point guard with great hands and great court vision." Her statistics certainly back that up.

Ogden averages 19 points, five rebounds and four assists per game, making her one of the most well-rounded guards in the area.

And she's lifting her team in the process. Ryan (17-8, 7-1) is now in sole possession of first place in District 4-4A following its 54-42 win over long-time rival Wichita Falls Rider, and looks poised to make another deep run in the playoffs.

The Lady Raiders should be as battle tested as any 4A team in the area by the time the playoffs roll around. In addition to playing in a competitive district, Ryan's nondistrict schedule was laced with elite 5A opponents, including Irving MacArthur, DeSoto, Lewisville and Duncanville.

Ryan reached the third round of the playoffs each of the last two years.

The emphasis is defense for the Mansfield Summit girls basketball team.

Lady Jaguars coach Tammy Lusinger estimates 70 percent of her team’s practice time has been spent on defense.

“It’s probably getting closer to 50-50 at this point in the season,’’ Lusinger said, “but I learned from the coach here before me, Samantha Morrow, that defense shows up every night. That’s not always the case with offense.’’

The formula is working. Summit (25-3, 10-0 in District 7-4A), No. 2 in ESPNDallas.com's Class 4A Top 10, goes for its 29^th consecutive district victory at 6:30 p.m. Friday when it travels to Crowley.

Lusinger picks her spots for Summit’s use of full-court pressure and relies mostly on man-to-man defense in the half-court.

The defensive tone is set by junior guard Maya Hawkins, one of the smallest players on the team at 5-foot-5 and 120 pounds.

“Maya is tenacious with on-the-ball defense,’’ Lusinger said.

Ashley Eli, a 5-foot-9 senior who has signed with North Carolina State, already owns the Summit school record for drawing charges.

“Ashley is always in the right place at the right time,’’ Lusinger said.

“Everybody on the team has bought into doing what is necessary to play defense.’’

Summit holds its opponents to an average of 38.1 points per game.

In addition to setting the tone on defense, Hawkins and Eli are Summit’s leading scorers with scoring averages of 14.6 and 11.7, respectively. Hawkins leads the team in assists (3.7) and Eli in rebounds (6.4).

On an undersized Mesquite girls basketball team, senior Michelle Espinoza is an unsung hero in the eyes of coach Jan Newland.

The 5-foot-7 Espinoza, Mesquite's starting post, regularly goes up against the opponent's tallest player.

“I can guarantee you won’t find anybody tougher than Michelle in our district,’’ Newland said. “She’s really a hard worker.

“With our lack of height, it is very important that we do a good job of blocking out so we don’t allow the second and third shots,‘’ Newland added.

Offensively, Mesquite is led by 5-foot-5 senior guard Cemetra Jenkins, who averages 17.4 points per game. Backcourt mate Briana Caro, a sophomore averaging 12.8 points, connected on four 3-pointers (giving her 66 for the season) in Tuesday’s 47-37 loss to DeSoto, which is ranked No. 4 in ESPNDallas.com's Class 5A Top 10.

Junior forward Viershanie Latham, a 2011 Region II qualifier in the triple jump for the track and field team, pulled down 14 rebounds against DeSoto. Latham averages 10.2 points and nine rebounds.

A 61-49 road victory at Tyler Lee last Friday has helped position the Lady Skeeters as a playoff contender.

“I think we’ll be fine,’’ Newland said. “We just need to take care of business. The win in Tyler was big for our kids and I thought we did a good job against DeSoto.’’

Mesquite (17-9, 3-3 in District 11-5A) faces Mesquite Horn (12-14, 4-2) at 7 p.m. Friday on the road in an important 11-5A contest. In their first district meeting on Jan. 6, Mesquite squandered an 18-point lead and lost, 48-42, in overtime.

Plano West head coach Don Patterson always preaches the importance of team basketball and sharing the load offensively.

His team is practicing what he preaches to perfection this season. On any given night, any number of players could end up being the Lady Wolves' leading scorer.

Since reopening district play in January, West has had five different leading scorers in seven games, and there's usually a player just a point or two behind the leader every night.

In West's win over Flower Mound Marcus on Tuesday, junior guard Allison Staley led the way with 12 points. In Friday's win over Plano East, Paige Womack had a team-high 16 points. Devri Owens, Lindsey Oh, Kiran Lakhian, Tyara Warren, Mattie Swearingen and Randi Reinhardt have also led the team in scoring in a game this season.

This trend has West scoring 63 points per game while giving up just 41 as the Lady Wolves look poised for a state-title run after losing to eventual state champion Irving MacArthur in the third round a year ago.

The Lady Wolves (28-2, 10-0 in 8-5A) have a three-game lead on District 8-5A with four games remaining in the regular season, and the only two losses for ESPNDallas.com's No. 3 team, against state powers MacArthur and DeSoto.

West also boasts experience that it didn't have last year. Six major contributors from last year's team return, including four underclassmen, and -- as always -- West is getting production all the way down its long bench from new contributors.

Football may not be the only sport in which Frisco ISD sweeps District 9-4A.

Frisco's girls basketball teams currently occupy all four of the district's playoff spots, as Frisco Liberty, Frisco Wakeland, Frisco Centennial and Frisco Heritage are in line to make the playoffs in 9-4A.

In fact, those four teams look so strong that it may be moot that Frisco ISD's sweeps the district. The more intriguing question might be the order in which those teams finish.

Each of the four is a game ahead of the team behind it, with Liberty (16-10, 8-0) leading the way and Heritage (19-8, 5-3) sitting in fourth, two games ahead of Carrollton Newman Smith. Wakeland (17-10, 7-1) is second and Centennial (19-9, 6-2) is third.

Ironically, the order is the exact opposite in overall win percentage. Heritage leads in that category with a .703 win percentage and Liberty is fourth at .615, suggesting it could be a wild finish in the district.

But the pecking order within the district is pretty clear. None of the four non-playoff teams have yet to win against the four playoff teams, and of the four playoff teams, none of them have beaten a team currently ahead of them in the standings.

The top two teams in the District 5-5A girls basketball standings collide at 6 p.m. Friday when Duncanville (27-1, 8-0 in 5-5A) hosts neighbor Cedar Hill (22-5, 7-1) at Sandra Meadows Arena.

With a win, Cedar Hill could move into a tie for first in 5-5A win five games remaining in the regular season. A loss to Duncanville would drop the Lady Longhorns two games off the lead.

Cedar Hill’s only district blemish came courtesy of Duncanville, 53-30, at Cedar Hill on Dec. 16. Jada Terry, a 6-foot-3 post, led Cedar Hill in scoring in that game with 10 points. Junior Kiara Perry had 14 points to lead Duncanville.

Terry is one three Cedar Hill juniors with double-figure scoring averages in district games. The others are Candace Adams, a 5-foot-7 guard, and LaBrittney Jones, a 5-foot-11 forward. All three were varsity contributors as freshmen when Cedar Hill went to the state Final Four.

Terry and Adams, Nos. 28 and 48 respectively on the ESPN HoopGurlz 2013 national recruiting list, have made verbal commitments to Texas.

Cedar Hill has been on the losing end of seven of the last eight district meetings with Duncanville, with the lone win coming at Duncanville (63-60) in the 2009-10 season.

Duncanville is ranked No. 2 in the ESPNDallas.com Class 5A Top 10. Cedar Hill is No. 7.

Southlake Carroll has already fulfilled many of the goals it set for itself heading into the season.

The Lady Dragons lost just two games in nondistrict play, well below their goal of less than five. They've achieved recognition by breaching the top 10 in state rankings and, with eight returning lettermen, they looked well on their way to reaching the regional tournament.

But getting to regionals may be undermined by their inability to reach their final goal -- staying healthy.

Having already lost Janelle Jenkins for the year, Carroll (24-2, 8-0 in District 7-5A) was dealt an even bigger blow when leading scorer and rebounder Kayla Reinhart went down with injury during last week's win over Denton Guyer.

Reinhart is expected to miss four to six weeks. Head coach Teri Morrison hopes to have Reinhart back for the second round of the playoffs.

"We have to put kids in slots, hope they progress and find a way to win," Morrison said of adjusting to the injuries. "Of course it makes the road a lot harder for us. We just have to be smarter with the shot."

The injuries could not have come at a worse time, as Carroll has the look of a legitimate state-title contender when healthy.

The Lady Dragons have lost just two games this year, to DeSoto and Little Rock (Ark.) Hall, and have beaten a number of impressive teams in the process, including Mansfield Timberview Twice and North Crowley.

"We do a lot more perimeter play with this team [than with last year's team], a lot more pushing tempo," Morrison said. "We just push the tempo a lot more and don't hammer inside as much."

That's led to some lopsided scores, especially in district play. The Lady Dragons have yet to give up 40 points in a district game and have given up less than 30 in five of the eight contests, including holding Keller Fossil Ridge to just 18 in December.

But with injuries to Carroll's key players, the focus is now on just winning the next game and getting healthy as soon as possible.

"We have to take care of the next game Friday night, because it's going to be a tough one," Morrison said. "The way things go, anybody on any night can step up and play well and have a chance to win."

The Lady Dragons host Keller at 6 p.m. on Friday.

With its lineup of five guards, the Aledo girls basketball team depends on full-court defense and an up-tempo style to wear down opponents.

Coach Rusty Johnson’s formula is working well for the Lady Bearcats (22-4), winners of 11 straight games. Aledo leads District 5-4A with an 8-0 record and is ranked No. 4 in the ESPNDallas.com Class 4A Top 10.

“We’re fortunate to have excellent guards, and my philosophy is to have my best players on the floor,’’ said Johnson. “We have enough height with Mallory Powell to defend the post. Offensively, we have a dribble-drive mindset.’’

Powell (5-foot-10) is the only junior on the varsity roster and the team’s leading scorer at 17.6 points per game. The all-state selection from a season ago also leads the team in rebounds with 7.6 per game. And she draws fouls, as 118 trips to the free throw line attest.

Alyssa Dry, a 5-foot-8 freshman point guard, tops the team in assists and is second in scoring with 14.5 points per game.

“Point guard is not an easy position for a freshman, but Alyssa has stepped in and delivered a lot of firepower,’’ Johnson said.

Senior Alanna Martin, a four-year starter, was the district’s defensive player of the year a year ago and averages 8.9 points. Sophomore Megan Wood and senior Caileen Tallant round out the starting five.

Although Hannah Loftin is not a starter, the 5-foot-6 senior is a key contributor. She is third on the squad in scoring with a 9.2 average and had a team-leading 21 points (on seven 3-pointers) in Tuesday’s 60-51 victory at Birdville.

“Hannah was all-district last year, but she seems to be more comfortable coming off the bench,’’ the coach said. “She could be starting, and I’ve talked to her about it. All she wants to do is win.’’

Johnson, in his third season as head coach, said Aledo had lofty goals this season with several returnees from last season’s 30-3 team. The 2010-11 Lady Bearcats were eliminated in a 59-52 overtime loss to Stephenville in the area round. Aledo was without senior star Logan Mittie for most of that defeat after she suffered a first-quarter injury.

“We had a pretty good run last season and our focus now is taking care of district,’’ Johnson said. “We have six seniors, but we’re still a young team. We’ve got things going in the right direction.’’

Aledo goes for consecutive district win No. 23 at 6 p.m. Friday with a road game at Fort Worth Brewer.

The investment Denton made in its young players four years ago is paying off this season.

Guard Jasmine Taylor (four-year starter) and post Jamecia Brown (three-year starter) have the Lady Broncos (18-7, 3-2 in District 4-4A) enjoying their first winning season since 2006-07, and the team looks poised to make the playoffs in 4-4A.

"We've been building this thing now for four years," said Denton head coach Dennis Krishka. "We're starting to see the fruits of our labor a little bit. We're pretty darn competitive."

Denton has come a long way since Taylor's freshman year. With the school still struggling with enrollment following the opening of Denton Guyer, the Lady Broncos won just three games in the 2008-09 season and continued to struggle with a lineup peppered with inexperienced players.

But those players are now seasoned veterans who've seen everything but the playoffs. Taylor and Brown lead the team in scoring with around 14 points per game.

Denton also has depth for maybe the first time since Krishka arrived in Denton in 2006-07. Young players that would be forced to start in previous years now fill holes around Taylor and Brown and come off the bench.

"We told them at the beginning of the year that we were going to go as far as they'd take us," Krishka said of Taylor and Brown. "We've got some nice role players that have filled in too."

The Lady Broncos currently sit in third place in 4-4A, a game behind state-ranked Wichita Falls Rider and Denton Ryan (14-8, 4-1).

To make the playoffs, Krishka believes Denton needs to improve its play on the road. The team has yet to win a road game in district play and is coming off a 53-29 thrashing at Rider in a game where Krishka said his team lacked energy.

Senior Acheil Tac is playing just her second year of varsity basketball, but it didn't take her long to make an impact at Sachse.

She earned Offensive Player of the Year honors in District 10-5A last season and signed a national letter of intent in November to play for North Texas.

Her encore has been even more impressive. Tac is averaging 15 points and eight rebounds per game in leading Sachse to first place in 10-5A, and this may be the best season in the short history of the Lady Mustangs (20-6, 6-0).

Sachse has a two-game lead on the entire district at the midway point of 10-5A play and looks like a lock to make the playoffs, as its losses are all to elite teams -- DeSoto, Frisco Wakeland and Dallas Lincoln, among others.

Sachse traditionally has been a solid team. It made the playoffs in 2009 and even won a playoff game in 2008, but Tac has the Lady Mustangs poised for a banner year.