The Barbers Hill Lady Eagles are rolling through District 21-5A with a mission to avenge last season's opening round playoff loss to Crosby. The 73-70 loss left a bitter taste to a program accustomed to long playoff runs.
First year head coach Bryan Harris brought his own championship pedigree from Manvel where he led the Lady Mavericks to the 2014 state title over powerhouse Duncanville. His talented group this year has the makings for another deep run beginning the week of February 17.
"We played some decent teams earlier in the year, we beat the teams we were supposed to beat," said Harris, who had a 215-48 record at Manvel over seven seasons.
"We'll see once the big dance starts."
The Lady Eagles bring with them impressive wins over solid 6A teams Pearland (20-10), Cy-Fair (18-11), and Klein Oak (17-8), a true litmus test of measuring how Barbers Hill can compete with the top 5A in the region.
"You try to get your kids to play as hard as they can and play for that name on the front of the jersey. There are a lot of 5A teams that can beat 6A and vice versa."
Leading the team is all-world senior power forward Jaelin Holden who is the returning District MVP and TGCA All-State. At 5'10" the versatile Holden is a match-up nightmare in the paint and averages 15 ppg.
Other returning all-district players are senior Jazlyn Marcus and sophomore Rachel Sarlls.
The most dangerous player however is freshman sensation Dalanna Carter who runs the show as the point guard. The 5'7" wizard is already a division one prospect and will be the key to any state tournament run for BH.
"You would think as a freshman she would make freshman mistakes," said Harris.
"But she's so dynamic as a player, so efficient in what she does on the court, she might be the best guard in the state as a freshman.
Finally Harris brings a new attitude to a program that prides itself on a championship mentality.
"At Barbers Hill it's unacceptable to lose in the first round," said Harris.
"We're going to improve on what we did last year, the girls are fired up and they're hungry. We're going to focus on our next game and figure out a way to run the gauntlet."
Next up for Barbers Hill is a road game Tuesday evening at Vidor. Tip off at 7pm.
If you would like to listen to our podcast interview with Lady Eagles head basketball coach Bryan Harris click on the play button below this article.