Pioneers prepare for championships

TWU Basketball ranked No. 3 in Lone Star conference

Emily Nickles, Editor-in-Chief

TWU Basketball is in its last leg with one more home game this week to finish up the regular season before heading to the Lone Star Conference Championships.

Starting March 2 through March 5, the Pioneers will embark to Allen, TX for the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals in the conference. Future games are to be determined as they wait to see where their standing falls in the ranks. The next game will determine whether the Pioneers maintain or drop in their LSC standing.   

Sunday, Feb. 21, the Pioneers were set against Angelo State Rambelles ranked No. 2, with a record of 11-3 in the conference. The game had several special events going on simultaneously with the Play 4Kay breast cancer awareness group selling TWU t-shirts with their emblem for $10—funds to be donated to research—and the annual Alumni Day where TWU basketball alums were recognized during the halftime show.

Head Coach Beth Jillson shared that the last game was special because of the atmosphere and presence of Play 4Kay. She cited that, not only had a previous TWU student struggled with cancer, but a current team member’s mom has had breast cancer, “They weren’t just battling the other team, they were battling the other issues that they deal with as individuals.”

After Sunday’s game, the TWU Pioneers bumped up in rank to No. 3 in the Lone Star Conference with a score of 10-5 in conference games and 20-7 overall.  Jillson stated, “We’re in a really good position going in to the conference tournament and would really love to win the conference championship…They’re the second team to meet the 21-mark, so that’s pretty special. The other team that did it is from 2011 and they won the Lone Star Conference Championship, so I feel like we’re peaking at the right time.”

The last game is senior day, where the TWU Pioneers aim to honor their graduating teammate, senior forward Danielle Westerfield from Frisco. Jillson emphasized how the game was really important to the graduating senior: “We’re excited to honor her and make it a special night, just rally around her, play for her and send her out on a good note.”

The Pioneers will play their last game of the pre-championship season on Wednesday, Feb. 24 in the Kitty Magee Arena at 7 p.m. They will be facing Cameron, rank No. 6 on the Lone Star Conference website with a score of 7-7. The two teams have faced off before, and will celebrate senior day on the court together.