Senior Dan Kim, number 22, has been the teams leading scorer this year. Photo by Lexus DeLoach

Many of Coppell High School’s sports teams, such as the football and girls soccer, are known for their ability to go deep into playoffs or even win state, but for the past five years the Coppell Cowgirls basketball team has not been one of them.

The Cowgirls have not had a winning season since 2007-08 and are currently 6-3 in District 7-5A, which is four more games than they did last year and six more than two years ago. The Cowgirls are coming back with the help of new district opponents, more experienced players and a renewed passion for the game.

“The team has improved since last year because we have learned to work together,” sophomore post Katherine Gavin said. “Last year we were a team of individual talents but this year we have come together through a lot of practice and hard work.”

For the past two years, the Cowgirls competed in District 6-5A against Southlake Carroll, Flower Mound Marcus, Hebron and Flower Mound. The Cowgirls finished last or second to last in the final district rankings for the past two seasons.

The Cowgirls currently sit fourth in District 7-5A.

According to the coaches, the new district has helped but it is not one of main factors in the Cowgirls turnaround.

“The new district hasn’t hurt us, but I think we would’ve competed well in either district,” coach Jerry Hoffman said.

Last year the team was overwhelmingly inexperienced, with nine juniors and just four seniors on the roster. With nine returning seniors this year, there are a lot more experienced players than there has been in prior years.

Among them, there is Dan Kim their leading scorer, Reem Moussa one of their strongest guards, and Cody Baxa a junior post. According to the coaches all three girls have been looked at by or gotten offers from colleges.

“Dan Kim has heard from Arkansa State University, Reem Moussa has heard from Northwestern Florida State University, and Codie Baxa is getting interests from colleges,” Hoffman said.

The nine senior Cowgirls have played together long enough to know that knowledge of the game and teamwork are big part of what makes a team successful.

“Having nine seniors allows us to really know each others playing style and develop and natural flow on the court. Also since so many of us are seniors and have been in the program so long teamwork is a huge factor in how we play,” senior Kelsey Dreier said.

The coaches have also said that though the Cowgirls are not the tallest they make up for it by being much faster than their opponents and playing strong defense. The players say that besides their speed and defense, their passion for the game has helped them this year.

“Passion is huge for us since we are a naturally small team, we have to play with big heart” Dreier said. “Also since it is our last year we want to go all out and have a great final season”.

The Cowgirls have improved immensely from last year and will continue to do so as they finish out their season.

The Coppell Cowgirls have struggled come district play in recent seasons, winning just two games in the last two years.
This year, the Cowgirls are hoping to move up in the standings, and their chances start with senior guard Dan Kim.
Kim started playing for the Cowgirls basketball team her freshmen year and by her sophomore year was a starter on varsity. Now, three years later, she is still one of the strongest players on the Cowgirls and is the teams top scorer.
“Dan is a vital member of the team,” coach Jerry Hoffman said. “She is very athletic, plays is great defense and is able to rebound against much taller girls. She is also one of our top scorers averaging 18 points a game and has a career high of 30 points against Azle.”
While Kim has been playing guard for the Coppell Cowgirls for three years her love for the game has grown as much as her versatility. She plays point guard, and alternates between other guard positions.
“Basketball has become an outlet for me whenever I get stressed with homework and everything,” Kim said. “It’s nice to get to go to practice and run it out. It is like my own form of meditation.”
The Cowgirls have had rough seasons in the past, but they have a positive outlook on their upcoming season due in part to the talent Kim brings. She has led the team in scoring team in every game so far and is one of the major reasons the Cowgirls now have a 5-2 pre-season record.
“We have a tremendous amount of talent coming back this year. I expect to make it to playoffs and I feel we could win a few rounds,” Hoffman said.
Kim thinks the team’s best chance at success this year is through an increased effort of teamwork and determination from all of the players.
“ We have a lot of potential if we work hard enough,” Kim said. “Sometimes it is hard to really try your hardest when you have to wake up early for practice, but if we focus and play as a team I think we will do well.”
Kim is one of nine seniors on the Cowgirls basketball team, and she brings refined skills and strong athleticism to the team. Her speed and love for running gives the Cowgirls an edge over slower teams and has made them a solid transition offense. Though she is known for being a talented scorer on offense, Kim is also a very strong defensive player for the Cowgirls.
Kim’s talent isn’t the only thing that makes her a great leader on the team, however. She sets a good example for the team by practicing hard every day and giving her all during every game.
“Dan is a good leader because she is always at practice, she encourages the underclassmen even though she’s a senior and that doesn’t always happen,” sophomore Katherine Gavin said.
The Cowgirls hope Kim will help lead them to victory this season, and with her skill she just might.

After a 2-0 start in district play, Coppell took a step back in their loss to No. 3 state ranked Flower Mound Marcus. Their focus now turns to Lewisville.
The Fighting Farmers (14-9, 2-1) are one of three teams at 2-1 in district 6-5A, along with the Cowboys (14-11, 2-1) and Flower Mound. Brandon Jefferson leads their team in scoring with 18.3 points per game this season.
Coppell made a nice second half comeback against the Marauders but came up just a little short, 44-41. Point guard Andrew Bourg, Coppell’s leading scorer, left the game with an ankle injury; he is still experiencing some pain but is probable for tonight’s game.
A favorable bounce back victory performance tonight would keep the confidence high for the Cowboys. The varsity boys’ starts at 7:30pm, the game is at Coppell.

Nothing starts out a season quite like a victory over your biggest rival. That’s exactly what Coppell did last Friday night knocking off Southlake Carroll 41-31 in the district opener.
Now the Cowboys (13-10, 1-0) come home to face Hebron who will be hungry to nab their first win of the district season. The Hawks (13-9, 0-1) didn’t play well in their loss to Flower Mound, 47-32 last week.
Senior guard Andrew Bourg was the only Coppell player to score in double figures in their win over Southlake with 10, his points per game average is just above that at 10.3, which leads the team.
Hebron is lead offensively by their big three, Alec Heffler, Jeffery Williams and K. Curl who all average over 10 points per game. The Hawks are 6-5 on the road this season; the Cowboys are 8-4 at home.
The girls’ varsity starts at 6:00pm at Coppell High School; the Cowgirls are 0-3 in district thus far and take on the 3-18 Lady Hawks tonight. The boys’ varsity starts at 7:30pm.

Staff Writer

After scoring some style points with pre-game games, the Duncanville Panthers had to work for their 50-45 over Coppell. The defensive struggle was apparent after the first quarter, when score ended at 11-9 in favor of Duncanville.

The Cowboys (5-3) played well throughout, and kept it close the game but just couldn’t get over the proverbial hump and grab hold of the lead. Post man Dallas Riney led Coppell in scoring with 10 points, including an emphatic alley-oop slam from Andrew Bourg that got the crowd on their feet.

It wasn’t all good times however; the Cowboys had several missed short range attempts at the basket that helped the Panthers (8-4) to victory. Do-it-all power forward Perry Jones had a game high 11 points. He too had a scintillating alley-oop dunk.

 The Cowboys trailed for most of the game, but never letting the deficit get insurmountable. Coppell cut the lead to three or two on multiple occasions but Duncanville always made a shot when they needed one.

The Panthers made their free throws down the stretch to seal the win. The Cowboys open with Ennis in the Cedar Hill tournament on Thursday at 12:30pm. To download an excel version of the bracket, click here.

Staff Writer

When the Duncanville Panthers walk into Coppell High School later on today, they’ll have an aura about them, a strut in their step. A swagger that led the Panthers to the UIL 5A state championship game last season and state titles in 1991, 1997 and 2007.

Coppell is coming off a victory over Allen last Tuesday, a game in which they scored double digits in every quarter, something they will undoubtedly need to if they are to contend in this game. The Cowboys (5-2) get Taylor Goebel, Nic Johnston, Kyle Echerd and Carter Kemp back from the gridiron; they will provide plenty of size and athleticism.

 Duncanville (7-4) haven’t jumped out to a great start with first year head coach Eric McDale. The Panthers are led by Baylor-bound and star recruit Perry Jones, who is ranked as the No. 2 overall power forward in the nation on rivals.com. The last meeting between these two teams was in the 2007-08 season on Coppell’s court, Duncanville won 75-43.

This is the first of three games for the Cowboys against the state’s elite programs, Coppell has to travel to Cedar Hill and DeSoto in January, both schools won 5A state championships last season.