Euless Trinity boys basketball hopes to do better than bi-district

Mark Villines is hoping the fourth time is a charm.

The boys basketball coach for the Trinity Trojans is hoping this is the season his team can break through bi-district and advance deep in the postseason.

Led by junior Jhivvan Jackson, last season’s district co-MVP, the Trojans are picked by most to be in the postseason for a fourth straight season, and perhaps even challenge Richland for the District 7-6A championship.

League play begins Saturday when the Trojans travel to Colleyville Heritage, another team that reached bi-district last season.

In fact, last season the Trojans, Colleyville and Southlake Carroll all finished 6-6 in the league. Trinity and Colleyville won the tiebreaker and advanced.

Villines sees defending champion Richland and last year’s runner-up Coppell as the teams to beat again this season. Both advanced to the second round of the postseason in 2014-2015.

“Bell and Southlake could be spoilers and surprise some people,” he said.

Along with Jhivvan Jackson, the Trojans have seen strong play from a number of other players this season, including junior Devin Newton and sophomore Jacob Jackson.

As for players on other teams, Villines is watching junior C.J. Roberts of Richland, last season’s co-MVP, Richland senior Jordan Ford, and 6-5 Coppell junior Sam Marshall.

But no matter the opponent, Villines sees the league as one tough game after another.

“League play will be a grind as always. I think you have to win your home games and then play well on the road,” he said.

The Trojans entered this week’s Byron Nelson Tournament with a 5-3 record in tourney games (8-4 overall). Villines is hoping one more tough tournament will give them a surge of momentum entering district.

“We have had to grind and face some adversity, so I hope that helps down the stretch,” he said. “Playing well in the Byron Nelson tournament will give us good momentum heading into district play.”

Also, the Trojans have played numerous close games, with seven games decided by seven points or loss. They are 5-2 in those games.

“You hope that close games help teach you how to win,” he said. “For learning purposes, I would much rather have a close game than a blowout. District games are all gonna be close.”

This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 10:11 AM with the headline "Euless Trinity boys basketball hopes to do better than bi-district."