SAN ANGELO, TX — As playoffs begin next Monday and Tuesday for high school basketball teams across the Concho Valley, both Menard and Eden girls’ teams are heading into playoffs after claiming gold balls.

The Lady Jackets claimed their first district title since the 2014-15 season, while Eden is back on top for the first time in three years, as both were claimed co-champions out of District 12-1A.

Menard, who is under second-year head coach Samantha Bell, knocked off Eden last week for the first time in seven years and will be the one seed out of 12-1A once playoffs begin next week. The Lady Jackets will play either Bronte or Garden City.

“I am super pumped and excited and humble and grateful that we were able to pull it off and I’m just going to keep going back to the girls because they do all the work and I just get to stand there and they make me look good,” said Bell.

“Our slogan here this year is a ‘New Era’ and I feel like that is true for all aspects of our sports I think this would be a great way to start achieving our goals and furthering them for kids growing up and making them have that energy to do good and strive for the best and see that it is possible and we have done it so I think it would be great to further on and do well,” said Lady Jacket senior post/guard Addy Bannowski.

The Lady Bulldogs from Eden, under head coach Travis Nicks, have seen quite the success on the court this season despite only having eight or nine players at a time didn’t let that affect them as they put on quite the show this season, earning themselves the number two seed out of District 12-1A.

“It’s something that I know that we have been striving for since our freshmen year. Last year we had Veribest in our district and they were always tough competition but this year it feels great to be at the top and we are just really excited for the playoffs,” said Lady Bulldog Junior post Tatum Kinnibrugh.

Lady Bulldog senior post/guard Haylee Howard on what coach Nicks tells the group ahead of the playoffs: “He wants us to play to the best of our ability and to know that we are a great team and we have opportunities that we really haven’t seen in a while and to know that we have the ability to win and to play against great teams and win”.

Eden will play Robert Lee in the Bi-District round on Monday, February 13th at 7:45 pm in Winters.