Tuesday’s 60-56 victory over Deweyville was the Sabine Pass Sharks’ first district win in three seasons, according to head coach Cody Almond.

It felt pretty good, he said.

“It’s a better start than the girls varsity team’s had in a while,” he said. “We’re sitting 10-3, and 1-0 in district, so morale is high. They’re having fun, we’re working hard. We’re on the up.”

The young team is lead by freshman Charnel Jones, sister of Lamar State leading scorer Jamyus Jones. Basketball is something that runs in Charnel’s family, Almond says.

“Charnel put up 30,” he said. “The first game we had, I think she dropped like 33. She’s pretty good. She hit three straight threes and four free throws in the last two minutes of the game to take the lead and pretty much ice it. I think she’s averaging 23-24 right now, which is pretty good for a freshman.”

Two sophomores, Nevaeh Jones (Charnel’s sister, the middle of a trio) and Yainn Zuniga, are also contributing strong defense for the Sharks, and seniors Jamesia Jones (the oldest Jones sister) and Brooklyn Dixon are two veterans who know what they’re doing and play hard, Almond says, getting rebounds and doing all the little things that round it out.

“The other starter, Kayla Dominick, she’s a sophomore, so four of my five starters have two more years plus after this, so we have a lot to build on over the next couple of years,” Almond said.

The Sharks will play Hull-Daisetta’s girls team at 6 p.m. before the boys play at Sabine Pass High School. Almond expects the Bobcats to be fast, athletic and play their studs that can shoot and get up and down the court.

In a district with five teams, every district game feels like a rivalry game, Almond says.

“It’s always tough,” Almond said. “There’s history, especially since we haven’t won in a long time, so I think after winning Tuesday, I think Friday’s going to be extra special for these girls to go out and get that first ‘W’ against them because I don’t think any of those people on that team have won against them. It’s a big deal for them. They’re ready for it.

“Everybody in this district is a well coached team. It literally can come down to one possession every game we play, and that goes for everybody. There are no blowouts in this district. It’s a very competitive district as a whole. You’ve got to show up every night.”