The reigning 5A state girls’ state championship basketball team begins defense of its title at 5 p.m. Thursday when the Redhawks take on McKinney North (19-5) at Denton Braswell in the first round of the playoffs.

Following a season of ups and downs, junior Jazzy Owens-Barnett feels that her aspirations have not changed and hopes the team will take state again this season.

“My expectations are the same as last year, same mindset but a new year,” Owens-Barnett said via text.

Similarly, junior Ashley Anderson believes the team is more than prepared to take on the challenges headed their way.

“My predictions for games to come are very positive as we are ready for playoffs and are preparing to play every opponent each day,” Anderson said via text.

Hoping to reclaim their spot at the top, the team is excited for their first round and look forward to the competition.

“I have felt a different mentality this year than last,” Owens-Barnett said. “Last year we had something to prove, this year we have something to claim.”

Head Coach Ross Reedy is looking forward to the start of another playoff run.

“I’m excited for some of our kids to be in this new situation,” Reedy said. “Many of our kids have been here before and played a number of playoff games. We are the type of team that needs fine tuning and every time we get to go out there and see our kids play, I see us getting closer and closer to becoming a great version of ourselves.”