Sachse senior Brayden Banks and the Mustangs basketball team will travel to Naaman Forest on Friday night. Photo by Tina Lopez / C&S Media

By Mark Saldana

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GARLAND — The Sachse boys basketball team secured an important District 9-6A victory Monday night, pulling away in the second half to defeat North Garland 55-38 at North Garland High School.

Entering the matchup, both teams were 6-4 in district play, making the contest critical in a tightly packed league race. The Mustangs responded with one of their most complete performances of the season.

The first quarter featured a defensive chess match, with both teams struggling to find consistent offense early. Sachse’s Matthew Hudgins set the tone, knocking down a pair of pull-up jumpers to give the Mustangs a slim lead midway through the period.

North Garland briefly grabbed momentum with a deep 3-pointer to go up 7-6, but Hudgins immediately answered with a 3-pointer of his own. Sachse then closed the quarter strong when John Dupont finished a tough layup just before the buzzer, giving the Mustangs an 11-7 advantage.

Sachse broke the game open in the second quarter. Dupont came off the bench and provided a spark, scoring inside before drilling a 3-pointer that stretched the lead to 18-7. Hudgins added another 3-pointer, and a steal and score pushed the Mustangs ahead 24-11, forcing a North Garland timeout.

Brayden Banks hit a pair of pull-up jumpers, and Hudgins capped the half with a crafty bucket just before the horn as Sachse carried a 30-16 lead into halftime.

Hudgins led all scorers with 23 points, followed by 11 from Dupont.

After the game, Mustangs head coach Micah Moore emphasized the significance of the win.

“It was a big one for us,” Moore said. “Our district is so congested in the middle, and we told the guys before the game we needed to get some separation. Tonight helped us do that.”

Earlier in the night, the Sachse Lady Mustangs (9-4 in district play) cruised to a 56-33 victory over North Garland.

By halftime, Sachse already held a commanding 34-5 advantage, powered by suffocating defense and efficient scoring in transition. North Garland struggled to find rhythm against the Mustangs’ pressure, committing turnovers that led to easy opportunities on the other end.

Sachse carried that momentum into the third quarter. A strong offensive rebound and putback by Maya McClarity pushed the lead to 38-7, and the Lady Mustangs continued to clamp down defensively. Moments later, Trinity Thompson picked off a pass and finished a fast-break layup to extend the margin to 40-10.

Junior guard Trinity Thompson led all scorers with 27 points, while Arianna Gregory added 18.

“It’s always good to win, and this was a big win for us,” head coach Donna McCullough said. “We’re getting toward the end of our district schedule, so it’s important that we keep getting better and continue to play hard every night.”

McCullough highlighted several players who made an impact, particularly Thompson.

“Trinity is always one of our leaders, and she was one of our main scorers tonight,” McCullough said. “They did a great job staying in their roles all night.”