Slocum Lady Mustangs’ Playoff Run Ends, As School Family Remains
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
SLOCUM – When the final buzzer sounded in the Class 1A Division I Regional Final, the Slocum Lady Mustangs stood together at midcourt, their season over after a 48–24 loss to Dodd City.
There were tears and embraces. And there was the understanding that while the game had ended, what they built this year would not.
Slocum finished the season 25–9 overall and a perfect 12–0 in district play, advancing through the playoffs and finishing just one win shy of the state tournament.
For head coach Mark Leuschner, the journey was about more than the bracket.
“We started off not playing very well,” Leuschner said. “But I always felt like, with the character of our kids, they were going to fight through adversity.”
The early schedule was intentionally difficult.
“We intentionally scheduled a tough non-district slate,” he said. “It paid off when we reached district play. We were really playing well. It is attributed to their work, their resiliency and the fact that they love each other.”
That word — love — surfaced again and again as players reflected on the year.
Senior guard Janet Guest called it her favorite season in a Slocum uniform.
“This year has definitely been my favorite out of my four years in Slocum basketball,” Guest said. “I love my team, and we are more than just a team. We are definitely family. I consider every one of these girls to be my sisters.”
The Lady Mustangs were not built on overwhelming size or speed. They built their identity on effort.
“We are not the most athletic team,” Guest said, smiling. “But one thing we do have is that we never quit. If there is a loose ball, we are on the floor getting it.”
For Guest, that mentality is deeply personal.
“I have had a pretty rough journey getting here,” she said. “You cannot stop, no matter what is going on around you or what the score of the game is. No matter what people are saying, you just keep going.”
She said her motivation rarely centers on herself.
“I do not do this for personal gain,” Guest said. “I do it for the people I love — my teammates and my coaches. I work for them.”
As graduation approaches, Guest plans to attend the University of Texas at San Antonio to study psychology, with the long-term goal of becoming a lawyer.
Meanwhile, junior post Chloe Bailey has grown up in Slocum, attending school with many of her teammates since pre-K.
“This school is home,” Bailey said. “It is about as close to home as my house. It is going to be hard to leave the people here.”
Bailey describes herself modestly when it comes to basketball.
“If anyone knows me, I am not the best basketball player,” she said with a smile. “But I play for my team and my coach. That is the reason I play. If I did not have them, I would not play.”
Bailey, a straight-A student, said she hopes to become a nurse and is also considering playing collegiate softball. A pitcher for Slocum, she said softball is another passion she takes seriously.
But on the basketball court, her motivation is loyalty.
“It is just an awesome year,” Bailey said. “We all grew up together. We just work really well together.”
Junior point guard Jillian Salmon transferred to Slocum in seventh grade and quickly found her place within the program.
“I love the people here,” Salmon said. “Everybody is so close. We are like family.”
Salmon said the team’s chemistry did not happen overnight.
“Starting my freshman year, we were not as close as we are now,” she said. “We have grown together, and we all read from the same book. When we play, I can look up and already see the play developing.”
Academically, Salmon described her junior year as challenging — particularly in math — but she remains focused on her future plans.
“I want to go to esthetician school,” Salmon said. “And I just want to get married and be a mom.”
Leuschner said watching the players grow has been one of the most rewarding aspects of his career.
He has been at Slocum for more than a decade, initially serving six years as elementary principal before retiring and later returning to coach the girls basketball team.
“It is one of my greatest pleasures to see them in first and second grade and now see them as seniors,” Leuschner said. “It is fun to watch how they grow and to think about what they are going to do in the future.”
Slocum, he said, is a place that stays with people.
“It is kind of hidden away,” Leuschner said. “But there is a strong sense of community. Many of these families have been here for generations.”
That sense of generational connection was evident throughout the Lady Mustangs’ playoff run. Parents and grandparents filled the stands. Younger students looked on, watching girls they have known their entire lives compete on a big stage.
“They know I love them,” Leuschner said. “No matter what happens, they know that.”
The Lady Mustangs return most of their roster next season, giving the program reason for optimism. But for this year’s seniors, the memories are already secure.
They will remember diving for loose balls. Late practices. Packed gyms. Bus rides. The sting of a final loss — and the pride of knowing they left everything on the court.
More than anything, they will remember each other.
“We are definitely family,” Guest said.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
