Seven Lakes knew it wouldn’t be an easy task to bounce back after a loss to Tompkins.

The Spartans had a tough road ahead of them to contend for a district championship, facing Mayde Creek, Cinco Ranch and Katy in the span of a week.

But the team controlled what they could control and stayed focused, winning each of their next three, including Saturday’s game 73-54 over Katy.

It could have been a let down for the Spartans, after coming off games against the three other teams that will qualify for playoffs in District 19-6A, but instead it was an emphatic victory that clinches the team at least a share of the district title.

“I’m incredibly proud, and that’s an understatement,” said Seven Lakes head coach Shannon Heston. “Last year we were 7-0 in district and lost to Tompkins on our home court, we were never the same after that. This year felt different the whole season, we were building and improving. After that loss, in the locker room after you could see it was a different team this year. They were upset and they knew we had to come out and take care of our business.”

Seven Lakes jumped on Katy early in the game, taking a 15-9 lead and took over in the second, increasing its lead to 16 points heading into halftime.

“We learned after that Tompkins loss that we aren’t an undefeated team,” said senior guard Tahaad Davis. “We play just like they play, we bleed just like they bleed. We took that loss personal. We went to practice the next day and got back to it and got back on track.”

The Spartans continued to pull away in the second half behind their fast paced offense and a strong defensive performance and led by 57-38 after the third quarter.

“Our offense is just so fun to play in,” said sophomore guard AJ Bates. “We get to be on the run and everyone shares the ball. We have a 25-0 record when we score over 60 points. We know how good of an offense we have and Coach Heston just wants us to push the ball, get in transition and enjoy things and have fun. When we have fun and score, we win.”

Davis finished the game with 19 points, while Bates had 11 and Josh Akpovwa also had 11 points.

“It’s amazing, we have to make sure we get him involved every game,” Davis said. “When he gets going then the entire teams focus shifts on to Josh. We get backdoor cutters off of that and Josh is s great playmaker from the post. He always sees the open guy. When he gets doubled he kicks it out, when he doesn’t, he eats.”

The win sets up a chance for Seven Lakes to clinch an outright district title on Wednesday on what will be the teams senior night, where 10 of the teams players will be recognized.

“It’s a dream come true to have this chance to clinch things on our home court and on senior night,” Heston said. “That’s what these kids sign up for is, hey lets go to Seven Lakes, lets put our all into this and lets win district titles. When you see that come to fruition and have a chance to do that for guys who have been working their tails off for you for four years, it’s just a special thing. This group will be ready for the challenge.”

District 19-6A

Seven Lakes 73, Katy 54

Points: (SL) Tahaad Davis 19, AJ Bates, 11, Josh Akpovwa 11, Dylan Garcia 7, Grant Van Hoozer 6, Elijah Moraros 6, Luke Simank 4, Ethan Van Horn 4, Steve Bluett, Beau Clewett 2; (K) Dayvaughn Froe 29, Aydan Perdue 9, Joel Elfert 9, Travis Evans 5, Amahdi Williams 2

Halftime: Seven Lakes 39-23; 3-Pointers: Davis 2, Simank, Bluett, Bates; Records: Seven Lakes 31-4, 10-1; Katy 14-18, 4-7