BY MATT VINES, The DeSoto Parish Journal 

MANSFIELD – Sometimes, it just takes a little time. 

The Mansfield girls basketball team features a roster with three seniors and two juniors, and two of those seniors are new to the program. 

A 1-5 start to the season has quickly reversed itself as the Lady Wolverines are 10-2 in their last 12 contests. 

That includes a 36-27 win at Many to start District 3-2A play, which continues tonight at Jonesboro-Hodge. 

“The team is playing better defensively and executing plays better,” said veteran Mansfield coach Kendra Neal-Jones, who guided Mansfield to a 2019 state championship after Top 28 appearances in 2014 and 2015. “Those two new seniors had to learn the system. 

“Our team’s strengths are aggressiveness, quickness and defense.” 

Those are hallmarks of Neal-Jones teams, hallmarks that led Mansfield to a Class 2A state championship in 2019 and Top 28 appearances in 2014 and 2015. 

Mansfield (11-7) has won three in a row, which included a 32-point win against a Logansport squad that upset North DeSoto earlier this week. 

With 13 of Mansfield’s 18 players being freshmen and sophomores, not including the team’s new seniors, more time might be kind to the Lady Wolverines. 

Key matchups against district contenders Winnfield (at home) and Lakeview (road) await this coming week after tonight’s hosting of J-Hodge. 

“I hope to see consistency and teamwork throughout district play,” Neal-Jones said. “There mist be trust among the players, and trust between players and coaches. We’re working together to achieve one goal, and that’s to win.” 

Mansfield has done plenty of that under Neal-Jones, who takes Mansfield annually to the playoffs and recently made a quarterfinals run in 2022. 

Three players remain from that quarterfinals team two seasons ago, and that playoff knowledge could be crucial for a Lady Wolverines team sitting at No. 9 in the Division III Non-Select power ratings. 

“Playoff experience plays an important part in the success of the team and how far the team goes during the season,” Neal-Jones said. “This team is excited about district play, especially the upper classmen because they have playoff experience. 

“Throughout the season, I tell my girls to take it one game at a time. There are some good teams in our district, and this is a positive because it prepares you for the playoffs.”