Lake Highlands basketball defeated Richardson Pearce, 40-39, on Friday, all but securing the District 7-6A title.
Lake Highlands basketball poses following a 40-39 victory over Pearce on February 13, 2026. Photo by James Baxley-Cross.
Earlier this season, the Wildcats traveled to face the Mustangs and lost a tight 50-44 contest. Pearce sophomore Haynes Brookhart led the way in that showdown with 20 points and five rebounds.
That game was Lake Highlands’ sole district loss this season, but the Mustangs dropped games to Richardson and Jesuit, giving the Wildcats the lead in the district standings. With Brookhart going for just eight points on the evening, Pearce had a lot of offensive ground to cover.
The game’s energy shifted in the second quarter. In the first, Lake Highlands eked out an 11-5 advantage but seemed to control the momentum. The Mustangs stole some of that as William Shurtleff nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner with just 10 seconds remaining in the period. Suddenly, it was a one-possession game headed into the second.
Pearce’s defense stood strong in the ensuing quarter, although the Wildcats’ Quincy Perkins opened with a triple to make the score 14-8. The Mustangs quickly peeled off a 9-0 run to edge in front of Lake Highlands.
“The utmost respect to Pearce,” Wildcats coach Joe Duffield said after the game. “They’re a really good team (with) a lot of seniors, a lot of experience. They’re really well-coached, they play really well together (and) so I definitely wanna give a lot of credit to Coach Johnson and JJ Pearce.”
That’s when Jamion Broom woke up.
Lake Highlands’ sophomore guard first struck with a deep triple to knot the game at 17 points apiece. Shurtleff answered with a 3-pointer of his own on the other end before Broom connected on a left wing three, this one even deeper than the last. By halftime, the ballgame was tied at 22.
Pearce and the Wilcats traded haymakers in the third, neither team building more than a four-point lead. With Lake Highlands poised to take a slim lead into the fourth after an elbow jumper from Broom gave the Wildcats a 33-31 advantage with under 10 seconds left, the Mustangs pushed the ball up the court.
The result was a right corner triple from Brookhart that fell through the net as time expired. Now Lake Highlands faced a one-point deficit with just eight minutes remaining.
Defense was staunch in the fourth quarter and it seemed like the last points of the game might come from Pearce’s Rex Pinney after he hit a free throw with 4:28 left to make it 39-38. No team could buy a basket from then on.
With the Wildcats forced to intentionally foul late in the game and still down a point, things seemed dire for Lake Highlands. The Mustangs proceeded to miss four straight free throws before giving the ball back to the Wildcats with under 10 seconds.
The inbound came into Broom and he drove into the lane, creating contact and drawing a whistle. That foul put Lake Highlands in the bonus, meaning Broom could tie or take the lead with his free throws with just 3.98 seconds in the contest.
Calmly, Broom stepped to the line and drained the first. Tension was high as the second free throw left Broom’s fingertips, a win potentially securing the district championship. The ball fell softly through the net and the Wildcats led.
“It’s easy for me,” Broom said. “I work on it all the time, it’s like practice. Two shots; one to tie, two to win.”
Pearce could only manage a desperation heave that fell short as Lake Highlands fans stormed the floor in the win.
Broom led all scorers with 13 points. Pinney led the Mustangs with nine.
“(Broom)’s a gym rat,” Duffield said. “He’s all about the game. We have confidence in him in those moments and the work shows.”
Brookhart and Pearce have littered the stat sheet this season. Prior to Friday’s game, Brookhart’s 19.3 points per game ranked 16th out of Dallas-area athletes, according to SportsDay. He has been especially effective from beyond the three-point arc, where his 2.9 triples per game place 10th highest in the area.
Also highlighted by SportsDay were forward Will Mitchell and guard Cohen Lawson. Mitchell’s 7.6 rebound average ranks 17th in the area and Lawson’s 3.9 assists rank 23rd.
Broom also cracked the 3-pointers list, hitting 2.1 per game for the 24th-highest average.
Both teams have been at the top of the area in team defense. The Wildcats have only allowed 48.2 points per game, good for 12th. The Mustangs come in just two spots lower at 14, giving up just 49.5 points per game.
Pearce will wrap up its regular season with a rematch against Jesuit at 7 p.m. Tuesday at home.
The Mustangs will also take that contest to honor Drew Timme, a Class of 2019 graduate and the University of Gonzaga’s all-time leading scorer, with a jersey retirement ceremony. Timme is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lake Highlands’ regular season comes to a close versus MacArthur at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Irving. The Wildcats defeated the Cardinals, 89-50, earlier this season.
“I’m just really proud of our team,” Duffield said. “I think this game and the Richardson game, we really battled some adversity in a tough game and executed some things down the stretch.
“Very thankful to come out on top.”
