A deflected inbounds pass with just over two-tenths of a second left was all the Abilene High girls basketball team needed to end a season-long four-game losing streak as the Lady Eagles picked up a 44-42 win over Stephenville on Tuesday night at Eagle Gym.
Emily Jordan had a game-high 22 points for AHS to help the Lady Eagles even their record at 10-10 under first-year head coach Alfonzo Franklin.
After the game, Franklin said he was pleased with how his squad battled in a game that never saw either team lead by more than six points.
The Honeybees hit just 15 shots from the floor, but nine of them came from 3-point range as five different players connected from behind the arc. Iza Vandelsem, who led Stephenville with 11 points, hit a trio of 3-point shots while Brinley Hall and Madison Rust each added a pair.
One of Franklin’s focal points this season has been getting the Lady Eagles to run an offense that originates from the post and can lead to easy shots under the basket or open looks from long range.
With Nyellie Lee out, Jordan stepped up in a monster way. The 6-foot-2 senior had 10 points in the opening quarter and led the Lady Eagles in scoring in each of the first three periods.
“Emily played absolutely phenomenal,” Franklin said. “She probably only sat down for 2½ minutes and we needed her to play big. We haven’t been playing well inside and so this week we have worked on getting paint touches and kicking the ball back out. Things that we have talked about and worked on came together (Tuesday night).”
Despite having just six points, Samia Cooper was a big part of Abilene High’s success — especially in the first quarter as several steals led to easy baskets for Jordan.
“I’ve talked to her about how she doesn’t always have to affect the game by scoring points,” Franklin said. “She can affect the game in many ways and showed what she’s capable of doing.”
Abilene High built leads of 14-10 after the first quarter and 23-17 at the half, but saw the Honeybees come roaring back in the third quarter as Stephenville got hot from 3-point range.
Hitting four long balls in the stanza allowed the Honeybees to cut the deficit to 34-32 entering the fourth, and they were nearly able to complete the comeback in the final 30 seconds after a pair of turnovers by the Lady Eagles.
“There were several girls in the game right there that hadn’t been put in that situation this year, but they got a taste of who they can be,” Franklin said. “I played a couple of girls that haven’t gotten a whole lot of minutes in meaningful games and they both did what they were supposed to do with their opportunity.”
Franklin pointed out Maiya Badon and Trinity Harris as two players who made the most of their opportunities — with Badon picking up a steal, a rebound and an assist in a two-minute span in the third quarter.
The Lady Eagles will play their final game before the Christmas holiday at 4:30 p.m. on Friday against Midland Legacy, while the Honeybees are done until after the state-mandated holiday break.
NONDISTRICT
ABILENE HIGH 44, STEPHENVILLE 42
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | ||
| Stephenville | 10 | 7 | 15 | 10 | — | 42 |
| Abilene High | 14 | 9 | 11 | 10 | — | 44 |
Stephenville (9-10) — Marin Copeland 2 2-2 6, Madison Rust 2 0-0 6, Kezlyn Jones 1 0-0 3, Brinley Hall 2 0-0 6, Lucy Espinoza 4 1-2 10, Iza Vandelsem 4 0-0 11. Totals 15 3-4 42.
Abilene High (10-10) — Mackenzie Baker 2 0-0 5, Samia Cooper 2 2-2 6, Kandace Franklin 1 0-0 3, Kara Franklin 1 0-0 3, Iyonna Green 1 0-0 3, Joshlyn Hancock 1 0-0 2, Emily Jordan 10 2-2 22. Totals 18 4-4 44.
3-Point Goals — Stephenville 9 (Vandelsem 3, Hall 2, Rust 2, Jones, Espinoza); Abilene High 4 (Baker, Kan. Franklin, Kara Franklin, Green). Fouled Out — None. Technical Fouls — None. Total Fouls — Stephenville 10; Abilene High 7.