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Category: Girls basketball
GAME STORY: Cisco holds off Jacksboro, earns region quarterfinal date with Jim Ned
MINERAL WELLS — With a big and talented frontcourt that featured three players at 5-foot-10 or taller, the Jacksboro Tigerettes were a dangerous matchup for a Cisco squad that starts just one player taller than 5-7.
But at the end of Friday’s Region I-3A area-round matchup at Ram Gym, it was the Lady Loboes celebrating a hard-fought 58-54 win to advance to the I-3A quarterfinals, where they’ll face off with perennial Big Country power Jim Ned.
Coach Brent Kilpatrick’s team executed its game plan well enough early to build a 10-point halftime lead and hit one big shot after another to hold off multiple Tigerette rallies in the second half.
GAME STORY: Lady Badgers season comes to an end, but future is bright
GRAHAM — While it wasn’t how coach Laura Lange or her squad envisioned it ending, the Merkel girls basketball season came to a close with a 63-47 loss to Nocona on Friday night.
The loss marked the end of Mireya Salazar’s career at Merkel, but the future is bright for the Lady Badgers as the remaining nine players return for next year — a number that includes just two juniors.
GAME STORY: Brock eliminates Colorado City 36-18 behind big defensive effort
BROWNWOOD — How good was Brock’s defense in Friday’s 36-18 area round win over Colorado City?
Good enough for the Lady Eagles to score only 36 points, yet dominate the game from start to finish.
Olivia Lewis, Kasaundra Boxell and Evan Roberts scored seven points apiece and Jessica Leek added six to lift Brock (31-8), which advances to face Nocona (31-3) in the Region I-3A quarterfinals next week.
FEATURE: Size, skill make Westbrook’s Goswick a near unstoppable force
At 6-foot-1, Westbrook post Miranda Goswick stands taller than most of her peers.
But it’s the skilled and versatile game that comes with her height that makes the Hardin-Simmons-bound senior stand out.
A dominant force on both ends of the court for Westbrook, Goswick creates matchup problems that few Class 1A teams are equipped to contend with. And she relishes the go-to role she plays for the Lady Wildcats, who are set to take on Benjamin in the area round Friday after knocking off Hamlin 52-38 to open the playoffs.
FEATURE: Goldthwaite Lady Eagles a model of balance
Basketball coaches love to take away the opposition’s best player when mapping out a game plan.
If one or two players are clearly better than the rest, they make for easy targets while studying game film. And more often than not, the aforementioned players can count on getting plenty of defensive attention after the tipoff.
When scouting the Goldthwaite Lady Eagles, however, one may have difficulty deciding exactly where to employ this age-old tactic. Better-stated, they may have to pick their proverbial poison.
FEATURE: Defense, experience propel Forsan girls into second round
FORSAN — They’ve labored through streaks of inconsistent scoring output throughout the season. But the Forsan Lady Buffaloes have had one key advantage all along to act as compensation — experience.
Heading into Friday’s Class 2A area round matchup with Plains, Forsan has been held under 40 points no fewer than 10 times. Yet through combination of solid defense and the ability to adjust on the fly, the Lady Buffs enter this week at 22-6 while allowing only 30.8 points per game.
The Lady Buffs may not shoot the lights out. But chances are, neither will you.
GAME STORY: Hico rally falls short in bi-district loss to Windthorst (video, box score & photo gallery w/14 images included)
MINERAL WELLS — A dash of early foul trouble led to a bad second quarter for the Hico Lady Tigers, and eventually, a 39-35 bi-district loss to Windthorst on Tuesday.
Kora Pennartz scored 11 points and Mollie Kirk tossed in eight more to lead Windthorst (19-11), which advances to face Valley View in the 2A area round.
Forced to sit starter Lauryl Stegall in the second quarter due to early foul trouble, Hico saw an 11-11 deadlock become a 27-19 halftime deficit which would prove costly by game’s end.
GAME STORY: Nervous Goldthwaite settles down to dominate Electra (Video, box score and photo gallery w/22 images included)
MINERAL WELLS — It took them better part of two quarters to get over a case of the jitters. But after the 14th-ranked Goldthwaite Lady Eagles settled into a rhythm, a three-year postseason drought ended with a 56-36 win over Electra on Tuesday.
Ally Hopper and Jordan Carr both scored eight points each to lead Goldthwaite, which had 11 different players score while improving to 27-6.
GAME STORY: Colorado City uses explosive second quarter to eliminate Eastland
In a season that has seen the Colorado City girls basketball team struggled to score at times, the Lady Wolves had their fourth best offensive output of the year Tuesday night.
Riding a 20-point second quarter, the Lady Wolves took a 57-50 win over Eastland in a Region I-3A bi-district matchup at Hardin Simmons University’s Mabee Complex.
GAME RECAP: Short-handed Wylie girls fall to Plainview in OT
SNYDER — Playing without standout guard Skylar Williams, who injured her ankle in practice over the weekend, and her logical replacement in the starting lineup Karis Christian, who was battling illness, the Wylie girls basketball team saw its season come to end Tuesday with a 48-42 overtime loss to Plainview in a Region I-5A bi-district playoff at The Coliseum.
Wylie, the No. 2 seed out of District 4-5A, led District 3’s third seed 35-32 heading into the final quarter after strong showings in the middle two periods, but Plainview rallied to outscore coach Amy Powell’s squad 7-4 in the fourth quarter and 9-3 in overtime to win and advance to the area round.
LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Arlington Bowie too much for AHS girls in bi-district
GLEN ROSE — The Abilene High girls basketball team saw its season come to an end Monday with a 71-43 loss to District 4-6A champion Arlington Bowie in a Region I-6A bi-district playoff.
Bowie raced out to an 18-9 lead after one quarter, extended that to 39-18 by halftime and cruised in the second half to the comfortable win.
PHOTO GALLERY: Westbrook-Hamlin girls basketball playoff (60 images)
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GAME STORY: Goswick leads Westbrook girls past Hamlin, into second round
MERKEL — Miranda Goswick and the Westbrook Lady Wildcats were too much for Hamlin on Monday, riding an early 14-2 lead to a 52-38 win in a Region II-1A bi-district playoff at Badger Gym.
Goswick, a 6-foot-1 senior post, put on a clinic inside, hurting the Lady Pipers for 26 points to help her team improve to 18-8 and advance to take on District 16-1A champion Benjamin (25-5) later this week in the area round.
GAME STORY: Forsan eliminates Stamford 48-37 (box score and photo gallery included)
HERMLEIGH — With Stamford’s leading scorer and rebounder, Brooklyn Woodard, out with a knee injury, it was up to a group of four freshman to carry the load for the Lady Bulldogs in Monday’s 2A bi-district game with Forsan.
Unfortunately for Stamford, Forsan’s roster comes stocked with five seniors — which is five more than SHS could suit up with Woodard sidelined.
The difference in experience showed in a 48-37 Forsan win at Hermleigh High School.
Big Country girls basketball playoff pairings, results (Feb. 23)
Here are the updated Big Country girls basketball playoff pairings:
Continue reading “Big Country girls basketball playoff pairings, results (Feb. 23)”
FEATURE: Merkel standout Pursley will likely choose track over hoops
MERKEL — The general consensus is she’s good enough to play basketball at the college level and is likely to get her share of attention from recruiters.
But chances are you won’t see Merkel’s Kaydi Pursley suiting up for any collegiate hoops program at any level.
It’s simply not in her plan.
GAME STORY: Lady Badgers rally to top C-City in tiebreaking thriller (w/ box score, photo gallery)
It’s not often that sharp-shooting Merkel guard Kaydi Pursley is held scoreless for an entire half. But in Friday’s District 4-3A tiebreaker at McMurry, that’s precisely what Colorado City managed to do.
Pursley, however, made up for lost time after the break, leading Merkel to a come-from-behind 39-36 win with 12 second-half points.
Kinzie Hays added 12 more points and Alaunna White tossed in eight for the Lady Badgers (19-12, 10-3), who as the No. 2 seed, will open with Coleman in the bi-district round on Monday at 6:30 in Winters.
GAME STORY: Lady Eagles earn playoff berth with win over Euless Trinity
WEATHERFORD — The Abilene High girls basketball team defeated Euless Trinity 50-47 on Friday at Kangaroo Gym to clinch the fourth seed out of District 3-6A for the playoffs.
The Lady Eagles (17-18) split the district games against the Lady Trojans (13-19), winning 40-38 to open district play at home before falling 57-35 on the road in January.
AHS took a 50-47 lead with under 20 seconds to play on a free throw by sophomore Trakenya Roberson. Trinity had a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation, but missed a 3-pointer with five seconds to play and never got a shot off after a timeout with four seconds left.
FEATURE: Tennison-led Lady Bucks bringing pride back to Breck girls basketball
Second-year Breckenridge girls basketball coach Chris Robertson and senior guard Carly Tennison didn’t exactly hit it off right away.
In fact, the war of wills that took place last year when Robertson introduced some new ways of doing things to a struggling Lady Buckaroo program is one the two joke about today.
Robertson and Tennison can make light of those clashes now because of the bond they eventually helped forge. And after butting heads through much of 6-23 campaign in 2017-18, the pair have combined to spearhead a girls basketball renaissance in Breckenridge this winter.
LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: AHS girls top Weatherford, earn fourth-place playoff against Trinity
WEATHERFORD — The Abilene High girls basketball team rallied from a 10-8 first-quarter deficit Tuesday to defeat Weatherford 44-37 and earn a playoff with Euless Trinity for the fourth and final playoff spot out of District 3-6A.
The Lady Eagles (16-18 overall, 5-7 in district) will take on the Lady Trojans at 6 p.m. Friday in Weatherford for a spot in the Class 6A playoffs next week.
PHOTO GALLERY: Brock-Breckenridge basketball doubleheader (58 images)
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GAME STORY: Jayton, Paducah split consecutive thrillers
JAYTON — With Jayton’s gym packed to near capacity, Friday’s doubleheader between Paducah and JHS was expected by many to produce two games with playoff intensity.
It delivered, with the Jayton girls taking Game 1, 34-32 and the Paducah boys edging JHS in the nightcap, 45-43 in a pair of late-season nail-biters.
Both games decided playoff seeding in District 15-1A, the latter of which iced the league title for Paducah, which holds a two-game lead and a tiebreaker over Jayton with two games to play.
GAME STORY: Cisco sweeps Dublin for a pair of 6-3A championships
CISCO — After watching the girls team clinch a share of the District 6-3A championship, the Cisco boys went out and did the same Tuesday night with a second half rally for a 70-48 win over Dublin.
The Loboes benefited from Izzy Adame’s game-high 31 points and withstood a cold shooting first half in improving to 25-3 overall and staying undefeated in 12 district games.
The win was Cisco’s 21st in its last 22 games.
FEATURE: Elite man defense the name of the game for No. 3 Haskell Maidens
With a quick look at the Haskell girls basketball team’s defense, you can be fooled pretty easily into thinking the No. 3 Maidens run some variation of a zone.
But make no mistake about it, Haskell coach Blake Eddleman is a man-to-man guy through and through.
While heavy sagging and switching can give his ‘D’ a unique look and feel, it’s those hard-nosed man-to-man concepts and principles that rest at the heart of the Maidens’ identity. And it’s that identity — and his girls all-in approach to it— that Eddleman credits for his team’s success during his Haskell tenure.
Big Country Preps Player of the Week: Eastland senior Stacy snags accolade
In a week that saw multiple performances worthy of Big Country Preps Player of the Week honors, it was the magnitude of one win, in particular, that shifted the award to Eastland senior guard Hailee Stacy.
Stacy averaged 26 points and 9.5 rebounds for the week, including 19 points and eight boards in a 56-42 win over highly touted Cisco to force a first-place tie in the district race.
She followed that with a 33-point, 11-rebound performance in a 71-26 win over Comanche.
EVAN REN: This week in Big Country girls basketball (Feb. 3-9)
Tuesday night will mark the end of the regular season on the girls side, with the exception of a few district tie-breakers that we’ll likely see over the weekend.
And as one may expect, the intensity level is beginning to reach playoff level. I attended two doubleheaders last week — Cisco at Eastland and Brownwood at Stephenville — that were nothing short of electric.
The real fun is about to begin.
Here’s a quick rundown of last week’s highlights and some key games to keep an eye on this week.
FEATURE: Kelly Jeffrey’s cancer fight ‘inspires’ Hamlin and family
UPDATE: Hamlin assistant basketball coach Kelly Jeffrey passed away Tuesday, February 19. She leaves behind her husband Joe and five daughters: Kollin Smith, Erica Larry, Olivia Bradbury, Addie Jeffrey and Klaire Jeffrey. She is also survived by her parents John and Barbara Godfrey, one brother and her parents. The family is asking that memorials be made to the Hamlin Food Bank, the First Baptist Church Youth Mission Trip or the Coach Kelly Jeffrey Character, Courage and Commitment Scholarship Fund.
HAMLIN — Basketball took a back seat Friday night at Piper Court and for good reason.
For the second time in five years, Hamlin assistant girls basketball coach Kelly Jeffrey, 56, is fighting cancer, and the prognosis is not good.
What started off as breast cancer has since spread to Jeffrey’s brain, and the communities of Hamlin and Aspermont banded together to support the veteran coach of 32 years — 23 of which have been spent in Hamlin.
LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Cooper girls down Rider to clinch playoff berth
Needing a win to avoid a three-way tie for third place in District 4-5A and eliminate the potential of being left without a playoff spot after a musical chairs tiebreaker scenario, the Cooper Lady Cougars took things into their own hands Friday.
Led by Keiana Kemp with 13 points and Jennika Willis with 10, the Lady Coogs outscored Wichita Falls Rider in each of the final three quarters on their way to a 35-27 victory at Cougar Gym.
The win clinches coach Lauren Ash’s squad a postseason berth and should earn Cooper the No. 3 seed, assuming second-place Wylie takes care of Wichita Falls High (9-18, 2-5) at home on Tuesday.
PHOTO GALLERY: Brownwood-Stephenville basketball doubleheader (95 images)
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PHOTO GALLERY: Haltom-Abilene High basketball doubleheader (35 images)
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GAME STORY: Brownwood, Stephenville split physical doubleheader (w/ photo gallery)
STEPHENVILLE — All the rivalry cliches were applicable in Friday’s doubleheader between Brownwood and Stephenville. Everything that had happened before was out the window. Records meant nothing, pride was on the line, and so on and so forth.
The results matched all of the axioms, with the schools splitting the twin bill. The Stephenville girls edged Brownwood in Game 1 by a 28-26 margin. The Brownwood boys rallied to take the nightcap 71-66.
Both games offered the over-the-top intensity and physicality the series is known for, and neither was decided until the game’s final minutes.
GAME STORY: Cuffy’s buzzer-beater lifts Abilene High boys over Haltom
A month and a half after seeing his buzzer-beating layup attempt rim out to close regulation in a double-overtime loss to North Richland Hills Richland, Abilene High senior forward Donte Cuffy got another chance to play the hero for the Eagles on Friday.
This time, he wasn’t going to be denied.
With 1.3 seconds on the clock and his team inbounding the ball from just on the other side of midcourt, Cuffy caught long pass in traffic and hit a contested leaner as time expired to lift AHS to a 59-57 upset win over Haltom City Haltom and keep the Eagles’ hopes of earning a District 3-6A playoff berth alive.
GAME STORY: Aspermont girls clinch district championship; Hamlin boys stage furious rally
HAMLIN — The Roby girls basketball team had won 17 district titles in a row, but when Jerry Carrion took the job at Aspermont three years ago, he wanted his team to believe it could become champions.
With Friday’s 44-41 win over Hamlin at Piper Court, Carrion’s squad clinched the District 14-1A championship and the league’s top playoff seed as a result.
The win was the Lady Hornets’ third of the year over the Lady Pipers, and they have come by a combined six points.
PHOTO GALLERY: Cisco-Eastland basketball doubleheader (60 images)
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BCP Podcast No. 31: Evan, Daniel talk Wylie girls hoops with Amy Powell
After a successful six-year run at Hallettsville, Amy Powell took over the Wylie girls basketball program this school year and has the Lady Bulldogs at 20-10 in their first season as a Class 5A program.
This week, Powell took a few minutes to talk with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about what drew her to the Wylie job, her first season on campus and her philosophies and personality as a coach on the Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.
Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel talk about some of the most significant developments and biggest upcoming matchups on the Big Country boys and girls basketball scene.
LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Abilene High boys fall just short at Central
SAN ANGELO — Leading San Angelo Central 50-47 entering the final quarter Tuesday, the Abilene High boys were on pace to collect their third consecutive win. But the Bobcats outpaced the Eagles 24-17 in the final period to rally for a 71-67 win.
The loss, which dropped AHS to 11-17 overall and 3-6 in District 3-6A action, kept the Eagles from moving into a fourth-place tie with Central in the district standings. They now trail both Central and Hurst Bell by two games with three games to play.
GAME STORY: Eastland girls upset rival Cisco to headline doubleheader
EASTLAND — A little extra defensive effort by Eastland in the second half, combined with a whole bunch of free throws, was enough to produce a district-tying 56-42 upset of ninth-ranked Cisco on Tuesday night in Game 1 of a girls-boys doubleheader at EHS.
Hailey Stacy scored 19 points and McKall Morton added 11 more to lead the Lady Mavs (23-7, 11-1), who forced a first-place tie in the District 6-3A standings with Cisco (27-3, 11-1).
GAME STORY: Sweetwater girls upset rival Snyder in big 5-4A matchup
SNYDER — The Sweetwater girls basketball team was faced with a pretty dire postseason photo heading into Tuesday’s District 5-4A showdown against Snyder at Tiger Gym.
A win over the Lady Tigers would leave Sweetwater with an outside chance of forcing a seeding game next week against Snyder for second place.
A loss on Tuesday night had the potential of dropping Sweetwater to the fourth playoff seed.
The Lady Mustangs got the win they needed, knocking off Snyder 52-42 to set up a potentially crazy ending to the regular season, though the Lady Tigers still control their own destiny.
GAME STORY: Aledo girls nip Wylie in overtime, Bulldogs cruise past Bearcats
Leading Aledo 25-15 at halftime with all the momentum on their side, the Wylie Lady Bulldogs appeared poised to knock off the Ladycats and grab a share of the District 4-5A lead on Tuesday.
But the visitors rallied in the third quarter to take a lead and held off Wylie in the fourth quarter and overtime to pull out a dramatic 51-47 victory.
The loss spoiled Parent Night for the Lady Bulldogs and kept Wylie from claiming a doubleheader sweep over Aledo as the boys routed the Bearcats 60-43 in Tuesday’s late game.
Big Country Preps Player of the Week: Forsan’s Richardson takes the top spot
He has spent much of this season hidden by West Texas obscurity.
But with the way Forsan’s Kobe Richardson has been playing, he’s becoming noticeable, even while playing in an isolated corner of Howard County.
Last week, the senior guard was magnificent, beginning with a 40-point, eight-rebound night in a tough 60-56 win at Miles that saw him chart nine steals, four blocks and an 18-of-18 tally at the free-throw line.
EVAN REN: This week in Big Country Girls Basketball (Jan. 27-Feb. 2)
It’s difficult to believe but area girls teams have but three nights left in their respective district slates.
A week from Friday we’ll be dealing with tiebreakers and playoff warmup games while speculating on how the regional pairings are shaping up. By Feb. 11, the Big Dance will begin.
In the meantime, let’s check the highlights from last week and the week ahead.
FEATURE: After 40 years, Eula scorekeeper a highly respected fixture
EULA — The first time Mary Mosley sat as the official scorekeeper of a Eula high school basketball game, “Laverne and Shirley” was the top-rated show on television, Jimmy Carter was the President of the United States and a gallon of gasoline could be purchased for 65 cents.
Yes, it was a long time ago — 40 years, to be exact — but an eternity for the many who perform this task on a temporary basis to simply help out their school districts.
Mosley, through her love of the game and of kids, has virtually grown into a Eula institution. Still going strong at the age of 83, she continues to work every Pirate game — home and away — with no end in sight.
PHOTO GALLERY: Wylie-Cooper basketball doubleheader (68 images)
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GAME STORY: Albany, Stamford split key District 8-2A twin bill
ALBANY — After starting District 8-2A with five wins in six games, the Albany girls basketball team had the upper hand in the race for the second playoff spot heading into Friday night’s showdown with Stamford.
The Lady Lions, after all, owned a one-game lead on the Lady Bulldogs by virtue of a 46-45 win at Stamford’s gym and now had the home-court advantage for the second matchup with major playoff seeding implications on the line.
Knowing their backs were against the wall, however, the Lady ‘Dogs responded with a thrilling 45-42 win to move into a second place tie with Albany in district at 5-2.
GAME STORY: Forsan boys roll Eldorado, assume top spot in 7-2A
FORSAN — With Eldorado’s Kayden Rodriguez ejected and Forsan shooting six technical free throws in the first four minutes, it didn’t take long for the Buffaloes to take control in Friday’s District 7-2A showdown with Eldorado.
Kobe Richardson finished with a game-high 24 points and Jordan Enriquez added eight more to lead the Buffaloes to a 67-36 rout, allowing them to take sole possession of first place in the process.
The win gave Forsan (12-13 overall, 5-0 District 7-2A) a varsity doubleheader sweep of its area rival, with the girls winning Game 1 of the twin bill 39-29 earlier in the evening.
GAME STORY: Wylie boys, girls score crosstown sweep at Cooper
The Wylie boys basketball team outscored Cooper 28-19 in the first half Friday and held on through a foul-plagued second half to secure a 58-47 road win over the Cougars and take over third place in the District 4-5A standings heading into the second half of league play.
The victory, which wrapped up a doubleheader sweep for Wylie at Cougar Gym, improved the Bulldogs to 15-11 overall and 2-2 in 4-5A play, while Cooper dropped to 13-13 and 1-3.
The Wylie girls won Friday’s early game 64-42 to set a winning tone for the visitors.