Category: Girls basketball

by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Abilene Christian girls keep Cinderella run alive with 38-31 win over Fellowship Academy

WACO — The Abilene Christian girls basketball team continued its improbable playoff run Wednesday, securing its third consecutive upset to earn a spot in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Class 3A state championship game.

Coming off hard-fought victories over No. 3 McKinney Cornerstone Christian (35-32) and No. 5 Fort Worth Covenant Classical (34-30 in overtime), the Lady Panthers downed second-ranked Fellowship Academy of Kennedale 38-31 on Wednesday at Waco University High School to earn a title game matchup with No. 1 Waco Live Oak Classical (24-6) at 6 p.m. Thursday at Waco Robinson High School.

Coach Laura Lange’s ACS squad outscored the Lady Mustangs in every quarter but one, getting out to a quick start and maintaining that momentum the rest of the way to extend its dream season.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
Hoops
by Daniel Youngblood

STATE SEMIFINAL ROUNDUP: Cooley’s free throws lift Jim Ned over Winnsboro; Martin’s Mill too strong for Goldthwaite

CHINA SPRING — Gracee Cooley drained a pair of free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining Tuesday to fuel the Jim Ned girls to a thrilling 40-38 win over Winnsboro in the Class 3A Division I state semifinals and help the Lady Indians to their first state championship game since defeating Poth for the Class 2A title in 2008.

Jim Ned, making its fourth state tournament appearance in program history and first since 2012, advanced to take on Fairfield (32-6) for the championship at 1 p.m. Friday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Glen Rose girls’ season comes to close with 39-32 loss to Dallas Lincoln in state semis

MANSFIELD — Jada Patterson scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and Dallas Lincoln held off a late Glen Rose rally to beat the Lady Tigers 39-32 in the Class 4A Division II state semifinals Friday night.

Patterson paced a balanced Lincoln attack, as Lanae Dallas contributed 10 points, T’Anna Saddler added eight and six of the seven Dallas girls who took the court scored at least a basket. As a result, Lincoln (also the Lady Tigers) improved to 38-2 on the year and earned a spot in the state title game. Glen Rose ended its season with a 36-3 record.

LHS used a 9-0 run to start the second quarter to pull away, and although Glen Rose cut the lead to six points on four different occasions in the second half, Lincoln had a counterpunch for each Lady Tiger flurry. One of the bigger Lincoln responses came when Grace Spencer’s 3-point shot from the left corner nestled into the net as the third-quarter buzzer sounded.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Young Abilene Christian Lady Panthers relishing surprise run to state semifinals

Photos courtesy of Laura Lange

The Abilene Christian School Lady Panthers will play top-ranked Fellowship Academy of Kennedale in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools state semifinals at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at Waco University High School.

While the ultimate outcome has yet to be decided, one thing isn’t up for debate: There won’t be a “feeling out” period early in the game for either squad.

This will be the third meeting between the TAPPS District 1-3A rivals. The Lady Mustangs sport an impressive 36-2 record — including 56-44 and 54-25 wins over Abilene Christian. But ACS coach Laura Lange believes her ever-improving team is ready to take on its biggest challenge of the season, in the biggest game of the season, so far.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Farwell pulls away in second half to down Lipan 70-49 in Class 2A DII semifinals

ABILENE — The Lipan Lady Indians rebounded from a rough start to pull within seven points at halftime, but another slow start to the second half proved too much to overcome in a 70-49 loss to No. 3 Farwell in a Class 2A Division II state semifinal Monday at Abilene Christian University’s Moody Coliseum.

After outscoring the Lady Blue 22-17 in the second quarter to narrow a 12-point deficit after one period to 34-27 by the break, LHS was outscored 15-3 over the first four-plus minutes of the third quarter to fall behind by 19.

The Lady Indians never got closer to the lead than 16 points after that in seeing their season end at 25-12. Farwell (35-3), meanwhile, will advance to play the winner of Tuesday’s semifinal between Martin’s Mill and Goldthwaite for the 2A DII title Thursday at San Antonio’s Alamodome.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Munday freshman captures this week’s top spot

Munday’s Caisen Lee isn’t the first freshman to whom we’ve given our Big Country Preps Player of the Week Award. But during the basketball playoffs, it is indeed a rare occurrence. 

Nonetheless, Lee takes our top spot with a pair of top notch efforts in playoff wins over Aspermont (77-48) and Westbrook (48-36).

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Brandon McAuliffe

FEATURE: Jayton basketball coaches team up to fuel historic postseason

It’s never easy being a coach when your team is in the postseason and you’re having to work to scout opponents, set up potential playoff sites (for a game that may not even happen), come to an agreement on which chapter of officials to use while worrying about the X’s and O’s on the court.

While bigger schools tend to have a staff of 3-4 coaches that ease the pressure felt, at the Class 1A level, it’s often just the head coach and a single assistant that have to juggle everything — including travel and lodging.

That’s where Jayton-Girard ISD is bucking the trend with the coaching staffs of the boys and girls basketball teams.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Eula girls pull away for 40-30 win over rival Hermleigh, punch ticket to state semis

LUBBOCK — Around this time last year, Eula coach Josh Fostel was lamenting a difficult region championship loss to Westbrook and hoping his then-young Pirates would get another chance to play for a state semifinal berth in 2025.

On Friday, the Lady Pirates got that opportunity, and they made the most of it with a workmanlike 40-30 win over regional rival Hermleigh at Lubbock Christian University’s Rip Griffin Center.

Trailing 14-8 after a quarter and 17-14 at halftime, EHS found itself in the opposite situation it was in last year against Westbrook, when the Lady Pirates held a 24-19 halftime lead that it would stretch to nine points by the opening minute of the final period. But Fostel’s team hit its stride after the break, outscoring the Lady Cardinals 12-5 in the third quarter and 14-8 in the fourth to pull away for an emotional win and earn the program’s first trip to the state semis since 1983.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Jim Ned captures first regional title in 13 years with win over Dalhart

LUBBOCK — Not since 2012 had perennial girls basketball power Jim Ned captured a regional championship — a span of 13 years that saw the Lady Indians reach nine regional tournaments with three losses in championship games and six others in the semifinals. Toss in two regional quarterfinal losses and one in the area round and you have a remarkable run of success that was usually capped by an annual regional heartbreak. 

 That streak ended on Friday when the top-ranked Lady Indians advanced to the state semifinals with a 44-33 win over No. 4 Dalhart in the Region I-3A DI title game before a packed house at Lubbock Cooper-Liberty High School.  

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Glen Rose girls top Brock for third time to earn trip to state semifinals

GODLEY — Lily Melton scored 17 points and Alexis Rynders added 11 more to propel Glen Rose to a 43-21 win over Brock in the Region I-4A Division II championship game Friday night.

In the process, the Lady Tigers ran their impressive record to 36-2 and earned a date in the state semifinals with Dallas Lincoln (37-2). Brock, meanwhile, finished its season at 25-10.

Following a tight first period, after which Glen Rose led 7-6, the Lady Tigers opened each of the succeeding quarters with 9-0, 8-0 and 7-0 runs to put an exclamation point on their third straight victory over their District 6-4A rivals.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Gaylor’s 32-point outburst fuels Lipan girls to rout of Lindsay, into state semis

SAGINAW — Hanna Gaylor scored 18 of her game-high 32 points in the first quarter to lead the Lipan Lady Indians to a resounding 55-22 win over Lindsay in the Region II-2A Division II championship game Thursday night.

With the victory, Lipan improved to 25-11 and earned a trip to the state semifinals, where it will get a rematch with Farwell, which beat the Lady Indians 42-24 in early December.

Nothing about Thursday’s game, which was highlighted by Gaylor’s remarkable shooting performance and a nearly perfect defensive effort by the Lady Indians, would suggest that next week’s state tournament matchup will mirror its predecessor. Gaylor certainly looks forward to finding out.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: City View rallies to stop Coahoma in regional semis

STAMFORD — Entering their first regional semifinal in 24 years, the Coahoma Bulldogettes were optimistic about Wednesday’s matchup with Wichita Falls City View. 

And after a half of play, Coahoma had reason to believe that a regional championship game was within reach after taking a 25-15 lead into the locker room at the break. 

There was just one problem: City View’s relentless defensive pressure began to take a toll on a thin Coahoma rotation of six players and gradually wore the Bulldogettes down in a 53-42 win at Stamford High School.  

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Jayton girls continue magical run with regional semifinal win over Blackwell

ABILENE — While it’s been hard to find any coaches in love with the new split division postseason format in basketball, Jayton’s Kevin Chisum isn’t one that is upset by it anymore.

After continually telling his team that they’re “not supposed to be here,” Chisum has the Lady Jays one win away from their fourth trip to the state semifinals after a 49-36 win over Blackwell on Tuesday night at Abilene Christian University’s Moody Coliseum.

Up next for the Lady Jays is No. 18 Irion County, and Chisum says that his team will take full advantage of having a couple of days to recover from a physical game that the old playoff format didn’t allow for.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stamford softballer takes the top spot

For two years, Stamford’s Emma Follis has been one of our area’s elite softball players, both as a pitcher and a hitter. 

Last week, Follis picked up right where she left off a year ago, notching a 3-1 record in the circle with 35 strikeouts at the Slaton Tournament. 

She was even better at the plate, hitting .714 with a triple, four homers and nine RBIs. 

At this rate her numbers could be staggering by season’s end. And keep in mind, many of these games were shortened to accommodate the tournament schedule. 

In several shortened games Emma came out hot in the circle and at the plate,” coach Sean Slavis said. “We are pumped to finally be playing again!”

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Imel’s 33-point outburst fuels Tolar to thrilling win over Wall

BROWNWOOD — As expected coming in to the Region I-3A Division II area-round matchup between Tolar and Wall, there wasn’t much separating the Lady Rattlers and Lady Hawks on Tuesday night at Warren Gym.

But only one of the teams had Senne Imel — a fact that proved the difference in a 53-48 Tolar win.

THS’ senior shooting guard poured in a game-high 33 points to lead the Lady Rattlers (24-10), who also got nine points from sophomore point guard Jaycee Jones in earning a trip to the region semifinals to take on 11th-ranked Idalou (27-9) next week at a time, date and place to be announced.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Aspermont outlasts Gordon for thrilling win in wild Region II-1A DII area matchup

TUSCOLA — In a thrilling game of wild runs and momentum swings, it was the Aspermont Lady Hornets who had the last and most important one Thursday night, outlasting Gordon for a 43-42 win in a region II-1A Division II area-round matchup at Jim Ned’s Bill Thornton Arena.

AHS, which trailed by as many as seven points early in the third quarter, closed the game on a 9-4 run over the final 3½ minutes to rally for the victory in the hotly contested matchup that saw a pair of ties and five lead changes in the second half.

The gritty win earned the Lady Hornets (25-7) a trip to the region semifinals, where they’ll face off with with No. 18 Irion County (29-6) next week, while the young Lady Longhorns saw their season end at 22-12.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Haskell goes cold late, falls in area round to Crawford

EASTLAND — The Haskell girls basketball team entered Thursday’s Region II-2A Division II area-round game against Crawford expecting a low-scoring, defense-intensive game at Eastland High School.

What the Maidens weren’t prepared for was an 8-0 run in the first two minutes of the game that put the Lady Pirates on top and left Haskell chasing all night.

Despite rallying to take their first lead of the night on a shot by Kayce Coleman with 6:43 to play, the Maidens saw their season come to an end with a 34-28 loss.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Feb. 13): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Feb. 13. 

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his or her email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Talented, red-hot Coahoma Bulldogettes eyeing deep playoff run

Photos courtesy of Alyssa Peterson

When the Coahoma girls basketball team takes on Slaton at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, the Bulldogs will be riding not just a bus, but virtually unprecedented momentum to Lamesa, site of the Region I-3A Division II area-round battle.

In fact, it’s even arguable that the word “virtually” should be added to the preceding sentence.

In the team’s playoff opener, the Bulldogettes blitzed Tornillo 78-0. No, that’s not a typo.

The victory, which was founded on a 12-0 record and first-place finish in District 3-3A play, was literally decided on the Bulldogs’ first made shot, a few seconds in. Two minutes later, coach Alyssa Peterson called off the team’s full-court-press defense. By the second half, the starters had given way to younger and less-experienced teammates.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Red-hot Hermleigh puts Baird away early

ABILENE — A quick start and a hailstorm of 3s was enough to carry Hermleigh to a 73-33 win over Baird on Tuesday in a Region II-1A DI bi-district game at McMurry University’s Kimbrell Arena.

Brooklyn O’Quin scored 16 points with three 3s and Kolbie Campbell added 12 more with three treys of her own to lift Hermleigh (31-5), which advances to face Hamlin in the area round.  Game time for that matchup is set for 6 p.m. Friday at the Snyder Coliseum.

Baird finished its season at 9-11, led by Raelyn Goodwin with 14 points and Katelyn Langford with nine. The Lady Bears found themselves trailing 16-4 at the end of the first quarter and never recovered — continually victimized by Hermleigh’s defensive pressure. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Honeybees’ season ends with bi-district loss to Lubbock Estacado

The Stephenville Honeybees started off Tuesday’s Region I-4A Division I bi-district game against Lubbock Estacado by winning the leap for opening tip-off.

They then won the second and third attempts at it as well after the first two tries ended with players sprawled on the court at Moody Coliseum scrambling for the loose ball with nobody having claimed possession yet.

Once the Lady Matadors controlled the third try at starting the contest, Estacado quickly seized control and rolled to a 58-37 win.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Hamlin rallies past Knox City for first playoff win in over a decade

STAMFORD — In 2012, London hosted the Summer Olympics for the third time, NASA landed a rover on Mars and Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Diamond Jubilee.

It was also the last time the Hamlin girls basketball team had won a playoff game — prior to the Lady Pipers rallying in the fourth quarter for a 43-32 win over Knox City on Monday at Bulldog Gymnasium in a Region II-1A Division I bi-district matchup.

It was freshman Kinzlee Gruben’s 3-pointer off a turnover with 27 seconds left in the third quarter, with Hamlin down 28-24, that got the rally started.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Aspermont uses fast start to cruise to bi-district win over Crowell

STAMFORD — If there is a year for the Aspermont girls basketball team to get over the area-round hump of the postseason, this could be the year that the Lady Hornets break through.

AHS picked up its fifth consecutive win in the bi-district round of the playoffs on Monday night with a 57-31 rout of Crowell to open the Region II-1A Division II postseason, marking the second consecutive year that Aspermont opened the playoffs with a win over the Lady Wildcats.

Now, with the split divisions, the Lady Hornets will face someone other than Hermleigh or Highland as they look to make a return to the second week of the postseason for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche’s Alex Terrell takes this week’s spotlight

While it wasn’t a perfect two-game stretch for the Comanche boys basketball team, the Indians did clinch a postseason berth last week and one of their players earned the spotlight. 

Comanche went 1-1 on the week, dropping a game against Tolar while securing a playoff spot Friday with a win over Breckenridge. In the meantime, senior guard Alex Terrell came up with two big efforts to capture our Big Country Preps Player of the Week. 

Terrell put up solid numbers on both nights, beginning with 20 points, five rebounds and two steals in the Tolar loss. Three nights later, he finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and four steals in a tough 32-26 win at Breck to clinch a postseason berth. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Feb. 6): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Feb. 6. 

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his or her email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

SIGNING DAY 2025: Top area athletes sign on the dotted line

National Signing Day is typically a busy one in the Big Country Preps’ coverage area and 2025 was no exception with several players inking and/or confirming their commitments to play at the next level. 

At various signing ceremonies held throughout the area, athletes celebrated their final choices to pursue a degree while competing collegiately. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie girls wrap up perfect district run; boys can’t complete rally in loss to Memorial

The No. 13 Wylie girls basketball team closed out an undefeated run through District 4-5A play in style Tuesday, defeating Wichita Falls Memorial 46-35 at Bulldog Gym to ride a 10-game win streak into the playoffs.

The Lady Bulldogs, who improved to 27-5 on the year, jumped on the Lady Mavericks early and controlled the game throughout in cruising to a perfect 8-0 record in league play.

The victory was the highlight of a doubleheader split for Wylie, which dropped the boys game in a thrilling matchup that almost saw the Bulldogs erase a 20-point deficit before falling 69-65.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Glen Rose sweeps Stephenville in district doubleheader

GLEN ROSE — Tiger arena was the site of one of the BCP coverage area’s biggest varsity doubleheaders on Tuesday.  And true to its reputation, the venue was a difficult place for visiting teams to earn a win.

In Game 1, the Glen Rose girls (32-2, 10-0) connected on an eye-popping 16 3-pointers to hand Stephenville a 63-29 loss. On the boys’ side, Glen Rose (23-8, 6-2) rallied from an early deficit to hand the Yellow Jackets a 61-45 defeat to take over second place in District 6-4A. 

Both clubs tightened their defense to gradually create separation and chalk up consecutive wins.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cisco post snags our weekly award with two huge double-doubles

Cisco’s Law Pinnick picked the perfect night to have one of the best games he’s ever had — a crucial district showdown at Hawley, where he helped the Loboes to a 55-43 win over the Bearcats with 18 points and an eye-popping 19 rebounds. 

Three days later he delivered 23 points and 10 boards to help Cisco beat Albany — lifting the Loboes to 16-6 overall and 9-0 in district. 

His performance earned him our Big Country Preps Player of the Week Award for the Week ending Feb. 1. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Salinas overcomes obstacles to lead Comanche

It’s been a hard last few months for Comanche’s J’Lee Salinas.

First there was the torn PCL in her knee that kept Salinas from playing the sport she loves all summer.

Then toward the end of volleyball season, the 5-foot-11 junior suffered a high ankle sprain that kept her out for more than a week.

But the icing on the cake was when Salinas’ back began hampering her once basketball season started.  

Comanche basketball coach Diana Salinas, who also doubles as her mom, said it was a bulging disc that kept J’Lee from looking like the all-state player that she is.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us