GARDEN CITY, TX -- The no. 7-ranked Garden City Lady Bearkats had to hold off a fourth quarter rally from Lamesa Klondike to seal a 34-31 win on Friday night.
"I think in the end we held on," said head coach Joe Crabb. "We got a few key steals, a few key rebounds."
The Lady Bearkats jumped out to a 14-3 lead behind nine points from Lyndee Walker and five from Angelica Munguia.
Klondike then started their comeback, outscoring Garden City 6-5 to trail 19-9 at the half.
Another pair of threes from Walker and Munguia, and six points from Jordan Driver helped give Garden City a 31-15 cushion.
After hitting just three field goals in all of the first half, Klondike got hot for five three-pointers in the fourth quarter in a comeback attempt. They would pull within two points late in the fourth.
"They just caught fire in that fourth quarter," Crabb said. "And we know that about them. We knew well that they could shoot the ball. Several of them can hit from deep."
Then, after Ixchel Sotelo split a trip to the free throw line to put the Lady Kats up 34-31. Klondike had their last ditch three-pointer blocked by Sotelo to seal the win.
Blocks like Sotelo had throughout the fourth quarter are a big reason why the Lady Kats were able to pull out the win despite hitting just one field goal in the final period.
"I think you have to [make stops]," Crabb said of their fourth quarter situation. "Because you kinda lose your confidence and lose your momentum. I think you start panicking a little bit and making mistakes you don't normally make.
Sotelo had the game-high mark with 13 points. She was followed by Walker, who finished with 12 for the Lady Kats.
Garden City (25-3, 6-0) will look to clinch the District 8-1A title at Sands on Tuesday, Jan. 29.
No. 1 Wall Routs Grape Creek by 80 Points to Inch Closer to 11th Straight District Title
The no. 1-ranked Wall Lady Hawks had five players score in double figures for an 88-8 rout of the Grape Creek Lady Eagles on Friday.
The Lady Hawks shut out Grape Creek in the first quarter to take a 23-0 lead behind eight points from Jayden Fiebiger. Abby Alexander hit a pair of three-pointers and Landry Reynolds had another to help Wall's cause.
Wall's gaping lead grew to 50-2 before the half behind a combined 12 points from seniors Sawyer Lloyd and Sam Rocha. Grape Creek got on the board thanks to a field goal from Taigan Rivers.
Wall shut the Lady Eagles out in the third. Six more points from Rocha and five from Candra Barnett moved Wall ahead 69-2 entering the fourth quarter.
Grape Creek had their best period of play scoring-wise in the fourth quarter. Rachel Porter hit a three-pointer and Rivers made a pair of free throws as the Lady Eagles notched six points.
In the fourth, Wall rolled out a balanced attack with seven players recording a total of 19 points to help Wall cruise to the finish line.
Rocha led the way with 16 points for the Lady Hawks. Fiebiger finished with 12. In her first varsity game, Kaitlyn Stephens notched 12 points. Lloyd had 12 points on the night. Reynolds finished with 10 points thanks to a pair of threes.
Rivers had four points for Grape Creek.
Wall (24-1, 10-0) will travel to Brady on Jan. 29 with the opportunity to clinch a share of the district championship.
Grape Creek (4-22, 0-9) will host Reagan County on Jan. 29.
Wheeless, Taylor Combine for 22 to Lift Veribest into the Playoffs
The no. 20-ranked Veribest Lady Falcons bounced back with a 43-31 win over Bronte at home on Friday to book their spot in the playoffs.
Veribest did so behind freshman Kennadi Wheeless and senior Abby Taylor.
The Lady Longhorns made Veribest work for the win, however. Bronte held Veribest's offense in check to take a 6-4 lead into the second quarter behind three-pointers from Jayden Speary and E'Lexia Davis.
Then, the Lady Falcons got on track in the second quarter. Behind four points from Taylor, a pair of free throws each from Wheeless and Bella Halfmann and a three from Chloe Herrera, Veribest was able to take a lead into halftime. Speary hit a pair of threes in the quarter to keep the deficit manageable at 15-13.
Wheeless found another gear in the third quarter for eight points during an 18-point outburst from Veribest that saw their lead grow to 33-25. Speary scored eight of Bronte's 12 points in the quarter.
Veribest was able to hold Speary quiet in the fourth quarter as the Lady Falcons went on to outscore Bronte 10-6 in the final period.
Taylor and Wheeless each finished with 11 points for Veribest in the win.
Speary finished with 17 points on five three-pointers and a two-point field goal.
Veribest (19-6, 8-2) will be off on Jan. 29 before traveling to rival Water Valley on Feb. 1.
Bronte (10-10, 3-6) will host Water Valley on Jan. 29.
Ballinger Clinches Playoff Berth Behind Balanced Scoring Regimen
The Ballinger Lady Bearcats clinched a playoff spot with a 38-23 home win over Brady on Friday.
Ballinger's defense took center stage to start the game, as they held the Lady Bulldogs to just one point in the first quarter to take a 6-1 lead into the second.
Then both teams picked up the offensive pace and matched each other with 10 points in the second quarter.
Kinlee Bowman provided a spark for Ballinger in the third, scoring six of their 13 points while the defense held Brady to just one point in the third to extend the lead to 29-12 entering the fourth quarter.
Brady made a comeback attempt in the fourth with 11 points, six of which came from Journey Roddie.
Ballinger did just enough to hold them off, however, scoring nine points. Jenna Battle contributed four of those points.
Sydney Bowman was the only player in double figures with 10 points. Altogether, Ballinger had six players score.
Roddie finished with Brady's team-high mark of seven points.
Ballinger (18-13, 8-1) will look to avenge their only district loss when they travel to no. 1 Wall on Feb. 1.
Brady (7-11, 4-5) hosts no. 1 Wall on Jan. 29.
Water Valley Helps Playoff Cause With Big Win Over Robert Lee
The Water Valley Lady Wildcats moved one win away from a playoff berth with a huge 49-39 home win over third place Robert Lee.
From the start, the Lady Wildcats had the hot hand. Each of their starters registered points in the first quarter to help them to a 16-9 lead. Kenzie Jordan notched six points in the first period.
Robert Lee posted 10 points in the second quarter thanks to eight from Kelby Clawson. But three-pointers from Kirstyn Greebon, Shelby Kolls and Baily Dawson helped Water Valley's lead grow to 31-19 before halftime.
The Lady Steers found a way to cool off Water Valley, limiting them to 18 second half points. However, Robert Lee couldn't make up the ground, scoring 20 points in the second half.
Jordan and Greebon each finished with 14 points for Water Valley.
Kaylee Puentez, Julissa Ureno and Kelby Clawson had eight points for Robert Lee. Freshman Braylee Hood was held to seven points after exploding for 21 points against Veribest on Tuesday.
Water Valley moves to 6-4 in District 11-1A. They'll travel to Bronte on Tuesday.
Robert Lee (19-7, 6-3) will host district front-runner Blackwell on Tuesday.
A Water Valley win on Tuesday would clinch a playoff spot for both teams.
Christoval Cruises Past Ozona
The Christoval Lady Cougars had no trouble dispatching the Ozona Lady Lions in a 58-18 drubbing Friday night.
Christoval's defense played a huge role in the win, as they held Ozona to a miserly six points in the first half.
Graci Jones, Kayce Jackson and Sterling Baker combined for 21 of Christoval's 25 first half points to take a 19-point lead into halftime.
After halftime, Christoval got red-hot. Jones, Jackson and Kallie Montalvo combined for four three-pointers as the Lady Cougars lead grew to 49-9.
Behind six points from Laura Cabrera, Christoval notched another 13 points.
Jackson finished as the game-high scorer with 16 points. She was one of three Lady Cougars to finish in double figures.
With the help of four threes, Jones finished with 14 points. Baker finished with 11 for Christoval.
Christoval (19-10, 7-0) will next travel to Miles on Jan. 29. The win also clinched a playoff spot for Eldorado and Forsan.
Scores from around the area:
- Central 31, Euless Trinity 24
- Forsan 39, Eldorado 29
- Miles 53, Winters 52
- Big Spring 54, Lake View 38
- Sonora 47, Reagan County 24
- Junction 38, Center Point 37
- Blackwell 51, Irion County 21
- Menard 35, Rochelle 24
This story will be updated.
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