Water Valley Girls Upset No. 21 Menard in First-Round Stunner

BALLINGER, TX — The Water Valley girls basketball team was a decided underdog against No. 21-ranked Menard on Tuesday, and the Lady Cats trailed for most of their first-round playoff game.

It all set up an unforgettable fourth quarter as Water Valley didn’t allow a single point in the final eight minutes, completing a stunning 51-42 upset win.

Water Valley had a modest record of 6-12 entering the night, but the Lady Cats earned the final playoff spot from their district, and they made the most of it. 

Now they’re moving onto the area round, where they’ll face Rankin (16-7) later this week at a site and time to be determined.

Menard’s season ended with a record of 21-4.

It seemed much of the night that Menard was about to take control, but Water Valley never went away. The Lady Cats trailed by as many as nine points in the second quarter, and they were down eight points in the third quarter.

They rallied to within 42-39 entering the fourth quarter, and they outscored Menard 12-0 from there.

“We came back and played,” Water Valley head coach Brandye Wilson said. “We’ve struggled all year long with our shooting and our turnovers, and we started out slow, but man they just hung with it and played hard. I’m proud of them. I’m really proud of them.”

Water Valley took its first lead with about 5:20 remaining when Jayden Gomez found Sarah Long for a layup and a 44-42 advantage.

They connected for another basket to make it 48-42 with about 2:30 left before Gomez hit a dagger 3-pointer with 1:02 to play to seal the win.

“We just had to keep calm and keep each other calm as we looked at each other on the court,” said Gomez, who had a team-high 16 points. “We had to tell each other it’s OK and we’ve just got to keep pushing and try to get the ball in.”

"Coach preaches to never give up, and that's one thing we've really had our minds set on this season," Water Valley's Kyleigh Doss said.

Long added 10 points for Water Valley, while Autumn Fitzpatrick had 9.

Menard’s Tatum Ruiz had a game-high 18 points, but the Lady Yellowjackets’ lone senior picked up four fouls in the first half, forcing her to play cautiously in the second half, though she never fouled out.

Despite the tough loss, Menard head coach Grant Gooch said he was proud of what his young team achieved.

“I feel great. We lost an all-state player and five other girls last year. We’re playing freshmen and one senior, so I’m over the moon with what this group was able to accomplish. This doesn’t tarnish it one bit. I’m so proud of this team,” Gooch said.

Sophomore Kylee Sommerville had 11 points for Menard.

This story will be updated.