PLAYOFF BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Christoval Girls Take Down No. 5 Whiteface

LAMESA, TX — The Christoval High School girls basketball team survived a thrilling 27-26 overtime win over No. 5-ranked Whiteface on Thursday to move on to the Class 2A Division II regional semifinals.

In addition to keeping their season alive, the unranked Lady Cougars proved they should have been in the Top 25 rankings all along.

Christoval improved to 28-7 overall, while Whiteface’s season ended with a record of 32-3. It snapped a 25-game winning streak for the Lady Antelopes.

Christoval head coach Brad Blalock said his team’s defense rose to the occasion, including on the final possession of the game when Whiteface had a chance to win at the buzzer.

The Lady Antelopes’ Lainey Sanders hit a shot as time expired in regulation to force overtime.

“I’m proud of how the girls bounced back in overtime, because that was a huge momentum shift,” Blalock said. “Defensively, we executed the game plan and did what we needed to do. We felt if we held them to under 30 that we had a good shot.”

With all five starters back from last year’s regional semifinal team, it was clear this year’s Christoval team was capable of another similar playoff run.

The Lady Cougars’ playoff path is a difficult one, however, and it won’t get any easier with No. 3 Farwell up next. That game will be at a time to be determined Monday in Andrews.

Farwell knocked Christoval out of the playoffs last year, and the Lady Steers also won 52-29 when they matched up in late December at a tournament in Saginaw.

“That’s kind of been our Achilles’ heel. This will be the fourth time they’ve played us in the last two years, and we met in this exact same round last year. They’re the reason we scheduled this tough nondistrict schedule, to prepare us for this moment,” Blalock said.

Ozona Girls Hold Off Plains

The Ozona Lady Lions’ playoff run continues after a 43-40 win over Plains on Thursday in Big Spring.

Plains had lost only four times all year heading into the night.

Ozona (28-7) moves on to the 2A Division I regional semifinals against New Deal (23-12) at 7:30 p.m. Monday in Colorado City.

Plains’ season ended with a record of 22-5.

No. 13 Garden City Girls Rout Buena Vista

The No 13-ranked Garden City Lady Kats cruised past Buena Vista 71-14 on Thursday to advance to the 1A Division I regional semifinals.

Up next for Garden City is a matchup with No. 3 Eula at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Angelo State's Junell Center.

It’s a meeting of teams with more than 30 wins. Garden City is 31-3, while Eula is 33-2.

No. 18 Irion County Girls Fly Past Balmorhea

The No. 18-ranked Irion County Lady Hornets topped Balmorhea 71-22 on Thursday to punch their ticket to the 1A Division II regional semifinals.

Irion County (29-6) will play Aspermont at 6 p.m. Monday in Coleman in the next round.

Blackwell Girls Top Marathon

The Blackwell Lady Hornets defeated Marathon 57-22 on Thursday to move on to the 1A Division II regional semifinals.

Blackwell will face Strawn or Jayton in the next round at a site and time to be determined early next week.