By GALEN WELLNICKI
When Georgetown plays Waller in a Region III-5A girls bi-district encounter at 7 p.m. Monday in Hearne, it won’t be facing a stereotyped fourth-place team from another district.
The District 19-5A champion Lady Eagles, 24-7 on the season including a 15-1 district run, will not only be facing one of the hotest,, if not the hotest, team in the region along with a team that has made one of the biggest turnarounds in the state after opening district with three consecutive losses.
After losing to 20-5A champion Tomball Memorial (13-1) by a 48-39 count on Jan. 10 to fall to 2-4 in district, coach Ne’Kesha Durham’s Bulldogs have won seven of their last eight games, including a three-point win over the Memorial Wildcats. The lone loss during the streak was 51-37 to second-seeded Tomball. Since that loss, Waller has won four games, including a 64-62 win over eighth-place Willis in their final srart.
Looking at Waller, GHS coach Rhonda Farney said, “Waller is the hot team in District 20-5A. They beat Tomball Memorial last week 44-41, which was TM’s only loss in district.
“Waller has a great freshman guard in No. 14 Laila Blair (listed at 5-foot-6). who has unlimited range (and averaging more than 20 points a game). She hit six 3’s in the second half versus Memorial. No. 20 Angela Shorter-Kinney is a great jump shooter and rebounder. We must keep these players off the boards.”
In addition to Memorial, Tomball and Magnolia. the Wildcats, who also have rebounded from last year’s 10-24 (3-11 in district) team, have played three other Region III qualifiers this season, beating Corsicana (fourth in 17-5A), 46-28, and Lumberton (second in 22-5A), 61-51, and lost to Dayton (runner-up in 21-5A), 57-50.
Nine of Waller’s district games were determined by nine points or less. They outscored their 14 district opponents by an average of 2.5 points per game.
The winner of Monday’s game will advance to an area contest later in the week against either Bryan Rudder, the runner-up in 18-5A, or Nacodoches, the third-place team in 17-5A. Despite coming off an 80-78 overtime loss to College Station A&M Consolidated in their final regular-season game, the Rangers are heavy favorite in the 7:30 p.m. bi-district battle at Slocum on Tuesday. In that loss to the Tigers, Rudder yielded 48 points to Consol’s Aerial Starks.
As for her own Lady Eagles, who outscored their 16 19-5A opponents by an average of 35.3 points per game, Farney said, “I like the intensity that our team has shown in practice. Many of our younger players have joined the scout team and are upping the intensity in practice. They are making us better and, in so doing, improving their skills too.
“We have been hit hard with the flu bug. I hope we are on the other side and recovering.”
If all hands are healthy Monday, Farney is expected to start a lineup of 6-1 senior Dee Day and 5-11 sophomore at the posts, with senior twins Brooke and Taylor Elliott and 6-1 freshman Emery Herman at the guard spots.
“Again, I am so proud of all our Lady Eagle players who won district at every level with all four teams,” Farney said. “It is a testament to our coaches, (Kellye) Richardson, (Kristin) Curtis and (Kevin) Spruill, our players, and our parents and administration.”
Bi-district matchups on the other end of the Lady Eagles’ pod on the Region III-5A bracket will send Tomball Memorial to Bastrop at 7 p.m. Tuesday and 17-5A runner-up Lindale and Temple, the third-place team in 18-5A, at 7 p.m. Moday in Lancaster (See complete Region III-5A bracket below).
Other bi-district matchups for 19-5A teams will send second-seed Cedar Park against Magnolia at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Schulenburg and third-seed Rouse against Tomball at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Hearne. Both game are on the bottom half of the bracket.
Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill, the regional favorite out of the lower half of the bracket, is a top-heavy choice to be the region’s representative in the UIL State Tournament at the Alamodome in San Antonio on March 2-4.
The 32-team Region III-5A field was completed Friday night when Bastrop bested East View.
Nearly 50 years ago, Pulitizer-prize winner Jimmy Breslin wrote a novel called “The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight.” Friday night during the playoff game between East View and Bastrop for 19-5A’s fourth position in the playoffs, viewers in Pflugerville’s Panther Gym may have been thinking they were watching the same thing — only in plural.
In a game won 32-22 by the Bastrop, the two teams combined for just 18 field goals in 92 attempts — a crisp 19.6 percentage. The Bears, who pulled away to the victory in the fourth quarter, made 11 of 45 (24.4 percent) and the Patriots put down seven of 47 (14.9 percent). Also, neither team was electric from the free-throw line with a combined 13 of 27.”
It seemed the biggest victims of the shooting drought where the teams’ top scorers. The Patriots leading duo was 5 of 25 and the Lady Bears top two were 4 of 24. East View senior Emily Daniel was the only double-digit scorer in the game with 10 points.
“Our goal for the game was to put the basket, but that wasn’t working,” said Bastrop head coach Ryan Henry, whose team overcame a five-game losing streak in the second half to reach the playoffs and the home bi-district game with 20-5A champion Tomball Memorial.
When asked about Memorial, the top-rated team on Georgetown’s end of the regional bracket, Henry described the Wildcats as “very disciplined,”
GHS LADY EAGLES PLAYOFF ROSTER
No. — Name Gr. Pos. Ht.
10 — Brooke Elliott sr. Guard 5-8
13 — Samari O’Brien so. Guard 5-6
14 — Ali Isbell so. Guard 5-6
15 — Josie Weirich jr. Guard 5-0
21 — Kylie Ellsworth fr. Guard 5-6
22 — Taylor Elliott sr. Guard 5-6
25 — Shelby Jones so. Guard 5-6
30 — Miranda Gil jr. Guard 5-5
32 — Jaelyn Knight so. Post 5-11
33 — Maddie Vickers jr. Guard 5-7
34 — Emery Herman fr. Guard 6-1
35 — Emili Harris jr. Post 5-10
42 — Jade Smith so. Post 6-0
45 — McCall Hampton fr. Guard 5-8
50 — Deonna Day sr. Post 6-1
55 — Emily Jones so. Post 5-11
— — Gracie Speer so. Guard 5-8
— — Morgan Bruning so. Post 5-8
Head coach: Rhonda Farney.
Asst. coaches: Kellye Richardson, Kristin Curtis, Kevin Spruill.
Trainers: Vanessa Redeau, Chad Hennessey.
Student trainer: Xandrea Lara.
Managers: Katy Brandenburg, Ayssa Ellis, Lucy Palacios, Chloe Sutton.
Athletics director: Todd York.
DISTRICT 19-5A GIRLS BASKETBALL
Final standings — xy-Georgetown, 15-1; x-Cedar Park, 13-3; x- Rouse, 13-3; x-Bastrop, 9-7; East View, 9-7; Hutto, 4-12; Pflugerville Connally, 4-12; Bastrop Cedar Creek, 4-12; Elgin, 1-15.
Friday’s Playoff for Fourth seeding — Bastrop 32, East View 22.
BASTROP 32, EAST VIEW 22
At Pflugerville
EAST VIEW (22) — Paighton Corley 0-4 0-0 0, Diamond Morrison 1-10 0-0 3, Jessica Workman 0-1 0-0 0, Alyson Ashby 0-2 3-4 3, Cassidy Salyer 0-3 0-0 0, Emily Daniel 4-15 1-4 10, Anna Steger 0-0 1-2 1, Alex Stone 0-2 0-0 0, Rocky Saldana 0-2 0-0 0, Lily Brown 2-6 0-1 5, Keely Wallis 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 7-47 5-11 22.
BASTROP (32) — Akhiri Lester 1-9 4-8 6, Rhaneashqua Higgins 0-2 0-2 0, Ashlynn Watley 3-6 0-0 7. Carley Soules 2-3 0-0 4, Peniah Waites 3-15 2-4 8, Mariah Meeks 1-1 0-0 3, Kya Tarver 1-9 2-2 4. Totals: 11-45 8-16 32.
Halftime: Bastrop, 15-11. 3-point shooting — EV 3-19 (Corley 0-1, Morrison 1-7, Salyer 0-3, Daniel 1-5, Saldana 0-1, Brown 1-2); BHS 2-11 (Higgins 0-2, Watley 1-3, Waites 0-4, Meeks 1-1, Tarver 0-1). Rebounds: EV 28 (Ashby 7, Brown 5, Daniel 4, Stone 4); BHS 33 (Taver 11, Lester 6, Waites 6). Assists: EV 5 (Brown 2); BHS 3 (Tarver 3). Steals: EV 3 (three with one each); BHS 4 (Waites 2). Blocks: EV 1 (Stone); BHS 3 (Tarver 3). Turnovers: EV 9, BHS 10. Total fouls: EV 15, BHS 13. Fouled out: none. Technical touls: none. Records: East View, 15-14; Bastrop, 23-12.
RGION III-5A PLAYOFF PAIRINGS
(In bracket order)
Bi-District
Tomball Memorial (W20) vs. Bastrop (F19), 7 p.m. Tuesday, Bastrop
Lindale (R17) vs. Temple (T18), 7 p.m. Monday, Lancaster
Georgetown (W19) vs. Waller (F20), 7 p.m. Monday, Hearne
Bryan Rudder (R18) vs. Nacogdoches (T17), 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Slocum
Houston Madison (W24) vs. Fort Bend Willowridge (F23), 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Butler Field House, Houston
Dayton (R21) vs. Beaumont Central (T22), 7:30 p.m. Monday, Hardin-Jefferson
Manvel (W23) vs. Houston Sharpstown (F24), 8 p.m. Monday, Alvin
Lumberton (R22) vs. Humble Kingwood Park (T21), 6 p.m. Monday, Goose Creek, Baytown
***
College Station (W18) vs. Corsicana (F17), 6 p.m. Tuesday, Groesbeck
Cedar Park (R19) vs. Magnolia (T20), 6:30 p.m. Monday, Schulenburg
Ennis (W17) vs. Bryan (F18), 7 p.m. Monday, Madisonville
Tomball (R20) vs. Rouse (T19), 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Hearne
Beaumont Ozen (W22) vs. New Caney (F21), 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Lee College, Baytown
Galveston Ball (R23) vs. Houston Northside (F24), 6 p.m. Monday, Alvin
Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill (W21) vs. Livingston (F22), 7 p.m. Monday, New Caney Porter
Houston Furr (R24) vs. Fort Bend Elkins (T23), 6 p.m. Tuesday, Pearland
Key: W — Top seed. R — Second seed. T — Third Seed. F — Fourth seed.
TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF BASKETBALL COACHES 5A RANKINGS
REGION III (State ranking in parenthesis)
Barbers Hill (4), Tomball Memorial (9), College Station (13), Dayton (16), Madison (17), Georgetown (19).
TEXAS GIRLS COACHES ASSOCIATION 5A RANKINGS
REGION III (State ranking in parenthesis)
Barbers Hill (3), Georgetown (12), Dayton (13), Tomball Memorial (16) — Cedar Park, College Station, Ennis, Houston Madison and Rouse listed in the honorable mention.
GHS-WALLER DISTRICT PATHS TO BI-DISTRICT
Georgetown (15-1) — Pflugerville Connally (w), 81-44; Hutto (w), 78-14; Elgin (w), 79-12; Bastrop (w), 74-17; East View (w), 47-42; Rouse (w), 55-38; Cedar Park (w), 42-34; Bastrop Cedar Greek (w), 77-29; Pflugerville Connally (w), 77-26; Hutto (w), 82-16; Elgin (w), 74-21; Bastrop (w), 51-21; East View (w), 51-33; Rouse (l), 56-44; Cedar Park (w), 57-28; Bastrop Cedar Creek (w), 53-21.
Waller (9-5) — Magnolia (l), 53-46; Brenham (l), 48-41; Tomball (l), 39-36; Huntsville (w), 50-49; Magnolia West (w), 60-50; Tomball Memorial (l), 48-39; Willis (w), 57-38; Magnolia (w), 52-41; Brenham (w), 51-45; Tomball (l), 51-37; Huntsville (w), 54-39; Magnolia West (w), 51-42; Tomball Memorial (w), 44-41; Willis (w), 64-62.