By GALEN WELLNICKI
After beating Waller, 70-55, in what, at times, was a contentious, emotional and physical  bi-district game on Monday at Hearne, the Georgetown Lady Eagles’  charter bus will make a return trip to the Robertson County town on Thursday evening.
This time, in the Region III-5A area playoffs, the District 19-5A champion Lady Eagles (25-7) will face 18-5A runner-up Bryan Rudder (22-8) in a 7 p.m. battle that will advance the winner into the regional quarterfinals on either next Monday or Tuesday.
Georgetown again will be the designated “home team” on the Hearne Eagles’ court on Thursday.
The GHS-Rudder winner’s opponent in III-5A quarterfinals will be the survivor of a game between 20-5A titlist Tomball Memorial (27-5) and 18-5A third-seed Temple (17-12) at 7 p.m. Friday in Caldwell.
Despite being a heavy favorite over 18-5A third-seed Nacogdoches in Tuesday’s bi-district game in Slocum, Rudder had to fight for its life before posting a 58-57 victory in overtime. The Rangers were coming off an 80-78 loss to College Station A&M Consolidated in which they yielded 48 points to the Tigers’ Aerial Starks.
The winner of the regional quarterfinals will advance to the Region III-5A Tournament next Friday and Saturday at the Houston ISD’s recently opened $35.2 million, 5,000-seat Delmar Fieldhouse.
After watching Rudder shade Nacogdoches Tuesday night, GHS coach Rhonda Farney was impressed with the Rangers’ personnel.
“Rudder has excellent big post play from twin towers — 6-foot-1 senior Destya Wilbert (No. 24) and 6-1 freshman Deondra Young (No. 30). In edition they get great point guard play from sophomore Wayneshia Daily (No. 10), who can push the ball and lead the break or shoot the three.
“Daily answered tonight when Nacogdoches junior guard Neketria Duffy hit a three barely across half court with eight seconds remaining. She dribbled the length of the court and laid the ball in with no time remaining giving Rudder the win.”
Tuesday also proved a challenge for both potential regional quarterfinal opponents. Memorial, the state’s ninth-ranked team, escaped Bastrop, the fourth-place team 19-5A, with a slow-paced 26-23 victory, and Temple, which had been struggling in recent games, came alive to stop 17-5A second-seed Lindale with a strong finish.
Monday’s game between the Lady Eagles and Waller was played in an electric atmosphere that permiated both fan bases despite the fact that Georgetown never lead by less than 12 points during the final 20 minutes of the game. Actually. the closest the Bulldogs got after the opening period was 23-13 with 5 minutes and 59 seconds remaining in the second quarter on a bucket by Jazmyne Watson.
For the remainded of the contest Georgetown’s lead ranged from a 12 to a 21-points. Back-to-back 3-pointers by senior point guard Brooke Elliott gave GHS a 48-27 lead with 5:09 left in the third quarter.  Waller, trying to rally behind the gifted shooting of 5-6 freshman point guard Laila Blair, played most of the fourth quarter down by five or six possessions if all the baskets were treys.
The electricity on both the blue and maroon sides of the Hearne gym was amped by continued physical play, officiating that both sides believed were inconsistent and probelms at the scoring table with the official book and the game clock.
“It wasn’t your usual first-round game,” Farney said of the victory over Waller. “I’m really proud of the kids and how they played together and with the effort they displayed.”
Asked about the situation at the table that resulted in a technical foul called against GHS, Farney answered, “I’ve never seen such a mess at the table. One of the personal fouls was given to the wrong player, one of our players names was not in the book eventhough it was there when I signed it off. They wouldn’t allow the teams to have their books (a usual check and balance) on the table.”
Although she logged little more than a quarter of playing time — in two-minute spurts — senior defensive specialist Taylor Elliott returned to action after a bout with illness.
“It was good to see her back on the court,” Farney said. “We used (6-1 freshman) Emery Herman on No. 14 (Blair) much of the game.”
Blair led all scorers with 27 points — eight field goals and 11 free throws — but was disrupted enough to make only eight of her 25 shot attempts, including an 0-of-7 mark from beyond the arch. Instead of hitting from long range, she did much of her damage taking the ball to the hoop. With Blair not hitting at her usual rate, Waller only made 18 of its 51 shots from the floor (35 percent), including just one of 13 on 3-point efforts.
“Obviously, Brooke’s back-to-back 3-pointers were big plays for us and I thought (sophomores) Ali (Isbell) and (6-0) Jade (Smith) played well. giving us good minutes off the bench,” Farney said. “E.J. (sophomore post Jones) and Jaelyn (sophomore post) Knight played well away from the basket.”
Not to be left out of the discussion of key perormers for the Lady Eagles was 6-1 senior post Dee Day, who led GHS to a one-sided edge (37-18) on the boards with 14 rebounds, and topped the the scoring chart with 20 points, making nine of 15 from the floor. Eight of her rebounds came off the offensive glass.
Day was joined in double figures by B. Elliott with 18 points and Herman, who was able to slip open to the basket, with 13 as Georgetown was able to hit on 26 of its 47 shots from the floor. The 5-8 Elliott supplemented her scoring with 11 rebounds (10 defensive) and four steals.  Herman and junior Maddie Vickers had four assists each.
Farney was able to get all 18 players on the expanded roster into the game, including several players making their varsity debuts.
In all, the initial round of the playoffs saw one district champion — Houston Madison (24-5A) — six second seeds — Lindale, Dayton, Lumberton, Cedar Park Tomball and Houston Furr — two third seeds — Houston Northside and Nacogdoches — and seven fourth seeds — Waller, Houston Sharpstown, Bryan, Livingston, Corsicana, Bastrop and New Caney — eliminated. The only fourth seed to survive was Fort Bend Willowridge.
District 24-5A — composed of Houston ISD teams — was the only district to have all of its teams bounced from the field in the opening round.
In other results for 19-5A teams, Magnolia, the third-seed from 20-5A, upset second-seed Cedar Park, 44-40, and third-seeded Rouse bested 20-5A second seed Tomball, 47-31.
Regional favorite Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill prevailed as expected, dominating Livingston, 72-18, while another contender on the bottom half of the bracket College Station sent Corsicana packing, 70-12.
On Georgetown’s half of the bracket, unranked Beaumont Central pulled the first-round’s biggest upset, topping No. 16 Dayton, 77-73, and Manvel posted the biggest victory margin, cleaning Houston Sharpstown’s clock, 76-12.
MONDAY’S REGION III-5A BI-DISTRICT GAME
At Hearne
GEORGETOWN 70, WALLER 55
WALLER (55) — Aliesha Goodnight 2-8 1-2 5, Laila Blair 8-25 11-14 27, Angela Shorter-Kinney 2-3 0-0 4, Jazmyne Watson 2-6 1-2 5, Kamryn Meyoyer 0-2 0-0 0, Rae Harris 0-1 0-0 0, Ella Johnson 1-1 2-2 5, Rodneisha Logan 1-2 1-3 3, Mariah Stewart 2-3 2-5 6. Totals: 18-51 18-25 55.
GHS (70) — Brooke Elliott 5-12 4-7 18, Morgan Bruning 0-0 0-0 0, Samai O’Brien 0-0 0-0 0, Ali Isbell 1-2 1-2 3, Josie Weirich 1-1 0-1 3, Kylie Ellsworth 0-0 2-2, Taylor Elliott 0-1 0-0 0, Shelby Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Miranda Gil 0-0 0-0 0, Jaelyn Knight 0-3 0-0 0, Maddie Vickers 1-1 0-0 3, Emery Herman 6-8 1-2 13, Emili Harris 0-0 0-0 0, Jade Smith 2-2 0-1 4, Gracie Speer 0-0 0-0 0, McCall Hampton 0-0 0-0 0, Dee Day 9-15 2-3 20, Emily Jones 1-2 2-2 4. Totals: 26-47 12-20 70.
Halftime: GHS, 34-22.3-point shooting: WHS 1-13 (Goodnight 0-4, Blair 0-7, Watson 0-1, Johnson 1-1); GHS 6-11 (B. Elliott 4-6, Isbell 0-1, Weirich 1-1, Vickers 1-1, Herman 0-1). Rebounds: WHS 8 (Stewart 4); GHS 37 (Day 14, B. Elliott 11, Smith 4, Herman 4). Assists: GHS 20 (Herman 4, Vickers 4, Jones 3). Steals: GHS 10 (B. Elliott 4, Herman 2). Blocks: GHS 1 (Day). Turnovers: GHS 15. Total fouls: WHS 20, GHS 16. Fouled out: WHS, Goodnight. Technical fouls: GHS, scorebook violation. Records: Waller: 20-9; GHS, 25-7.
REGION III-5A PLAYOFFS
(In bracket order)
Bi-District Results
Tomball Memorial 26, Bastrop 23
Temple 51, Lindale 42
Georgetown 70, Waller 55
Bryan Rudder 58, Nacogdoches 57 (OT)
Fort Bend Willowridge 48. Houston Madison 42
Beaumont Central 77, Dayton 73
Manvel 76, Houston Sharpstown 12
Humble Kingwood Park 56, Lumberton 49
***
College Station 70, Corsicana 12
Magnolia 44, Cedar Park 40
Ennis 71, Bryan 69
Rouse 47, Tomball 31
Beaumont Ozen 64, New Caney 34
Galveston Ball 52, Houston Northside 31
Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill 72, Livingston 18
Fort Bend Elkins 73, Houston Furr 31
Area Pairings
Tomball Memorial (27-5) vs. Temple (17-12), 7 p.m. Friday, Caldwell.
Georgetown (25-7) vs. Bryan Rudder (22-8), 7 p.m. Thursday, Hearne.
Fort Bend Willowridge (19-11) vs. Beaumont Central (23-10), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Channelview.
Manvel (24-9) vs. Humble Kingwood Park (18-11), 7 p.m. Friday, Deer Park.
***
College Station (27-6) vs. Magnolia (21-11), 6 p.m. Friday, Sam Houston State’s Johnson Coliseum, Huntsville.
Ennis (24-8) vs. Rouse (23-10), 7 p.m. Friday, Waco Midway.
Beaumont Ozen (23-6) vs. Galveston Ball (24-7), 7:30 p.m. Friday, East Chamners.
Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill (30-4) vs. Fort Bend Elkins (24-9), 6 p.m. Thursday, Delmar Fieldhouse, Hoiuston.
GHS-RUDDER PATHS TO AREA
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 Creek (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. Bi-District: GHS 70, Waller 55.
Rudder (9-3) —  Waco (w), 69-47; Temple (l), 49-41; College Station (w), 51-57; Bryan (w), 75-61; Waco University (w), 60-35; College Station A&M Consolidate (w), 72-58; Waco (w), 64-60; Temple (w), 69-54; College Station (l), 61-39; Bryan (w), 86-58; Waco University (w), 61-50; College Station A&M Consolidated (l), 80-78. Bi-District: Rudder 58, Nacogdoches 57 (OT).
TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF BASKETBALL COACHES
FINAL REGULAR SEASON CLASS 5A POLL
(Released Monday)
1. Amarillo (33-1); 2. Mansfield Timberview (31-2); 3. Canyon (25-3); 4. Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill (29-4). 5. Saginaw Boswell (33-3). 6. Frisco Liberty (27-6); 7. Frisco Lone Star (24-6). 8. The Colony (33-1). 9. Tomball Memorial (26-5). 10. Austin SFA (29-5). 11. Colleyville Heritage (26-6). 12. Mansfield Summit (26-8). 13. Kerrville Tivy (31-4). 14. Suklphur Springs (26-3). 15. College Station (26-6). 16. Dayton (27-4). 17. Houston Madison (23-6). 18. Crowley (24-5). 19. Georgetown (24-7). 20. Fort Worth Trimble Tech (26-7). 21. El Paso Andress (27-4). 23. Laredo Cigarroa (27-7). 24. Lubbock Monterey (25-5). 25. Beaumont Ozen (22-6).
TEXAS GIRLS COACHES ASSOCIATION
FINAL REGULAR SEASON CLASS 5A POLL
(Released Monday)
1. Amarillo. 2. Mansfield Timberview. 3. Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill. 4. Canyon. 5. Frisco Liberty. 6. The Colony. 7. Saginaw Boswell. 8. Frisco Lone Star. 9. Sulphur Springs. 10. Austin SFA. 11. Georgetown. 12. Beaumont Ozen. 13. Dayton. 14. El Paso Andress. 15. Denton Ryan. 16. El Paso Riverside. 17. Tomball Memorial. 18. Laredo Cigarroa. 19. Lubbock Monterey. 20. Plainview. 21. Colleyville Heritage. 22. Red Oak. 23. Mansfield Summit. 24. Brownsville Veterans Memorial. 25. El Paso Burges.
GHS LADY EAGLES EXPANDED PLAYOFF ROSTER
No. — Name Gr. Pos. Ht.
10 — Brooke Elliott sr. Guard 5-8
12 — Morgan Bruning so. Post 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
44 — Gracie Speer so. Guard 5-8
45 — McCall Hampton fr. Guard 5-8
50 — Deonna Day sr. Post 6-1
55 — Emily Jones so. Post 5-11
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.