A considerable amount of water will flow under an indeterminate number of bridges before the 13th-ranked Georgetown Lady Eagles return to the District 18-5A race on Tuesday, Jan. 7, at Manor. Coach Rhonda Farney’s Lady Eagles, now 14-6 on the season and a co-leader with Hutto in the 18-5A chase at 2-0, have posted an 11-2 record after a slow 3-4 start and have developed into a solid contender, if not the favorite, for a repeat district title. But in the 17 days between Georgetown’s 70-35 non-district victory over Burnet this past Friday and the challenge of playing the Mustangs on their homecourt, the Lady Eagles will do many things both in-and-out of the basketball arena as they take their annual holiday trip — this time to Arizona.
They will take a tour Tombstone, seeing a reenactment of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, play four games in the Flowing Wells Holiday Shootout in Tucson, take a jeep tour of the Painted Desert and enjoy a train ride to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Georgetown will open competition in the two-day, 16-team Flowing Wells event at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 27, against Tucson Desert Christian.
The Arizona Class 2A Desert Christian Eagles took a 5-5 season mark into their holiday break and will be trying to end a two game skid when they face Georgetown. Desert Christian dropped a 27-21 loss to Miami, Arizona. on Dec. 17 and fell to Baboquivari of Sells, Arizona, 46-19, this past Friday. Pending how it fares in the opener, GHS, the only non-Arizona team in the field, will play either Nogales, Arizona, or Tucson Empire at 4:30 p.m. in the winner’s bracket or 3 p.m. in the loser’s bracket. The final two rounds of the event will be played on Saturday with the title game set for 7:30 p.m.
Empire enters the tournament with a 5-5 mark, while Nogales stands 4-7. Other first-round pairings (in bracket order): Tucson Sahuaro vs. Yuma Kofa, Tucson Rincon vs. Tucson Amphitheater, Tucson Flowing Wells vs. Tucson Catalina Foothills, Tucson Marana vs. Thatcher, Ariz., Sahuarita Walden Grove vs. Sierra Vista Buena, and Tuscon Sunnyville vs. Tucson Palo Verde. Under UIL rules, which dictate a six-day break from practice and competition over the Christmas break, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Thursday, Dec. 26, GHS will not have practiced or played as a team since they left the court last Friday prior to the start of the tournament.
“Remember that the out-of-state teams we will be competing against are not bound by our UIL rules,” Farney wrote to her players in the trip itinerary. “Our opponents will be practicing throughout the holidays.” Since the last time we communicated, the Lady Eagles have also added a 65-44 win over district rival Elgin on Tuesday, Dec. 17. That victory surrounded a celebration honoring Georgetown’s 2012-2013 Class 4A State Championship Team that bested Dallas Lincoln, 65-60, in the state finals at the Erwin Center in Austin.
Friday’s victory over Burnet came on the Lady Eagles’ bye from district play — a night that produced the initial surprise of the district race as Hutto’s Lady Hippos jumped to a 31-13 lead and held on to claim a 45-36 victory over East View on the Patriots’ hardwood, dropping once state-ranked EV to 2-1 in district. Bastrop and Manor also flexed their muscles as the Lady Bears crunched sister school Cedar Creek, 75-25, and the Mustangs trampled Elgin, 57-37. “I am very proud of our win tonight,” Farney said of the victory over Burnet, which avenged last season’s 65-56 loss at Burnet. “Everybody played hard. We shot the ball well.” In the triumph over last season state 4A semifinalist, Farney was able to get plenty of playing time for all 11 players on the active roster. All 11 also scored with McCall Hampton pouring in 11 points as the Lady Bulldogs, now 8-11, had no answer for her inside moves. Junior point guard Graci Harris and senior guard Kylee Sander added nine and eight points, respectively, as GHS shot 43 percent from the floor, while holding Burnet to 11 successes in 32 efforts (34 percent).
The Lady Eagles jumped to a 41-17 advantage at halftime and expanded it out to a 36-point margin in the final seconds.GHS, which pulled its press after getting up by 20 points, forced Burnet into 25 turnovers. In the victory over Elgin, Georgetown steadily built its lead, 19-8 after the first quarter, 39-23 at the half, 58-36 after three periods. The largest lead was 24 points twice in the fourth quarter. The Lady Eagles made 50 percent of their 48 shots, while holding the Lady Wildcats, who now stand 3-18 on the season and 0-2 in district, to 40 percent (16 of 40). Hampton, a 5-foot-9 senior heading to St. Edward’s University, led GHS with 20 points and 12 rebounds. She was supported by guards Kylie Ellsworth and Kylee Sander with 16 and 13 points, respectively. Anaya Freeman scored 17 for Elgin. “I was very pleased that we got the win,” Farney said of the win over Elgin. “It wasn’t one of our better defensive games. McCall and Kylee played with a lot of energy.” The back-to-back victories over Elgin and Burnet enabled the Eagles to jump from 16th to 13th in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 5A rankings.
As for the celebration of the 2013 state championship team, with most of the players attending, Farney said, “All in all it was a very successful night, both during the halftime celebration and the reception after the game.” The Georgetown JV and Freshman Blue steamrolled Elgin by a combined score of 145-8 on Tuesday night to improve their District 18-5A records to 2-0. The undefeated Blue put five players in double digits as it improved its record to 17-0, scoring 10 or more points were Jane Butler 13, Taylor Meyners 12, Amiya Gonzalez 10, Madelyne Furr 15 and Ainsley Pelzcar 14. The final score was 71-2 with Elgin scoring it’s only points on a bucket in the second quarter. The Lady Eagles JV raced to a 74-6 win to improve to 11-6 for the year. Nine players scored for GHS in the route with Brielle Maxwell scoring 15 and Brooke White adding 13.
In non-district sub-varsity action, the Georgetown Freshman White (4-5) split a pair of road games this past week, falling to the Granger JV, 25-20, on Thursday and toppling the Belton Freshman B, 29-24, on Monday behind a 14-point effort by Peyton Humphrey. Against Burnet on the sub-varsity level, GHS continued to roll. The JV improved to 12-6 with a 47-24 win and the Freshman Blue extended their unbeaten streak to 18-0 with a 48-16 victory. Jordyn Stout and Vyctorya Lehr scored 12 points each in the JV’s victory and Maxwell added 10. In the Freshman Blue win, the Lady Eagles jumped to a 30-5 lead with Pelzcar scoring 16 points to pace the victory.
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DISTRICT 18-5A AT A GLANCE
(As of Wednesday, Dec. 17)
Standings: Georgetown, 2-0; Hutto, 2-0; East View, 2-1; Bastrop, 2-1; Manor, 1-2; Elgin, 0-2; Bastrop Cedar Creek, 0-3.
Tuesday (Dec. 17) results: Georgetown 65, Elgin 44; East View 51, Cedar Creek 21; Bastrop 63, Manor 60. Bye — Hutto.
Thursday’s game: Bastrop 75, Cedar Creek 25.
Friday’s games: Hutto 45, East View 36; Manor 57, Elgin 37. Bye — Georgetown.
Tuesday (Jan. 7) games: Georgetown at Manor, 7 p.m.; Elgin at Cedar Creek, 7 p.m.; Bastrop at Hutto, 7p.m. Bye — East View.
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FRIDAY’S NON-DISTRICT GAME
At Eagle Gym
GEORGETOWN 70, BURNET 35
BURNET (35) — Caitlynne Graves 0-3 0-0 0, Halee Muccigrossi 2-4 3-4 8, Addie-Grace Hernandez 0-0 0-0 0, Kenley Denton 1-2 1-2 34, Hailey McHam 0-2 3-5 5, Sidne Massoletti 4-11 2-2 11, Grace Gates 0-1 0-0 0, Kendall Connolly 1-2 1-4 3, Gracyn Bennett 3-7 0-0 7. Ashton Floyd 0-0 0-0 0, Wagner 0-0 0-1 0. Totals: 11-32 10-18 35.
GEORGETOWN (70) — Ella Vickers 2-4 0-0 6, Kylee Sander 3-5 0-0 8, Hailey Hanson 1-3 0-0 3, McCall Hampton 8-11 3-4 19, Kylie Ellsworth 2-10 0-0 4, Graci Harris 3-6 0-0 9, Mackenzy Mouton 1-1 2-2 4, Megan Herring 1-1 0-0 2, Mercedes Robledo 2-5 1-1 6, Lauren Woodard 2-2 2-3 6, Nia Williams 1-1 1-2 3. Totals: 26-49 9-12 70.
Halftime: GHS, 41-17. 3-point shooting: BHS 3-13 (Muccigrosso 1-2, Denton 0-1, Massoletti 1-4, Gates 0-1, Graves 0-2, McHam 0-1, Bennett 1-2); GHS 9-21 (Vickers 2-3, Sander 2-2, Hanson 1-3, Ellsworth 0-6, Harris 4-4, Robledo 1-4). Assists: GHS 17 (Sander 4, Ellsworth 3, Harris 3). Blocks: GHS 2 (Mouton 1, Williams 1). Rebounds: BHS 19 (Connolly 5, Massoletti 5); GHS 25 (Williams 6, Ellsworth 6, Hampton 5, Woodard 3). Steals: BHS 5, GHS 20 (Sander 6, Ellsworth 5, Harris 3). Turnovers: BHS 25; GHS 7. Total fouls: BHS 11, GHS 18. Fouled out: GHS, Mouton (4th, 6:06). Technical fouls: none. Records: Bunet, 8-11; Georgetown 14-6.
FRIDAY’S SUB VARSITY GAMES
At Eagle Gym
(GHS scoring only)
GEORGETOWN JV 47, BURNET JV 24 — Jacqui Spencer 6, Brooke White 5, Sam Folsom 0, Taiaya Roston 0, Morgan Larson 0, Shelia Lee 2, Brielle Maxwell 10, Vyctorya Lehr 12, Arayna Hill 0, Jordyn Stout 12, Lauren Cavanaugh 0. Halftime: GHS, 18-11. GHS record: 12-6.
GEORGETOWN FRESHMAN BLUE 48, BURNET FRESHMAN 16 — Erica Ramthun 6, Avery Lopez 5, Jane Butler 8, Taylor Meyners 3, Amiya Gonzalez 6, Madelyne Furr 0, Abby Brent 4, Ainsley Pelzcar 16. Halftime: 30-5. GHS record: 18-0.
TUESDAY DISTRICT 18-5A GAME
At Eagle Gym
GEORGETOWN 65, ELGIN 44
ELGIN (44) — Alyssa Broderick 5-11 3-6 18, Nylissa Noa 0-0 0-0 0, Paige Bailey 0-0 0-0 0. Jania Monroe 1-5 0-0 3, Jaylene Wilson 0-0 0-0 0, Tasha Stafford 2-8 0-2 4, Amiyah Knighton 0-0 0-0 0, Anaya Freeman 7-10 1-1 17, A.J. Thompson 0-0 0-0 0, Kerrington Holiday 1-6 0-0 2. Totals: 16-40 4-9 44.
GEORGETOWN (65) — Vickers 0-2 0-0 0, Sander 5-9 3-6 13, Hanson 0-0 0-0 0, Hampton 8-15 4-7 20, Ellsworth 4-11 2-4 16, Harris 3-4 0-0 7, Mouton 2-5 2-3 6, Herring 1-1 0-0 2, Robledo 0-0 0-0 0, Jordyn Stout 0-0 0-0 0, Williams 0-1 1-4 1. Torals: 24-48 12-24 65.
Halftime: GHS, 39-23. 3-point shooting: EHS 8-16 (Monroe 1-2, Stafford 0-1, Broderick 5-10, Freeman 2-3); GHS 5-13 (Vickers 0-2, Sander 0-3, Ellsworth 4-7,Harris 1-1). Assists: GHS 16 (Sander 4, Hampton 3, Harris 3). Blocks: GHS (Williams 2). Rebounds: EHS 13 (Stafford 4, Freeman 4), GHS 32 (Hampton 12, Mouton 6, Williams 5, Ellsworth 4). Steals: EHS 3; GHS 12 (Sander 3, Hampton 3, Harris 3). Turnovers: EHS 15, GHS 13. Total fouls: EHS 18, GHS 11. Fouled out: none. Technical fouls: none. Records: Elgin, 0-1 in 18-5A, 3-17; Georgetown, 2-0 in 18-5A, 13-6.
TUESDAY’S SUB-VARSITY 18-5A GAMES
At Eagle Gym
(GHS scoring only)
GEORGETOWN JV 74, ELGIN JV 6 — Spencer 8, White 13, Folsom 7, Tanaya Smith 0, Roston 0, Larson 9, Lee 6, Maxwell 15, Lehr 7, Hill 6, Cavanaugh 3. Halftime: GHS, 35-3. GHS record: 11-6.
GEORGETOWN FRESHMAN BLUE 71, BASTROP FRESHMAN 2 — Ramthun 5, Lopez 2, Butler 13, Meyners 12, Gonzalez 10, Furr 15, Pelczar 14. Halftime: 49-2. GHS record: 17-0.
THURSDAY’S SUB-VARSITY NON-DISTRICT GAME
(GHS scoring only)
At Granger
GRANGER JV 25, GEORGETOWN FRESHMAN WHITE 20 — Reagan Nelson 4, Natalie Rivera 4, Elleigh McKinley 2, Danielle Rodriguez 0, Payton Humphrey 7, Abby Brent 3. Halftime: GHS, 14-7. GHS record: 3-5.
MONDAY’S SUB-VARSITY NON-DISTRICT GAME
(GHS scoring only)
At Belton
GEORGETOWN FRESHMAN WHITE 29, BELTON FRESHMAN B 24 — Nelson 5, Rivera 2, McKinley 2, Rodriguez 0, Humphrey 14, Sarah Herrera 0, Brent 6. Halftime: GHS, 11-9. GHS record: 4-5.
TEXAS BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION
CLASS 5A STATE RANKINGS
(Released Monday, Dec. 23)
- Amarillo (18-0). 2. Fort Bend Hightower (17-2). 3. Pearland Shadow Creek (14-2). 4. Denton Braswell (14-1). 5. Kerrville Tivy (14-2). 6. Cedar Park (18-3). 7. Corpus Christi Carroll (16-3). 8. Red Oak (15-4). 9. Wichita Falls Rider (17-0). 10. Mansfield Timberview (11-6). 11. Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway. 12. Boerne Champion (13-4). 13. GEORGETOWN (14-6). 14. Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial (18-6). 15. Bryan Rudder (16-1). 16. Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill (16-3.) 17. McKinney North (10-5). 18. Royse City (15-5). 19. Waller (16-1). 20. Magnolia West (16-5). 21. San Antonio Veterans Memorial (15-7). 22. Brownsville Veterans Memorial (15-5). 23. Frisco Centennial (13-5). 24. Lake Dallas (15-3). 25. Frisco Liberty (10-7)
Note: Season records provided by TABC as of Dec. 23.
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TEXAS GIRLS COACHES ASSOCIATION
CLASS 5A RANKINGS
(Released Monday, Dec. 16)
- Amarillo (16-0). 2. Waller (15-0). 3. Wichita Falls Rider (15-0). 4. College Station A&M Consolidated (7-0). 5. Denton Braswell (13-1). 6. Lubbock Monterey (16-1). 7. Bryan Rudder (12-1). 8. Cedar Park (17-3). 9. Fort Bend Hightower (15-2). 10. Kerrville Tivy, nr. 11. El Paso Chapin (17-3). 12. Alvin Shadow Creek (13-2). 3. Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill (14-3). 14. Corpus Christi Carroll (15-3). 15. Ek Paso Eastwood (14-3). 16. Fort Worth Arlington Heights (12-1). 17. Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial (17-5). 18. Magnolia West (13-4). 19. San Antonio Harlan (15-5). 20. Castroville Medina Valley (17-6). 21. Richmond Foster (14-3). 22. Dripping Springs (14-4). 23. Montgomery Lake Creek (13-3). 24. Abilene Cooper (12-5). 25. (tie) Baytown Lee (7-1); Red Oak (12-4); and Frisco Reedy (11-4).
Notes: Season records provided by TGCA as of Dec. 16. TGCA rankings will resume on Monday, Jan. 6.