As with most the human endeavors for the last 10 months a sizeable number of situations can best be described as uncertain — many with a negative connotation. Things have continued to rotate in a similar manner over the past five days for coach Rhonda Farney’s Georgetown basketball team. On Friday the sixth-ranked Lady Eagles played Cedar Park, the state’s consensus No. 1 Class 5A team for the 25-5A lead. In that contest at the Timberdome, Cedar Park solidified its ranking with a 63-25 bruising of Georgetown. However, the 38-point loss along with an early win over Liberty Hill resulted in the Lady Eagles moving up to fifth in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches poll. On that night both the freshman and junior varsity games were nixed by Covid-19 quarantines.
Tuesday, GHS was scheduled to play an 8 p.m. road game with Leander Glenn. However, Farney was notified at 3:15 p.m. Monday that the Grizzlies — coaches by former Lady Eagles assistant Jordan Ramey — would be unable to field a team for the JV game (Covid-19 quarantine). The varsity game has been moved up to 6:30 p.m. with the freshman contest remaining at 5:15 p.m.
For both Georgetown (5-1 in the district, 15-3 season) and Glenn (5-2 in 25-5A, 11-6 season) the game is extremely important. If GHS wins, it tightens its grip on second place, but if Glenn comes out on top it will leapfrog the Lady Eagles into second place. However, a victory by Georgetown would clinch the tie-breaker over Glenn as it won the first meeting, 59-34, at Eagle Gym on Tuesday, Dec. 8 The loss to Cedar Park ended a nine-game Georgetown victory streak. The Grizzlies have won four-straight games since dropping a 63-35 outing to Cedar Park on Friday, Dec. 18. Glenn’s four consecutive wins have been over Marble Falls, 53-41; 6A Round Rock, 69-64; Leander, 54-40; and Liberty Hill, 47-36. In an oddity this season, Glenn was the only 25-5A team to play all seven of its scheduled first-round games.
Against the gifted Timberwolves on Friday, Georgetown trailed only 11-6, after the first period, but Cedar Park put a heavy foot on the pedal in the second and third quarters outscoring GHS, 18-6, in the second for a 29-12 lead and 23-2 in the third quarter to go up 52-14. The Lady Eagles’ only points in the third quarter came on a basket by 6-4 junior Niah Williams with 2:50 remaining in the period. Williams’s only basket of the game broke a six-minute and 18-second streak in which the Timbers scored 21 unanswered points. “They are a really good team,” Farney said, “I thought we played well in the first quarter, but then we got in foul trouble and we started having problems.” Georgetown was whistled for 19 fouls as compared to 11 for the Lady Timberwolves. Looking at the statistics, GHS really did not get off enough shots against the Cedar Park defense to win the contest — 10 of 27 (37 percent) — including only one success in six 3-point attempts. Georgetown made just four of their 11 free-throw attempts. No GHS played scored more than six points with junior guard Jacqui Spencer and senior forward Lauren Woodard scoring six each.
Cedar Park made 22 of 46 attempts (47 percent), including six of 14 beyond the arch. The Lady Timberwolves put four players in double digits with standout sophomore Gisella Maul scoring senior Alisa Knight adding 15. Shelby Hays, a 6-3 junior post, and senior Satai Estupinan had 10 points each. The Lady Timberwolves also posted a 30-17 edge in rebounds, including 15 offensive boards, and had a 17-8 edge in steals. Georgetown turned the ball over 18 times. Williams led GHS rebounders with eight and Spencer was credited with four steals. Tuesday will mark the second straight playing date that the unbeaten GHS JV (5-0 in 25-5A, 17-0 season) is idle. The Freshman Blue will be putting a 5-0 district and a 12-2 season mark on the line against the Grizzlies. Georgetown won the first freshman meeting, 39-2.
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FRIDAY’S DISTRICT 25-5A GAME
At Cedar Park (Timberdome)
- 1 CEDAR PARK 63, NO. 6 GEORGETOWN 25
GHS (25) — Ella Vickers 1-2 0-0 3, Niah Williams 1-1 0-7 2, Jacqui Spencer 2-3 2-2 6, Sam Folsom 0-0 0-0 0, Brooke White 0-0 0-0 0, Morgan Larson 0-0 0-0 0, Graci Harris 2-9 0-0 4, Megan Herring 0-1 2-2 2, Jordyn Stout 0-4 0-0 0, Lauren Woodard 3-4 0-0 6, Sheila Lee 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 10-27 (37 percent) 4-11 (36.3 percent) 25.
CP (63) — Molly Ly 1-2 1-2 4, Sarai Estupinan 3-8 2-4 10, Amesley Davis 0-1 0-1 0, Elaine King 2-2 0-1 4, Gisella Maul 6-13 4-4 16, Megan Woods 2-3 0-0 5,Alisa Knight 4-7 2-6 12, Rece Merrill 0-0 0-0 0, Shelby Hayes 4-10 2-2 10, Angie Sacco 0-0 2-2 2. Totals: 22-46 (47 percent) 13-22 (59 percent) 63.
Halftime: CP, 29-12. 3-point shooting: GHS, 1-6 (Vickers 1-1, Harris 0-1, Stout, 0-4); CP, 6-14 (Ly 1-2, Estupinan 2-4, Davis 0-1, Woods 1-1, Knight 2-4, Hayes 0-2); Assists: GHS, 7 (White 2, Harris 2, Vickers 1, Spencer 1, Larson 1). Rebounds: GHS, 17, 3 offensive (Williams 8, Larson 2, Harris 2, Stout 2, Spencer 1, Woodard 1, Lee 1); CP, 30, 15 offensive (Knight 7, Hayes 7, Maul 6, King 3); Blocks: GHS, 1 (Williams 1); CP. 3. Steals: GHS, 8 (Spencer 4); CP, 17 (Maul 5). Turnovers: GHS, 18; CP, 10. Total fouls: GHS, 18; CP, 11. Fouled out: none. Technical fouls: none. Records: Georgetown, 5-1 in 25-5A, 15-3; Cedar Park, 6-0 in 25-5A, 12-1.
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DISTRICT 25-5A AT A GLANCE
(Schedules subject to change)
Standings — Cedar Park, 6-0; Georgetown, 5-1; Leander Glenn, 5-2; Leander Rouse, 2-1; East View, 3-3; Liberty Hill, 1-5; Marble Falls, 1-5; Leander, 0-6.
Friday’s results: Cedar Park 63, Georgetown 25; Glenn 47, Liberty Hill 36; East View 50, Leander 33; Rouse at Marble Falls, ppd. (Rouse Covid-19 quarantine).
Tuesday’s games: Georgetown at Glenn, 6:30 p.m.; Cedar Park at Marble Falls, 6:30 p.m.; East View at Liberty Hill, 8 p.m.; Rouse at Leander, 8 p.m.
Friday’s games: Marble Falls at Georgetown, 8 p.m.; Leander at Cedar Park, 8 p.m.; Glenn at East View, 8 p.m.; Liberty Hill at Rouse, 8 p.m.
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DISTRICT 26-5A STANDINGS
(Based on San Antonio Express-News reports)
(25-5A plays 26-5A in bi-district).
New Braunfels Canyon, 8-1; Boerne Champion, 7-2; San Antonio Veterans Memorial, 7-2; Kerrville Tivy, 6-3; Dripping Springs, 2-3; Seguin, 2-5; Buda Johnson, 1-5; Kyle Lehman, 1-5; Alamo Heights, 0-8. Note: Canyon defeated Champion, 42-40, on Friday night; the season series between the two is tied 1-1.
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UPCOMING LADY EAGLES SCHEDULES
(Subject to change)
VARSITY
Tuesday — at Leander Glenn, 6:30 p.m. Friday — Marble Falls, 8 p.m.
JUNIOR VARSITY
Tuesday — at Leander Glenn, canceled (Covid-19 quarantine). Friday — Marble Falls, 6:30 p.m.
FRESHMAN BLUE
Tuesday — at Leander Glenn, 5:15 p.m. Friday — Marble Falls, 5:15 p.m.
FRESHMAN WHITE
Friday — Salado, 6:30 p.m.
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TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF BASKETBALL COACHES
CLASS 5A RANKINGS
(Released Monday, Jan. 11)
- Cedar Park, 12-1; 2. College Station (13-2); 3. Humble Kingwood Park, 16-0; 4. Wichita Falls Rider, 15-2; 5. GEORGETOWN, 15-3; 6. Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial, 17-2; 7. Mansfield Legacy, 16-1); 8. Lubbock Cooper, 15-3; 9. Pflugerville Hendrickson, 14-2; 10. Amarillo, 11-2; 11. Richmond Foster, 15-2; 12. Wylie East, 16-3; 13. Red Oak, 14-4; 14. Castroville Medina Valley, 15-3; 15. Lake Dallas, 14-4; 16. McKinney North, 13-4; 17. Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 14-2; 18. Highland Park, 13-6; 19. Beaumont United, 7-0; 20. New Braunfels Canyon, 14-2; 21. Bryan Rudder, 12-5; 22. Grapevine, 12-4; 23. Midlothian, 10-4; 24. Plainview, 12-5; 25. Sharyland Pioneer, 9-2. Note: Records provided by TABC.
TEXAS GIRLS COACHES ASSOCIATION
CLASS 5A POLL
(Not released Monday, Jan. 11)