BY GALEN WELLNICKI
The Georgetown Lady Eagles basketball program does not claim moral victories when they lose a game. And that was the case Tuesday night in Eagle Gym when they came out on the short end of a 46-33 battle with unbeaten Pflugerville, the state’s third-ranked 6-A team.
We played good in spots tonight, but we still have a lot of things to work on,” coach Rhonda Farney said as her inexperienced Lady Eagles dropped to 3-3 on the season. “We played better as the game went along. We didn’t back down, and that’s what I really liked. The kids coninued to take the ball to the basket.”
The victory improved Pflugerville to 8-0 in an early season when only Liberty Hill (4 points) and San Antonio O’Connor (7 points) had held the Panthers within 13 points. They beat the Lady Eagles’ 19-5A rival Cedar Park by 30.
Three of the key factors that negatively affected Georgetown’s performance were just eight successes in 19 free-throw attempts, a deficit on the offensive boards and 20 turnovers (six more than the Panthers).
Pflugerville, a state semifinalist last season, led by as many as 21 points with 2:26 remaining in the third quarter, but the Lady Eagles slowly worked their way back, including scoring the final eight points of the game.
The Eagles, who also only made 11 of 31 shots from the floor, including three of 10 beyond thre arc, had eight of the nine available players score, but seven points by 5-foot-11 junior Jaelyn Knight was the team high. Senior point guard Josie Weirich added six with a pair of 3-pointers and Ali Isbell, Kylie Ellsworth, Jade Smith and McCall Hampton added four each.
Pflugerville’s Kennedi Hodge was the game’s only double-digit scorer with 17 points. The Panthers made 17 of their 47 shots and also posted an 8-of-19 reading at the line.
Hampton, a 5-9 sophomore continued to be the master of the boards with 12 rebounds and 6-0 sophomore Mackenzy Mounton added five as the Lady Eagles pulled down a team total of 25. Senior Maddie Vickers had five steals and Knight and Hampton added three each.
The Lady Eagles will return to action at 6 p.m. Friday when they play Class 4A Burnet, which is 2-1 on the season after dropping a 52-46 decision to Gatesville on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs have an all-region returnee in 5-9 Marissa Escamilla.
Neither team was enamored with the officiating. PHS head coach April Hundl was called for a technical and GHS was given a bench warning in the first quarter.
After playing Burnet, the Lady Eagles will face a pair of day games during the Thanksgiving break. The will entertain Victoria East at 1:30 p.m. Monday and take to the road Friday for a 1 p.m. test by Houston Wheatley at the Delmar Fieldhouse, host site of the Region III-5A tournament in late February.
SUB-VARSITY UPDATE
Georgetown swept all three sub-varsity games with the Panthers. The JV prevailed 46-38 to improve to 2-0 on the season, while the freshman squads dominated Pflugerville. The Blue went to 2-0 with a 36-10 win in the A game and the White took a 40-5 decision to even its record at 1-1.
Strong play down the stretch by Mercedes Robledo (15 points), Keiana San Miguel (12 points) and Kylee Sandere (9 points) led coach Kellye Richardson’s JV to the victory. The Lady Eagles outscored PHS, 13-8, over the final 14 minutes and 12 seconds after trhe visitors rallied briefly at the start of the third quarter.
With Graci Harris leading the way with a game-high 12 points, the Freshman Blue built a 23-3 lead at the half en route to the victory. Skylar Nuegent added nine points for coach Kristin Curtis team.
The Freshman White held PHS scoreless in the first, third and fourth quarters as coach Kevin Spruill’s team raced to victory. Megan Herring and Cheyenne Garcia scored 20 and 12 points, respectively, to pace the victory.
The Georgetown sub-varsity teams will be playing in tournaments hosted by East View this weekend. The JV will be in the Navy Divsion and will open play at 10:15 a.m. Thursday against Copperas Cove.Win or lose, they will play either Killeen Shoemaker or Hays in the championship or consolation quarterfinals at 12:45 p.m. The finals rounds of the event will be Saturday.
In the Freshman A Navy Division on Thursday, which will be played at Benold Middle School, GHS will open against Cove at 9 a,m. and play either Shoemaker or Hays, win or lose, in the championship or consolation quarterfinals at 11:30 a.m. The finals rounds of the event will be Saturday.
The Fresghman B will play in a one-day-only tournament on Friday at East View. They will play two Pool B games — Austin Hyde Park at 9 a.m. and Cove at 10:30 a.m. A third game will be played later in the day on the basis of results in the four pools.
GHS VS. PLUGERVILLE
At Eagle Gym, Nov. 14
VARSITY GAME
PFLUGERVILLE 46, GEOREGETOWN 33
PHS (46) — Khiana Willis 0-1 0-0 0, Kennedi Hodge 6-10 3-4 17. Jasmin Gaskin 1-3 0-0 2, Starr Omozee 0-2 1-4 1, Kiera King 0-2 0-0 0, Kayla Sparks 3-4 2-2 9, Cortney Cross 0-1 0-0 0. Sheridan Bostic 1-5 0-0 3, Taylor Govan-Williams 0-0 0-0 0, London Clarkson 2-9 3-9 7, Samarie Bonds 3-10 1-2 7. Totals: 16-47 10-21 46.
GHS (33) — Ali Isbell 1-5 1-4 4, Josie Weirich 2-5 0-1 6, Samari O’Brien 1-1 0-0 2, Kylie Ellsworth 2-5 0-0 4, Mackenzy Mouton 0-1 0-0 0, Jaelyn Knight 2-6 3-4 7, Maddie Vickers 0-2 2-5 2, Jade Smith 2-2 0-1 4, McCall Hampton 1-4 2-3 4. Totals: 11-31 8-19 33.
Halftime score: Pflugerville, 24-12. 3-point shooting: PHS 4-11 (Hodge 2-4, King 0-2, Sparks 1-1, Cross 0-1, Bostic 1-3); GHS 2-10 (Isbell 1-3, Weirich 2-4, Ellsworth 0-2, Knight 0-1). Rebounds: PHS 24, GHS 25 (Hampton 12, Mouton 5, Knight 3). Assists: GHS 8 (Isbell 2, Knight 2). Steals: PHS 10; GHS 15 (Vickers 5, Knight 3, Hampton 3). Blocks: GHS 0. Turnovers: PHS 14, GHS 20. Total fouts: PHS 17, GHS 15. Fouled out: GHS, Smith (4th, 5:52). Technical fouls: PHS coach April Hundl. Records: Pflugerville, 8-0; Georgetown, 3-3.
Source: Statistics provided by Lady Eagle Basketball.
SUB-VARSITY
(GHS scoring only)
GHS JV 46, PFLUGERVILLE JV 38 — A’Brielle Abrams 0, Kylee Sander 9, Hailey Hanson 0, Hailey Smith 5, Maya Perry 5, Mercedes Robledo 15, Kieana San Miguel 12, Alicia King 0. Halftime: GHS, 23-13. GHS record: 2-0.
GHS FRESHMAN BLUE 36, PFLUGERVILLE FRESHMEN A 10 — Meagan Wolfe 2, Graci Harris 12, Jordayn Stout 3, Vyctorya Lehr 6, Grace Kearney 0, Lauren Woodard 4, Skylar Neugent 9, Leia Crissman 0. Halftime: GHS, 23-3. GHS Record: 2-0.
GHS FRERSHMAN WHITE 40, PFLUGERVILLE FRESHMEN WHITE 5 — Natalie Hutchens 0, Kaytie Sander 4, Reece Johnson 2, Lizzette Rodriguez 0, McKenna Jansen 0, Cheyenne Garcia 12, Abigail Salinas 2, Megan Herring 20, Maddie LaCour 0. Halftime: GHS 22-5. GHS record: 1-1.