If Georgetown and Rouse take care of business — as expected Tuesday night — the Lady Eagles and Raiders will end the regulatr District 19-5A season deadlocked for second place at 13-3.
Georgetown, coming off possibly its most disappointing performance of the year in a 36-23 loss to district champion Cedar Park on Friday, will close out at Bastrop Cedar Creek against a team that stands 2-13 in league play. The Lady Eagles bested their namesakes, 56-36. at home on Saturday, Jan. 6.
Rouse, which pulled even with GHS by taking a 55-47 win over Pflugerville Connally on Friday, will close out at home with Hutto, which stands seventh in 19-5A at 5-10. Rouse bested Hutto, 55-39, in the first meeting on the Hippos’ court.
Both games are set for 7 p.m. starts.
If GHS and Rouse deadlock for second, the head coaches will flip to determine which school is seeded second. The other will be the No. 3 seed. There is no head-to-head tie-breaker since the Lady Eagles and Raiders split the season series.
Connally is firm as the No. 4 seed and probably will finish 8-8 after playing Cedar Park (15-0) on Tuesday.
The exact identity of which 20-5A opponents Georgetown (22-9) and Rouse (26-8) will play in bi-district also is up in the air. However, it is expected that the Lady Eagles will play their bi-district game at Hearne on Monday night, Feb. 12. The probable opponent will either be Tomball Memorial or Huntsville.
Three schools stand as stairsteps in eight-team District 20-5A going into the final night of the regular season. Magnolia West is 11-2, Memorial is 10-3 and Huntsville is 9-4. The final-night schedule sends Magnolia West to Huntsville and Memorial to arch-rival Tomball (5-8). Willis (7-6) is solid as the fourth seed.
If it wins in di-district, the No. 2 seed from 19-5A probably will catch state-ranked Temple in the second round of the 128-team Class 5A state playoffs, while the third-place team will face either 17-5A champion Ennis or the fourth-place team from 18-5, probably College Station.
Except for motivational value, Friday’s loss to Cedar Park probably is one of those things best describe in noir as being buried in a shallow, unmarked grave.
After standing in a contending 17-14 deficit at halftime, the wheels came off in the second half as the Lady Eagles failed to score make a field goal during the final 16 minutes. Their only points were nine of 18 free-throw attempts. Georgetown made only five of 24 field goal attempts for the game, including just one 3-pointer.
“They played really good defewnse against us,” GHS coach Rhonda Farney said of Cedar Park. “They are the only team in the district that plays man-to-man, so they are hard to get ready for. We were out os sync and our guards played poorly.
“It was disappointing especially how well we had played in the second half against East View and against Rouse on Tuesday. The girls also are very disappointed about the outcome. We need to be more aggressive.”
A rebound put back by Pujita Shulka and basket off a steal by Jordan Ott, which were sandwiched around a pair of GHS free throws, and another bucket by Shulka put the Timberwolves ahead 24-17 with three minutes and 22 seconds remaining in the third quarter. A 3-pointer by Ott upped the lead to 10 with 13 seconds left in the period.
A pair of free throws by junior Ali Isbell cut the lead to eight early in the fourth quarter, but Georgetown would trail by double digits for the remainder of the contest. Cedar Park’s largest lead was 15 points at 34-19 and 36-21.
While Georgetown’s offense could have be classified as frigid, Cedar Park’s was tipid at best as the Timberwolves only shot 30 percent from the floor (13 of 42, including 2 of 16 beyond the arc) and made just eight of 14 free throws.
Sophmore guard Kylie Ellsworth led GHS scoring with five points, the lowest individual total of the season for the Lady Eagles. Four other players had four points each for Georgetown. Junior post Jade Smith had six rebounds and two blocks as GHS posed a 24-23 edge on the boards. The Lady Eagles turned the ball over 15 times as opposed to eight by the Timberwolves.
Shukla and Ott led Cedar Park, now 26-7, on the year, with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Lady Eagles and Timberwolves split the two sub-varsity game with a trespassing bat forcing the JV game to be moved from the main gym to the lower gym with 6:34 remaining in the game to insure the safety of a growing crowd.
The invader eventually exited the premises, allowing the varsity game to be played in the main gym.
The GHS JV, which dropped the first meeting with Cedar Park, evened the season series with a 37-26 win that left GHS at 13-2 for the season and Cedar Park at 14-1. Sophomore point guard Hailey Smith, who missed the first game with the Timberwolves, and sophomore forward Mercedes Robledo scored 12 points each.
In the freshman game, Cedar Park knocked the Freshman Blue from the unbeaten ranks in district with a 30-14 victory in which only three Lady Eagles scored. GHS is now 14-1. Graci Harris and Jordayn Stout each scored six points.
GHS notebook: Former Lady Eagles standout Kendrick Clark, now a 5-11 sophomore at Wayland Baptist, had a career game Saturday in a 94-66 victory over Texas Wesleyan in Sooner Athletic Conference play. Clark posted a career-high 31 points in a double-double that also included 11 rebounds. She made 13 of her 18 shots from the floor. Her previous career best was 19 points earlier this season against Our Lady of the Lake. Wayland is now 18-3 on the season and 11-2 in conference play.
GEORGETOWN VS. CEDAR PARK
At Eagle Gym, Friday, Feb. 2
CEDAR PARK 36, GEORGETOWN 23
CP (36) — Hanna Wheeler 0-3 0-0 0, Jordan Ott 4-12 2-3 11, Pujita Shukla 5-9 2-4 12, Alex Maresca 0-1 3-4 3, Kilee West 1-5 0-0 3, Annie Callahan 0-0 0-0 0, Takara Host 0-0 0-0 0, Sarai Estupinon 0-3 0-1 0, Callie Copeland 0-1 0-0, Nicole Leff 3-8 1-2 7. Totals: 13-42 8-14 36.
GHS (23) — Ali Isbell 0-2 4-4 4, Josie Weirich 1-4 1-2 4, Samari O’Brien 0-1 1-2 1, Kylie Ellsworth 2-3 1-2 5, Mackenzy Mouton 0-1 0-0 0, Jaelyn Knight 1-6 2-4 4, Maddie Vickers 1-4 2-5 4, Jade Smith 0-3 1-4 1. Totals: 5-25 12-23 23.
Halftime: CP, 17-14. 3-point shooting: CP 2-16 (Wheeler 0-3, Ott 1-8, West 1-3, Estupinan 0-1, Copeland 0-1); GHS 1-7 (Isbell 0-2, Weirich 1-4, Knight 0-1). Rebounds: CP 23 GHS 24 (Smith 6, Mouton 5, Vickers 5, Isbell 4). Assists: GHS 2 (Isbell, Weirich). Steals: CP 9, GHS 3 (Ellsworth). Blocks: GHS 3 (Smith 2, Mouton). Turnovers: CP 8, GHS 15. Total fouls: CP 18, GHS 13. Fouled out: none. Technical fouls: none. Records: Cedar Park, 15-0 in 19-5A, 26-7; Georgetown, 12-3 in 19-5A, 22-9.
DISTRICT 19-5A RACE AT A GLANCE
(Through games of Feb. 2)
Standings: xy-Cedar Park, 15-0; x-Georgetown, 12-3; x-Rouse, 12-3; x-Pflugerville Connally, 8-7; East View, 6-9; Bastrop, 6-10; Hutto, 5-10; Elgin, 2-13; Bastrop Cedar Creek, 2-13.
x — clinched playoff berth. y–clinched district championship.
Friday’s results — Cedar Park 36, Georgetown 23; East View 57, Hutto 48; Rouse 55, Connally 47; Bastrop 59, Elgin 36: Cedar Creek.
Tuesday’s games — Georgetown at Cedar Creek, 7 p.m.; Connally at Cedar Park, 7 p.m.; Hutto at Rouse, 7 p.m.; Elgin at East View, 7 p.m. Bye: Bastrop.
(End of regular season)
AROUND THE REGION
(Through games of Feb. 2)
Standings
District 20-5A — x-Magnolia West, 11-2; x-Tomball, Memorial, 10-3; x-Huntsville, 9-4; x-Willis, 7-6; Waller, 5-8; Tomball. 5-8; Magnolia, 4-9; Brenham, 1-12.
x — clinched playoff berth.
Friday’s results — Magnolia 38, Willis 25; Magnolia West 54, Tomball 34.; Tomball Memorial 54, Waller 40; Huntsville 41, Brenham 27.
Tuesday’s games — Magnolia West at Huntsville, 6:30 p.m.; Tomball Memorial at Tomball, 6:30 p.m.; Willis at Waller, 6:30 p.m.; Magnolia at Brenham.
(End of regular season)
***
District 18-5A — x-Temple, 11-0; x-Bryan Rudder, 8-3; x-Waco University, 7-4; College Station, 5-7; College Station A&M Consolidated, 4-7; Waco, 4-7; Bryan, 0-11.
x-clinched playoff berth..
Friday’s results — Temple 73, College Station 44; Bryan Rudder 60, Waco University 40; Waco 52, Bryan 31. Bye: A&M Consolidated.
Tuesday’s games — Temple at Bryan, 6:30 p.m.; Bryan Rudder at A&M Consolidated, 6:30 p.m.; Waco at Waco University, 6:30 p.m. Bye: College Station.
(End of regular season)
***
District 17-5A — x- Ennis, 9-0; x- Nacogdoches, 7-2; x-Jacksonville, 4-5; Lindale, 3-5; Corsicana, 2-7, Whitehouse, 1-7.
x– clinched playoff berth.
Friday’s results — Ennis 64, Nacogdoches 52; Jacksonville 41, Corsicana 33; Whitehouse at Lindale, score not reported.
Tuesday’s games — Jacksonville at Ennis, 6 p.m.; Lindale at Nacogdoches, 6 p.m.; Whitehouse at Corsicana, 6 p.m.
(End of regular season)
SUB-VARSITY GAMES
(GHS scoring only)
GHS JV 37, CEDAR PARK JV 26 — A’Brielle Abrams 0, Kylee Sander 6, Hailey Hanson 0, Hailey Smith 12, Maya Perry 7, Mercedes Robledo 12, SueEllen Albrecht 0, Alicia King 0. Halftime: GHS, 23-10. GHS record: 13-2 in 19-5A; 25-3.
CEDAR PARK FRESHMAN 30, GHS FRESHMAN BLUE 14 — Meagan Wolfe 0, Graci Harris 6, Reece Johnson 0, Jordayn Stout 6, Vyctorya Lehr 0, Megan Herring 0, Lauren Woodard 0, Skylar Neugent 2. Halftime: CP, 13-5. GHS record: 14-1 in 19-5A; 26-2.
Source: Lady Eagles Basketball.
— By GALEN WELLNICKI