A high school basketball fan wandering into Eagle Gym this past Friday night with no allegiance to either the Georgetown Lady Eagles or the Austin Westlake Chaps probably would have exited the premises feeling that they had witnessed a highly entertaining piece of athletic drama. Of course, that feeling was enhanced somewhat if the fans were from South Austin as the District 25-6A favorites bested the consensus 25-5A title choice, 59-55, in overtime as they outscored GHS, 12-8, in the four-minute bonus period. The Chaps make six of eight free throws and two baskets beyond the arc, while the Lady Eagles put down four of five free throws and two 2-pointers.
With three minutes and 56 seconds remaining in regulation, Westlake, now 14-6 on the season, led 47-41 on a basket-and-one by Lexi Zurovec. Over the next 3:50, GHS senior post Jaelyn Knight outscored the Chaps, 3-0, to draw the score to 47-44. Then came Georgetown’s biggest play of the season with senior forward Samari O’Brien sinking a 3-pointer to tie the game just prior to the buzzer. “I was trying to call timeout at the time and I was afraid the officials were going to wave off the shot,” Georgetown coach Rhonda Farney said. O’Brien took a pass from junior guard Kylee Sander and put the shot down and it dropped through the net as the end of period lights lit up around the backboard. O’Brien danced and the Lady Eagles were on the possible threshold of their most-prestigious win of the season.
However, the difference in the overtime were a pair of 3-pointers by Emily Seghers and Presley Bennett. A pair of free throws by sophomore point guard Graci Harris pulled GHS within one at 56-55 with 1:13 to go, but GHS could score no more as Westlake finished with three free thtows in four attempts, including two by Kaylee Cunningham with 45 seconds to go. The game was deadlocked 15-15 after one period and 27-27 at the half. Westlake scored the first seven points of the third quarter and led 41-34 going into the final quarter.
Georgetown, which opened district play last Tuesday with a 72-46 win over Bastrop, will face its second district challenge when it travels to Elgin at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Lady Wildcats had their first-round bye on the opening night of district play. After facing a tough environment at Elgin and the much-improved Wildcats, GHS will return home for a 7 p.m. Friday non-district game with Liberty Hill. “I feel like we could have won the game, and we had chances to go ahead in the overtime,” Farney said of the Westlake contest. “We continue to improve as a team, and that’s why we play the tough early schedule. Two weeks ago, we played the best team in the state — Hendrickson (20-0 going into this week) and we were a better team the next week in the Jack Frost Tournament and improved more this week.
Tonight, we got our kids in the right place. “We gave up too many offensive rebounds. We can’t allow people to get those second shots and we have to eliminate the unforced errors.”
She pointed to Westlake’s fast start at the beginning of the third period and the team’s inconsistency shooting free throws — especially in key situations. Both teams pulled down 30 boards and turned the ball over 17 times. GHS shot 41 percent from the floor (19 of 46) and Westlake hit 38 percent (19 of 50), but made eight treys compared to Georgetown’s four. Knight led GHS scoring with 17 points while McCall Hampton added 11 and senior guard Ali Isbell scored nine points. Hampton led in rebounds with 10. Cunningham and Seghers led Westlake with 20 and 18 points, respectively.
On the sub-varsity front, the Lady Eagles’ JV and Freshman Blue won their divisions of the Georgetown Sub-Varsity Tournament this past Thursday and Saturday, while the Freshman White split its two contests in the Freshman B event. The Freshman Blue extended its record to 13-1 as it bested Liberty Hill, 52-42, in the title game. Kristin Lott led GHS with 14 points and Dylann Jones added 11. Junior Mercedes Robledo scored 15 points to led the GHS JV to a 46-37 win over Liberty Hill in the JV championship game. Its four-game run in the tournament improved the Lady Eagles’ record to 13-2.
FRIDAY’S NON-DISTRICT GAME
At Eagle Gym
AUSTIN WESTLAKE 59, GEORGETOWN 55 (OT) WESTLAKE (59) — Presley Bennett 2-3 0-1 6, Bailee Chynoweth 1-5 0-0 2, Ava Ladd 0-2 0-0 0, Kaylee Cunningham 5-12 7-8 20, Emily Seghers 6-16 4-16 18, Emily Marquis 1-5 0-0 3, Natalie Endres 1-2 0-0 2, Riley Webster 0-0 0-0 0, Malena Delascurain 1-2 0-1 2, Lexi Zurovec 2-3 2-3 6. Totals: 19-50 (38 percent) 13-19 (68 percent) 59.
GEORGETOWN (55) — Maya Perry 0-0 0-0 0, Kylee Sander 0-1 0-0 0, Ali Isbell 3-7 0-0 9, Hailey Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Samari O’Brien 1-1 0-0 3, Kylie Ellsworth 1-4 4-4 6, Graci Harris 1-3 2-2 4, MacKenzy Mouton 2-4 0-0 4, Jaelyn Knight 7-103-8 17, Jade Smith 0-0 1-2 1, McCall Hampton 4-15 3-4 11. Totals: 19-46 (41 percent) 13-20 (6 percent) 55.
Halftime: 27-27. Regulation: 47-47. 3-point shooting: AW, 8-28 (Bennett 2-2, Chynoweth 0-4, Cunningham 3-7, Seghers 2-8, Maruis 1-5, Endres 0-1, Delascurian 0-1); GHS 4-12 (Sander 0-1, Isbell 3-6, H. Smith 0-1, O’Brien 1-1, Ellsworth 0-1, Harris 0-1, Hampton 0-1). Rebounds: AW 30 (Cunningham 6, Zurovec 6, Seghers 5); GHS 30 (Hampton 10, Knight 4, Isbell 4, Mouton 3). Assists: GHS 12 (Ellsworth 3, Sander 2, H. Smith 2, Knight 2). Steals: AW 3; GHS 12 (Isbell 3, Hampton 3). Blocks: GHS 1 (Hampton). Turnovers: AW 17, GHS 17. Total fouls: AW 16, GHS 15. Fouled out: none. Technical fouls: none. Records: Austin Westlake, 16-6; Georgetown, 10-7.
SUB VARSITY
(GHS scoring only)
GEORGETOWN SUB-VARSITY TOURNAMENT
JUNIOR VARSITY DIVISION
Thursday’s Pool A Games
GHS JV 64, SALADO JV 26 — Jordan Stout 12, Bailey Miller 2, Hailey Hanson 9, Reece Johnson 0, Grace Kearney 0, Natalie Hutchens 0, McKenna Jansen 2, Vyctorya Lehr 7, Mercedes Robledo 14, Megan Herring 5, Woodard 13, Maddie LaCour 0. Halftime: GHS, 25-12. GHS record: 10-2.
GHS JV 37, LAMPASAS JV 15 — Stout 0, Miller 1, Hanson 0, Jonson 0, Kearney 0, Hutchens 0, Jansen 0, Lehr 6, Robledo 17, Herring 6, Woodard 6, LaCour 1. Halftime: GHS, 20-9. GHS record: 11-2.
Saturday’s Pool A Game
GHS JV 50, DRIPPING SPRINGS JV 19 — Stout 3, Miller 0, Hanson 4, Johnson 0, Kearney 0, Jansen 0, Lehr 3, Robledo 7, Herring 11, Woodard 15, LaCour 7. Halftime: GHS, 16-9. GHS record: 12-2.
Saturday’s Championship Game
GHS JV 46, LIBERTY HILL JV 37 — Stout 9, Miller 0, Hanson 9, Kearney 0, Hutchens 0, Jansen 0, Lehr 3, Robledo 15, Herring 4, Woodard 6, LaCour 0. Halftime: GHS. 27-16. GHS record: 13-2.
FRESHMAN A DIVISION
Thursday’s Pool A Games
GHS FRESHMAN BLUE 60, SALADO FRESHMAN A 21 — Samantha Folsom 0, Jacqui Spencer 16, Ella Vickers 2, Kristin Lott 15, Lauren Cavanaugh 7. Sheila Lee 2, Baylie Foster 4, Dylann Jones 14. Halftime: 31-12. GHS record: 11-1.
GHS FRESHMAN BLUE 35, LAMPASAS FRESHMAN A 26 — Folsom 0, Spencer 3, Vickers 7, Lott 9, Cavanaugh 8, Lee 2, Foster 0, Jones 6. Halftime: GHS 20-20. GHS record: 12-1.
Saturday’s Championship Game
GHS FRESHMAN BLUE 52, LIBERTY HILL FRESHMAN A 42 — Folsom 6, Spencer 2, Vickers 7, Lott 14, Cavbanaugh 8, Lee 0, Brielle Maxwell 2, Foster 2, Jones 11. Halftime: GHS, 22-9. GHS record: 13-1.
FRESHMAN B DIVISION
Thursday’s Pool A Game
ROUND ROCK FRESHMAN B 29, GHS FRESHMAN WHITE 25 — Kylie Neu 0. Morgan Larson 7, Acigail Rutledge2, Aryana Hill 5, Talaya Roston 4, Emma Miller 5, Emyris Sims 2. Halftime: RR, 9-8. GHS record, 2-4.
Saturday’s Game
GEORGETOWN FRESHMAN WHITE 25, LAMPASAS FRESHMAN BLUE 21 — Neu 0, Larson 17, Rutledge 11, Hill 9, Roston 2, Miller 2, Mims 7 (One 3-point basket missing from third quarter). Halftime: GHS,26-5. GHS record: 3-4.
Note: Scoring and names provided by Lady Eagles Basketball.
UPCOMING LADY EAGLES SCHEDULE
Single Games
Tuesday, Dec. 11 — at Elgin (18-5A), 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14 — Liberty Hill (ND), 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18 — Open date. Friday, Dec. 21 — Manor (18-5A), 5:30 p.m.
State Farm Classic
At Riverdale High School, Nashville, Tenn.
(Showcase Format)
Thursday, Dec. 27 — Dickson County, 6:15 p.m. Friday, Dec. 28 — Bearden, 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 29 — Houston, 4:30 p.m.
DISTRICT 18-5A RACE AT A GLANCE
Standings
Georgetown, 1-0; East View, 1-0; Hutto, 1-0; Elgin, 0-0; Bastrop, 0-1; Bastrop Cedar Creek, 0-1; Manor, 0-1.
Tuesday’s results: Georgetown 72, Bastrop 46; East View 37, Manor 35; Hutto 70, Bastrop Cedar Creek 27. Bye — Elgin.
Friday’s schedule: District open date.
Tuesday’s schedule: Georgetown at Elgin, 7 p.m.; Bastrop Cedar Creey at East View, 7 p.m.; Manor at Bastrop, 7 p.m. Bye — Hutto.
COMPLETE DISTRICT 18-5A SCHEDULE
(Starting with Dec. 11 games)
FIRST ROUND
Tuesday, Dec. 4 — Georgetown 72, Bastrop 46; East View 37, Manor 35; Hutto 70, Bastrop Cedar Creek 27. Bye — Elfin.
Tuesday, Dec. 11 — Georgetown at Elgin, Cedar Creek at East View, Manor at Bastrop. Bye — Hutto.
Friday, Dec. 14 — East View at Hutto, Elgin at Manor, Bastrop at Cedar Creek. Bye — Georgetown.
Friday, Dec. 21 — Manor at Georgetown, Hutto at Bastrop, Cedar Creek at Elgin. Bye: East View.
Friday, Jan. 4 — Bastrop at East View, Georgetown at Cedar Creek, Elgin at Hutto. Bye — Manor.
Tuesday, Jan. 8 — Cedar Creek at Manor, East View at Elgin, Hutto at Georgetown. Bye — Bastrop.
Friday, Jan. 11 — Elgin at Bastrop, Manor at Hutto, East View at Georgetown, Bye — Cedar Creek.
SECOND ROUND
Tuesday, Jan. 15 — Cedar Creek at Hutto, Georgetown at Bastrop, Manor at East View. Bye — Elgin.
Friday, Jan. 18 — Elgin at Georgetown, East View at Cedar Creek, Bastrop at Manor. Bye — Hutto.
Tuesday, Jan. 22 — Hutto at East View, Manor at Elgin, Cedar Creek at Bastrop. Bye — Georgetown.
Friday, Jan. 25 — Georgetown at Manor, Bastrop at Hutto, Elgin at Cedar Creek. Bye — East View.
Tuesday, Jan. 29 — East View at Bastrop, Cedar Creek at Georgetown, Hutto at Elgin. Bye — Manor.
Friday, March 1 — Manor at Cedar Creek, Elgin at East View, Georgetown at Hutto. Bye — Bastrop.
Tuesday, March 5 — Bastrop at Elgin, Hutto at Manor, Georgetown at East View. Bye — Cedar Creek.
TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF BASKETBALL COACHES
CLASS 5A TOP 25
(Released Monday, Dec. 10)
1. Fort Bend Hightower (17-0). 2. Mansfield Timberview (15-1). 3. Amarillo. 4. Manvel. 5. Kerrville Tivy. 6. San Antonio Veterans Memorial. 7. Corpus Christi Memorial. 8. Cedar Park. 9. Birdville. 10. Waller. 11. Royse City. 12. Mansfield Legacy. 13. Austin Crockett. 14. Saginaw Boswell. 15. Crowley. 16. Frisco Lone Star. 17. College Station. 18. Midlothian. 19. Lubbock Cooper. 20. Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway. 21. Cleburne. 22. Richmond Foster. 23. Pflugerville. 24. The Colony. 25. GEORGETOWN.