Run, Lady Eagles, Run!
It may not have the dramatic impact of “Run, Forrest, Run” from the movie Forrest Gump, but the last five quarters of fast-paced action have brought an increasing number of smiles to the faces of Georgetown basketball fans. After starting the season with three consecutive losses and a 3-4 record during the initial 12 days of the campaign, the Lady Eagles have improved to 7-4 and built plenty of momentum with back-to-back victories over a pair of 6A opponents — Vandegrift, 42-31 on Saturday, and struggling Kyle Lehman, 80-19, on Monday night. In those last five quarters, coach Rhonda Farney’s Lady Eagles have outscored the opposition 99-27. They broke out of a 24-23 third-quarter deficit to Vandegrift with a 19-7 run in the final eight minutes. The 61-point win over the Lobos, which included a 39-3 lead at the half, provided Georgetown’s back-ups more than 60 percent of the playing time.
Riding a four-game win streak, the Lady Eagles will enter the 41st annual Jack Frost Tournament this weekend as the favorite in Pool A of the event’s 16-team girls field. In pool play on Thursday they will face Austin Akins at noon and Killeen at 6 p.m. GHS will conclude pool competition against perennial TAPPS power San Antonio Incarnate Wood at 7:30 p.m. Friday. If the Lady Eagles win their pool , they will face the winner of Pool B (Liberty Hill, No. 11 in 4A; Houston St. Agnes; Ponder; or Belton) in the Gold Bracket semifinals at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. The girls finals are set for 5 p.m. on Saturday. Semifinal losers are eliminated from the competition. Georgetown will play all of its games in Eagle Gym, if it captures its three pool assignments. Defending champion, The Colony, which is ranked 10th in 5A by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches is again the girls division favorite, but must outduel Saginaw Brower in its own Pool D and then best Cedar Park, No. 3 in 5A; Sour Lake Hardin-Jefferson, No.12 in 4A; or Corpus Christi Carroll from Pool C in the semifinals. Georgetown lost to The Colony, 69-60, in last season’s Gold semifinals before the Cougars downed Flower Mound Marcus, 52-50, in the title contest.
After the Jack Frost event, the Lady Eagles will open their 12-game District 18-5A schedule at much-improved Bastrop on Tuesday, Dec. 10. They will travel again on Friday, Dec. 13, for a bout with Austin Westlake, No. 5 in 6A, and future Texas Longhorn Shay Holle, a 6-footer who is a first-team preseason all-state selection by Dave Campbell’s Texas Basketball magazine. The Georgetown varsity won’t be the only Lady Eagles team in tournament play this weekend as coach Tosha Doherty’s JV, now 7-4, and the undefeated coach Katie Youngblood’s Freshman Blue, 11-0, will play in Pflugerville’s Nancy Walling Classic at Hendrickson High School. Both GHS teams will open early Thursday morning against Pflugerville Weiss. In the win over Vandergrift, 11-4 and the state’s No. 25-ranked 6A team, the Lady Eagles and Vipers fought to a 16-16 halftime tie before Vandy took a one-point edge into the final period. But GHS charged out of the quarter break to score 12 of the initial 16 points of the final period, including six points by McCall Hampton and four by Mackenzy Mouton. Graci Harris hit six consecutive free throws to seal the deal. Harris, who darted up and down the court, led GHS with 11 points, while Mouton and Hampton scored nine and eight points, respectively.
Defense was a key for GHS as it limited the Vipers to 28 percent on their 49 attempts from the floor, including just three of 23 from beyond the arc. With Hampton grabbing 11 boards, GHS outrebounded Vandegrift, 32-24, and forced 16 turnovers. “One of our goals was to hold No. 23 (Sky O’Rourke), No. 2 (Btooke Srnick) and No. 4 (Mikayla Kleffner) to single digits,” Farney said. “O’Rouke had 14, but we held the other two girls to eight and seven. We had the big fourth quarter. For the game we made 14 of 35 shots and 12 of 16 free throws.” Farney pointed to the 6-foot Mouton as having her best all-around game of the season.The Lehman game was a runaway from the start with GHS figuratively leaving the Lobos in the dust. GHS led 25-2 after the first quarter, 39-3 at the half and 63-10 after 24 minutes. Lehman only made one field goal in the first 12 minutes and 21 seconds of the game. For the game, GHS shot 55 percent (30 of 54), posted a 43-8 rebounding advantage, blocked three shots, forced 26 turnovers and stole the ball 24 times. The Lady Eagles only committed three fouls. With the second-unit getting a majority of the playing time, 5-3 sophomore Ella Vickers paced the offense with `6 points and Lauren Woodard added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Nia Williams, a 6-3 sophomore, scored 10 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Starter Kylee Sander also scored 10, while Hailey Hanson, Kylie Ellsworth and Hampton had eight points each.
“I’m very pleased with all our teams at every level,” Farney said of Georgetown’s four-game sweep of Lehman. We were really glad to find the on-court minutes for some of our kids who hadn’t got to play that much. Hailey did a good job, Ella showed a lot of hustle and Nia and Lauren did good things inside. Against Lehman, the JV posted a 49-15 victory with Megan Herring and Joryn Stout scoring 10 and nine points, respectively. The Freshman Blue claimed a 60-13 victory with Madelyne Ainsley Pelczar scoring 24 and Madelyne Furr adding 15. Natalie Rivera scored 15 points as the Freshman White posted a 35-19 win. In sub-varsity games with Vandegrift, Stout scored 11 points to lead the JV to a 30-28 victory and Furr poured in 18 to lead a 46-19 by the Freshman Blue. In the JV division of the Nancy Walling, Georgetown will open against Weiss at 9:30 a.m. and they will play either Allen or Stony Point, pending the result of their opening game. The Freshman Blue will open tournament play at 8 a.m. Thursday and will have a bye into the Friday’s semifinals, if they win.
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MONDAY’S NON-DISTRICT GAME
At Eagle Gym
GEORGETOWN 80, KYLE LEHMAN 19
LEHMAN (19) — Sophie Mullinax 1-8 0-0 2, Melina Garza 1-6 1-2 3, Ari Daniels 0-1 1-2 1, Alexis Aguilar 2-9 0-0 4, Mya Chavez 1-2 0-0 3, Grace Duray 2-8 0-0 6, Deema Omar 0-0 0-0 0, Abby Power 0-0 0-0 0, Payton Rodriguez 0-4 0-0 0, Abby Crutchfield 0-5 0-0 0, Emma Power 0-1 0-0 0, Vitanni Horace 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 7-44 2-4 19.
GEORGETOWN (80) — Ella Vickers 5-7 4-4 16, Kylee Sander 4-6 2-2 10, Hailey Hanson 3-8 1-2 8, McCall Hampton 3-4 2-2 8, Kylie Ellsworth 2-4 2-2 8, Graci Harris 1-2 0-0 2, Mackenzey Mouton 2-2 0-0 4, Mercedes Robledo 0-5 0-0 0, Lauren Woodard 6-10 2-2 14, Nia Williams 4-4 2-4 10. Totals: 30-52 15-18 80.
Halftime: GHS, 39-3. 3-point shooting: LHS 3-18 (Mullinax 0-4, Garza 0-2, Chavez 1-2, Duray 2-6, Rodriguez 0-2, Crutchfield 0-1, Aguilar 0-1); GHS 5-18 (Vickers 2-4, Sander 0-1, Hanson 1-5, Ellsworth 2-3, Harris 0-1, Robledo 0-4, Woodard 0-1). Blocks: GHS 3 (Williams 1, Woodard 1, Vickers 1). Assists: GHS 19 (Vickers 3, Harris 3, Williams 3, Hanson 2, Woodard 2, Ellsworth 2). Rebounds: LHS 8; GHS 43 (Woodard 11, Williams 9, Hampton 7, Robledo 5, Mouton 4). Steals: LHS 6, GHS 24 (Vickers 5, Harris 4, Woodard 4, Williams 3). Turnovers: LHS 26, GHS 10. Total fouls: LHS 14, GHS 3. Fouled out: none. Technical fouls: none. Records: Lehman 1-8, Georgetown, 7-4.
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MONDAY’S SUB-VARSITY GAMES
(GHS scoring only)
GEORGETOWN JV 49, LEHMAN JV 15 — Jacqui Spencer 2, Brooke White 5, Tanaya Smith 0, Talaya Roston 0, Sam Folsom 8, Megan Larson 0, Shelia Lee 6, Megan Herring 10, Brielle Maxwell 2, Vyctorya Lehr 2, Aryana Hill 5, Jordyn Stout 9, Lauren Cavanaugh 0. Halftime: GHS, 32-6. GHS record: 7-4.
GEORGETOWN FRESHMAN BLUE 60, LEHMAN FRESHMAN A 13 — Erica Ramthun 3, Avery Lopez 2, Jane Butler 4, Taylor Meyners 8, Amiya Gonzales 4, Madelyne Furr 15, Ainsley Pelczar 24. Halftime: GHS, 30-8. GHS record: 11-0.
GEORGETOWN FRESHMAN WHITE 35, LEHMAN FRESHMAN B 19 — Reagan Nelson 7, Natalie Rivera 15, Elleigh McKinley 0, Danielle Rodtiguez 0, Sarah Herrera 4, Abby Brent 9, Julia Henderson 0. Halftime: GHS, 16-11. GHS record: 4-4.
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SATURDAY’S NON-DISTRICT GAME
At Eagle Gym
GEORGETOWN 42, VANDEGRIFT 31
VANDEGRIFT (31) –Brook Srncik 3-8 0-1 7, Ellie Seitzer 0-0 0-0 0, Mikayla Kleffner 4-6 0-2 8, Lemey Murphy 1-3 0-0 2, Kate Jameson 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor Kajlich 0-0 0-0 0, Lauren Stevens 0-1 0-0 0, Skye O’Rourke 6-25 0-2 14, Adilyn Pehrson 0-5 0-0 0, Cassi O’Rourke 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 14-49 0-5 31.
GEORGETOWN (42) — Ella Vickers 0-1 0-0 0. Kylee Sander 1-4 0-0 2, Hailey Hanson 0-0 0-0 0, McCall Hampton 4-8 0-0 8, Kylie Ellsworth 2-8 0-0 6, Graci Harris 2-7 7-8 11, Mackenzy Mouton 4-4 1-2 9, Mercedes Robledo 0-0 0-0 0, Lauren Woodard 0-1 2-4 2, Nia Williams 1-2 2-4 4. Totals: 14-35 12-16 42.
Halftime: 16-16. 3-point shooting: 3-23 (Srncik 1-5, Murphy 0-2, S. O’Rourke 2-12, Pehrson 0-4); GHS 2-9 (Vickers 0-1, Sander 0-2, Ellsworth 2-4, Harris 0-2). Assists: GHS 12 (Mouton 3, Sander 2, Hampton 2, Ellsworth 2, Harris 2). Blocks: VHS 1 (S. O’Rourke 1). Rebounds: VHS 24 (S. O’Rourke 8, Kleffner 6, Srnick 4); GHS 32 (Hampton 11, Williams 4, Ellsworth 4, Harris 3, Mouton 3, Sander 3). Steals: VHS 5 (S. O’Rourke 2, Srncik 2); GHS 14 (Harris 4, Sander 3, Hampton 3). Turnovers: VHS 16, GHS 12. Total fouls: VHS 15, GHS 11. Fouled out: none. Technical fouls: no none. Records: Vandegrift 11-4; Georgetown, 6-4.
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SATURDAY’S SUB VARSITY GAMES
(GHS scoring only)
GEORGETOWN JV 30, VANDEGRIFT 28 — Jacqui Spencer 9, Brooke White 3, Talaya Roston 0, Morgan Larson 0, Shelia Lee 0, Megan Herring 7, Brielle Maxwell 0, Vyctorya Leht 0, Jordyn Stout 11, Lauren Cavanaugh 0. Halftime: GHS, 19-14. GHS record: 6-4.
GEORGETOWN FRESHMAN BLUE 46, VANDEGRIFT FRESHMAN 19 — Erica Ranthum 9, Avery Lopez 4, Jane Butler 2, Taylor Meyners 7, Amiya Gonzales 6, Madelyne Furr 18. Halftime: GHS, 23-13. GHS record: 10-0.
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TEXAS BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION
CLASS 5A RANKINGS
(Released Monday, Dec. 2)
- Amarillo, 10-0; 2. Royse City, 7-2; 3. Cedar Park, 11-2; 4. Fort Bend Hightower, 12-2; 5. Alvin Shadow Creek, 10-2; 6. Mansfield Timberview, 6-4; 7. Denton Braswell, 9-0; 8. Corpus Christi Carroll, 9-1; 9. Kerrville Tivy, 5-2; 10. The Colony (6-2); 11. Fort Worth Chisholm Trail, 5-0; 12. Manvel, 6-2; 13. Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial, 9-4; 14. Mansfield Summit, 6-3; 15. Red Oak, 7-3; 16. Mansfield Legacy, 3-2; 17. Boerne Champion, 11-2; 18. Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 11-4; 19. Frisco Centennial, 8-4; 20. Magnolia West, 14-4; 21. Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill, 12-1; 22. Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 8-1; 23. Leander Rouse, 7-4; 24. Wichita Falls Rider, 10-0; 25. Frisco Lebanon Trail, 8-4.
Note: Records supplied by the TABC.
TEXAS GIRLS COACHES ASSOCIATION
CLASS 5A RANKINGS
(Released Monday, Dec. 2)
- Amarillo, 12-0; 2. Denton Braswell, 9-0; 3. El Paso El Dorado, 7-0; 4. Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill, 12-1; 5. Cedar Park, 11-2; 6. Waller, 12-0; 7. Wichita Falls Rider, 9-0; 8. El Paso Eastwood, 12-1; 9. Georgetown East View, 9-1; 10. El Paso Chapin, 11-2; 11. Fort Bend Hightower, 12-2; 12. San Antonio Harlan, 12-2; 13. Alvin Shadow Creek, 9-2; 14. Lubbock Monterey, 11-1; 15 (tie) Houston Lee, 7-1; Corpus Christi Carroll, 9-1; El Paso Eastlake, 9-1; (Unspecified) Memorial, 9-1; Fort Worth Arlington Heights, 6-0.
Note: Records supplied by TGCA.
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41st ANNUAL JACK FROST TOURNAMENT
At Georgetown, Dec. 5-7
GIRLS POOLS
A — Georgetown, Killeen, San Antonio Incarnate Word, Austin Akins.
B — Ponder, Belton, Houston St. Agnes, Liberty Hill.
C — Corpus Christi Flour Bluff, Cedar Park, Hardin-Jefferson, Houston Sharpstown.
D — Leander Glenn, The Colony, San Antonio Reagan, Saginaw Boswell.
BOYS POOLS
A — Georgetown, Leander, Magnolia, Houston Christian HomeSchool Ministries.
B — San Antonio Churchill, Austin Vandegrift, Richardson Berkner, San Antonio Harlan.
C — Round Rock McNeil, Kyle Lehman, Trophy Club Byron Nelson, Smithson Valley.
D — Lake Travis, Vista Ridge, Pflugerville Connally, San Antonio Stevens.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
(As of Sunday, Nov. 10)
G — denotes girls game. B — denotes boys game.-
Thursday’s Games
Eagle Gym
9 a.m. — Flour Bluff vs. Cedar Park (G). 10:30 a.m. — Sharpstown vs. Hardin-Jefferson (G). Noon — GEORGETOWN vs. Akins (G). 1:30 p.m. — Churchill vs. Vandegrift (B). 3 — McNeil vs. Lehman (B). 4:30 p.m. — Belton vs. Ponder (G). 6 — Killeen vs. GEORGETOWN (G). 7:30 p.m. — GEORGETOWN vs. Magnolia (B).
Georgetown Auxiliary Gym
9 a.m. — Incarnate Word vs. Killeen (G). 10:30 a.m. — Boswell vs. Reagan (G). Noon — Glenn vs. The Colony (G). 1:30 p.m. — Smithson Valley vs. The Colony (B). 3 p.m. — Harlan vs. Berkner (B). 4:30 p.m. — Leander vs. CHSM (B). 6 — Akins vs. Incarnate Word (G). 7:30 p.m. — Liberty Hill vs. St. Agnes (G).
Robertson Center (Southwestern Univ.)
9 a.m. — St. Agnes vs. Belton (G). 10:30 a.m. — Ponder vs. Liberty Hill (G). Noon — Lake Travis vs. Vista Ridge (B). 1:30 p.m. — Stevens vs. Connally (B). 3 p.m. — The Colony vs. Boswell (G). 4:30 p.m. –Reagan vs. Glenn (G). 6 p.m. — Hardin-Jefferson vs. Flour Bluff (G). 7:30 p.m. — Cedar Park vs. Sharpstown (G).
Friday’s Games
Eagle Gym
9 a.m. — Byron Nelson vs. McNeil (B). 10:30 a.m. — Lehman vs. Smithson Valley (B). Noon — CHSM vs. GEORGETOWN (B). 1:30 p.m. — Ponder vs. St. Agnes (G). 3 p.m. — The Colony vs. Reagan (G). 4:30 p.m. — Churchill vs. Harlan (B). 6 p.m. — GEORGETOWN vs. Leander (B). 7:30 p.m. — GEORGETOWN vs. Incarnate Word (G).
Georgetown Auxiliary Gym
9 a.m. — Connally vs. Lake Travis (B). 10:30 a.m. — Magnolia vs. Leander (B). Noon — Vista Ridge vs. Stevens (B). 1:30 p.m. — Flour Bluff vs. Sharpstown (G). 3 p.m. — Cedar Park vs. Hardin-Jefferson (G). 4:30 p.m. — Glenn vs. Boswell (G). 6 p.m. — Berkner vs. Vandegrift (B). 7:30 p.m. — Magnolia vs. CHSM (B).
Robertson Center (Southwestern Univ.)
9 a.m. — Berkner vs. Churchill (B). 10:30 a.m. — Vandegrift vs. Harlan. Noon — Akins vs. Killeen (G). 1:30 p.m. — Belton vs. Liberty Hill (G). 3 p.m. –Byron Nelson vs. Lehman (B). 4:30 p.m. — McNeil vs. Smithson Valley (B). 6 p.m. — Lake Travis vs. Stevens (B). 7:30 p.m. — Vista Ridge vs. Connally (B).
Saturday’s Games
Eagle Gym
8 a.m. — C3 vs. D3 (G bronze). 9:30 a.m. — B2 vs. A2 (G silver). 11 a.m. — A2 vs. B2 (B silver). 12:30 p.m. — B1 vs. A1 (G gold). 2 p.m. — A1 vs. B1 (B gold). 3:30 p.m. — Boys bronze championship (semifinal winners). 5 p.m. — Girls gold championship (semifinal winners). 6:30 p.m. — Boys Gold championship (semifinal winners).
Georgetown Auxiliary Gym
8 a.m. — A3 vs. B3 (G brone). 9:30 a.m. — C2 vs. D2 (G silver). 11 a.m. — C2 vs. D2 (B silver). 12:30 p.m. — C1 vs. D1 (G gold). 2 p.m. — C1 vs. D1 (B gold). 3:30 p.m. — Girls silver championship (semi final winners). 5 p.m. — Girls bronze championship (semifinal winners). 6:30 p.m. — Boys silver championship (semifinal winners).
East View Main Gym
8 a.m. — C3 vs. D3 (B bronze). 9:30 a.m. — C4 vs. D4 (G friends). 11 a.m. — A4 vs. B4 (boys friends).
East View Auxiliary Gym
8 a.m. — A3 vs. B3 (B bronze). 9:30 a.m. — C4 vs. D4 (B friends). 11 a.m. — A4 vs. B4 (G friends).