It definitely wasn’t the typical Central Texas basketball trip — impromptu snowball fights, senior McCall Hampton fishing windowpane-sized pieces of ice out of a more-than-half-frozen creek in the shadows of the red cliffs of Sedona and players, coaches and parents braving ice patches for the best possible view at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. But it was a basketball trip for the District 18-5A favorites and 11th-ranked Georgetown Lady Eagles. In fact, it was quite successful on the hardwoods of Flowing Wells High School in Tucson, Ariz. Coach Rhonda Farney’s outfit, which prepped for the Flowing Wells Holiday Shootout on the previous day by touring Tombstone and watching a re-enactment of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, finished third in a 16-team field.
The only loss was in the semifinals to Sahuaro, 60-58, and the final 10 seconds of that contest will be a continuing point of rancor for Georgetown fans in attendance as the combination of a foul that produced three free throws and a non-call on a drive to the basket by Lady Eagles junior Graci Harris enabled the Cougars to remain the only unbeaten “big school” in Arizona. The Lady Eagles, now 17-7, had reached the semifinals with two one-sided victories on Friday — 79-26 over Tucson Desert Christian and 65-28 over Tucson Empire. They took the third-place trophy with an 64-38 win over Marana on Saturday night. Sahuaro (14-0) closed out its title run with a 57-45 win over Sierra Vista Buena. Three Lady Eagles — Hampton, Kylie Ellsworth and Kylee Sander — were selected to the all-tournament team.
GHS returned home on the morning of New Year’s Eve and then took New Year’s Day off before diving into preparation for their 10-game stretch run in the 18-5A race. The Lady Eagles, who share first-place with Hutto at 2-0, will play Manor on the road at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The Mustangs stand 1-2 in district with losses to East View and Bastrop.
Farney pronounced the Lady Eagles’ 22nd consecutive out-of-state holiday tournament trip a major success both athletically and as a memorable educational and fun experience for the 16 young ladies — 12 players and four support personnel — that made the trip along with eight adults. “The trip was so much fun. We played great team basketball and had a chance to do many cool things, such as watching a re-enactment of the shootout at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone; going to the Planetarium at the University of Arizona; off-roading on the Sedona jeep tour; and exploring the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was made even better because we experienced snow. Many of the girls commented that it was the best Christmas trip in the years that they had been attending. “We want to thank all the parents, Sun City reps Jim and Karen Chapman as well as David Daniell for their attendance and love and support. We are especially thankful for David for making the drive and carrying our basketball and training equipment as well as scouting for us.”
On Friday, the Lady Eagles showed little rust from their UIL mandated five-day Christmas break from competition and practice with the two one-sided victories over out-classed opponents. Georgetown dominated by a combined victory margin of 90 points. GHS made 59 of their 108 from the floor, while holding Desert Christian and Empire to a combined total of 18 makes in 75 attempts (24 percent). In the win over Desert Christian, Georgetown jumped to a 13-0 lead in the first three minutes and five seconds and expanded the margin to 27 at the half and 45 after three quarters. Senior guard Hailey Hanson paced Lady Eagles’ scoring as she made six of 10 3-point attempts. Sander and Hampton added 16 and 10 points, respectively, while Hampton pulled in seven rebounds.
The game with Empire followed a similar script with Georgetown taking a 15-0 lead and advancing the margin to 36-12 at the half. They led 58-22 after three with their largest advantage being 40 points at 54-14. Hampton led the Lady Eagles with 17 points and eight rebounds, while 6-foot-3 sophomore Nia Williams scored 11 points and had a game-high nine boards. The semifinal battle with Sahuaro and Arizona state girls scoring leader Alyssa Brown, a 6-1 junior, who scored 34 points, including the deciding three free throws against GHS, was a war. Brown, who averages 30.1 points a start, finished the tournament with 136 points in four games — all over 30 points. The Lady Eagles led 10-3 after the first four minutes, but the Cougars pulled even at 10-10. GHS led 15-13 after one, but Sahuaro held a 31-25 advantage at the half and 49-42 edge after three quarters. Harris’ scored to pull GHS into a 52-52 deadlock with 2:33 remaining in the contest. Georgetown went up 54-52 with 1:43 remaining, but 20 seconds later the Cougars tied the game at 54. The two schools traded a pair of free throws to make it 56-56 with 1:05 to go. Sander then put GHS ahead at 58-56 with 31 seconds left on the clock. At the 23-second mark Sahuaro’s Lily Watson made the second of two free throw attempts to make the score 58-57 Georgetown.
However, with nine second left, Brown tried to take the ball to the hoop, but collided with defenders and went down in a heap, launching the ball sideways from a horizontal position. The officials ruled that it was a 3-point shot attempt and she made three successful free throws to put the Cougars ahead 60-58. GHS in-bounded the ball and Harris set sail for the Sahuaro basket, hoping to work her way for a layup or draw a blocking foul. She appeared to be mugged, but there was no whistle and the Cougars advanced to the championship contest.
Using only seven players, Georgetown put five players in double digits as they made 22 of 51 shots, but only three of 19 beyond the arc. Sander and Hampton each had 13, Ellsworth 12 and Harris and Williams both scoring 10. Williams had a career-high 13 rebounds. With Brown making 11 of 23 from the floor, Sahuaro made 21 of its 46 field goal attempts. Brown, who has a season high of 44 points and has been over the 30-point matk in eight of the 14 games, also made 11 of 13 free throws.
In the third-place game, Georgetown got off to a slow start, falling behind 9-0 in the opening minutes, but pulled even at 11-11 on two pair of free throws by Hampton. The Lady Eagles trailed 16-15 after one. Marana suffered a serious setback 40 seconds into the second quarter when 6-3 junior Bella Muscoreil went down in severe pain with what appeared to be major leg injury. She was unable to return to the contest and left the gym on crutches. Marana (9-6) scored six of the first eight points in the second quarter to go up by five at 22-17, but a strong rally in the final 3:29 of the half enabled GHS to take the lead for good at 25-22 with three second remaining before halftime. Harris scored five straight points after Mackenzy Mouton started the push with two free throws. Georgetown came out of the dressing room hot in the second half and outscored the Tigers, 15-2, in the first 4:47 of the third quarter to take control of the contest at 40-25. A basket by Ella Vickers provided the Lady Eagles’ final points and their largest margin of the game — 26 points.
For the tournament, the 5-9 Hampton led GHS scoring with 55 points, while Sander had 46 , Ellsworth 35, Williams 34 and Harris 26. Williams had 35 rebounds and Hampton chipped in 27 boards. There were two major pluses for the Lady Eagles, Farney was able to find playing time for her reserves and the continued development of Williams as an inside force. Two members of the 12-player squad were hampered by illness early in the trip.The trip was a traveling triathlon for the group — round-trip flight from Austin to Phoenix, several charter bus rides and a round-trip train ride from Williams, Az., to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
People in the traveling party were adults Bill and Rhonda Farney, Katie Youngblood, Tosha Doherty, Melynn Hunt, Corey and Stephanie Cunningham and Galen Wellnicki and students Graci Harris, Mackenzy Mouton, Kylie Ellsworth, McCall Hampton, Nia Williams, Ella Vickers, Lauren Woodard, Megan Herring, Mercedes Robledo, Kylee Sander, Hailey Hanson, Jordyn Stout, Madison Rincon, Celeste Valdez, Lizzette Rodriguez and Abigail Lamas. Our bus driver Steve was a master of tight turns and a fountain of information on Arizona sights and history along with being a nice helpful person.
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DISTRICT 18-5A RACE AT A GLANCE
(As of Friday, Dec. 20)
Standings: Georgetown, 2-0; Hutto, 2-0; East View, 2-1; Bastrop, 2-1; Manor, 1-2; Elgin, 0-2; Bastrop Cedar Creek, 0-3.
Tuesday (Dec. 10) results: Georgetown 45, Bastrop 40; East View 63, Manor 38; Hutto 82, Cedar Creek 29. Bye — Elgin.
Tuesday (Dec. 17) results: Georgetown 65, Elgin 44; East View 51, Cedar Creek 21; Bastrop 63, Manor 60. Bye — Hutto.
Thursday (Dec. 19) results: Bastrop 75, Cedar Creek 25.
Friday (Dec. 20) results: Hutto 45, East View 36; Manor 57, Elgin 37. Bye — Georgetown.
Tuesday’s games: Georgetown at Manor, 7 p.m.; Elgin at Cedar Creek, 7 p.m.; Bastrop at Hutto, 7p.m. Bye — East View.
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LADY EAGLES REMAINING GAMES
(Current record: 17-7 season, 2-0 district)
District 18-5A Games
Tuesday, Jan. 7 — at Manor, 7 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 10 — Bastrop Cedar Creek, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 14 — at Hutto, 7 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 17 — at East View, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 21 — Bastrop, 7 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 24 — at Elgin, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 28 — OPEN DATE.
Friday, Jan. 31 — Manor, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 4 — at Bastrop Cedar Creek 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 7 — Hutto, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 11 — East View, 7:30 p.m.
Note: Both East View games are doubleheaders with the boys.
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FLOWING WELLS TOURNAMENT
(At Tucson, Ariz., Dec. 27-28)
WINNERS’ BRACKET
(In Bracket Order)
First round
Tucson Empire 64, Nogales 58; GEORGETOWN 79, Tucson Desert Christian 26; Sahuaro 93, Yuma Kofa 18; Tucson Rincon/University 65, Tucson Amphitheater 39; Tucson Catalina Foothills 39, Tucson Flowing Wells 29; Marana 46, Thatcher 32; Sierra Vista Buena 61, Walden Grove 13; Tucson Sunnyside 54, Tucson Palo Verde 40.
Quarterfinals
GEORGETOWN 65, Tucson Empire 28; Sahuaro 69, Tucson Rincon/University 50; Marana 43, Tucson Catalina Foothills 38; Sierra Vista Buena 64, Tucson Sunnyside 42.
Semifinals
Sahuaro 60, GEORGETOWN 58, Sierra Vista Buena 52, Marana 32.
Third Place
GEORGETOWN 64, Marana 38.
Championship
Sahuaro 57, Sierra Vista Buena 45.
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GHS BOXSCORES AT FLOWING WELLS SHOOTOUT
First Round, Dec. 27
GEORGETOWN 79, TUCSON DESERT CHRISTIAN 26
GHS (79) — Ella Vickers 0-4 0-0 0, Kylee Sander 7-9 0-1 16, Hailey Hanson 6-10 0-0 18, McCall Hampton 5-8 0-0 10, Kylie Ellsworth 2-6 3-4 7, Graci Harris 0-1 0-0 0, Mackenzy Mouton 2-2 2-2 6, Mercedes Robledo 2-5 1-2 6, Lauren Woodard 3-6 1-2 7, Nia Williams 4-4 1-2 9. Totals: 31-55 8-13 79.
DESERT CHRISTIAN (26) — Aimee McGuire 0 2-2 2, Hope Padilla 2 0-0 5, Kelsi Bridgewater 1 0-0 3, Sydney Martin 1 0-0 2, Maddy Hebert 2 0-0 5, Baylee Lehman 1 0-0 3, Reagan Barr 0 0-0 0, Colette Bittiger 0 0-0 0, Torie Roberts 0 0-0 0, Olivia Perez 2 1-4 6. Totals: 9-39 3-6 26.
Halftime: GHS, 43-16. 3-point scoring: GHS 9-23 (Vickers 0-4, Sander 2-3, Hanson 6-10, Ellsworth 0-2, Mercedes 1-4); TDC 5-20 (Padilla 1, Bridgewater 1, Hebert 1, B. Lehman 1, Perez 1). Assists: GHS 26 (Harris 6, Sander 4, Vickers 4, Williams 3, Ellsworth 3, Woodard 3). Blocks: GHS 4 (Williams 2, Vickers 1, Mouton 1); TDC 1. Rebounds: GHS 29 (Hampton 7, Williams 6, Woodard 4); TDC 17. Steals: GHS 21 (Sander 5, Hampton 3, Robledo 3); TDC 3. Turnovers: GHS 8, TDC 29. Total fouls: GHS 6, TDC 8. Fouled out: none. Technical fouls: none. Records: Georgetown, 15-6; Desert Christian, 5-6. Note: Complete Desert Christian individual statistics unavailable.
Quarterfinals, Dec. 27
GEORGETOWN 65, TUCSON EMPIRE 28
GHS (65) — Vickers 0-2 0-0 0, Sander 4-4 0-0 8, Hanson 1-3 0-0 3, Hampton 8-10 1-2 17, Ellsworth 3-6 2-2 8, Harris 3-8 0-0 6, Mouton 0-0 1-2 1, Robledo 2-6 2-2 7, Woodard 2-7 0-0 4, Jordyn Stout 0-1 0-0 0, Williams 5-6 1-6 11. Totals: 28-53 7-14 65.
EMPIRE (28) — Nanna Renterria 1 1-2 4, Emma Roberts 0 0-0 0, Kailee Sabrino 5 0-0, 11, Sarah Lewis 0 2-4 2, Ava Ramaley 0 4-6 4, Kendall Clark 0 0-0 0, Celine Pacheco 2 0-0 5, Phoenix Budziszewski 1 0-0 2, Vanessa Brink 0 0-0 0, Danaye Earl 0 0-0 0. Totals: 9-36 7-12 28.
Halftime: GHS, 36-12. 3-point shooting: GHS, 2-13 (Vickers 0-2, Hanson 1-2, Hampton 0-1, Ellsworth 0-1, Harris 0-2, Robledo 1-5, Stout 0-1); TE 3-16 (Renterria 1, Sabrino 1, Pacheco 1). Assists: GHS 21 (Harris 8, Sander 5, Ellsworth 3, Woodard 3). Blocks: GHS 2 (Mouton, Williams 1); TE 0. Rebounds: GHS 39 (Williams 9, Hampton 8, Sander 5, Ellsworth 5, Mouton 4, Woodard 3); TE 17. Steals: GHS 13 (Harris 6, Sander 3); TE 2. Turnovers: GHS 6, TE 18. Total fouls: GHS 14, GHS 9. Technical fouls: none. Records: Georgetown, 16-6, Empire, 5-6. Note: Complete Empire individual statistics unavailable.
Semifinals, Dec. 28
SAHUARO 60, GEORGETOWN 58
GHS (58) — Sander 5-10 2-2 13, Hampton 5-7 3-4 13, Ellsworth 4-15 3-4 12, Harris 3-11 3-4 10, Mouton 0-1 0-0 0, Woodard 0-0 0-0 0, Williams 5-7 0-0 10. Totals: 22-51 1-14 58.
SAHUARO (60) — Alyssa Franke 4-7 2-2 10, Hayli Kubly 4-8 0-0 8, Messiah Amon-Ra 0-1 0-1 1, Milaya Leon 0-3 0-0 0, Alyssa Brown 11-23 11-13 34, Lily Watson 2-4 2-4 6. Totals: 21-46 15-20 60.
Halftime: SHS,31-25. 3-point shooting: GHS 3-19 (Sander 1-3, Hampton 0-1, Ellsworth 1-7, Harris 1-8); SHS 3-13 (Franke 2-5, Kubly 0-2, Leon 0-2, Brown 1-4). Assists: GHS 14 (Harris 6, Ellsworth 5); SHS 6 (Franke 2, Kubly 2). Blocks: GHS 2 (Williams 2); SHS 1 (Amon-Ra 1). Rebounds: GHS 36 (Williams 13, Hampton 5, Ellsworth 4, Harris 4); SHS 20 (Brown 9, Watson 4, Leon 4). Steals: GHS 9 (Sander 3, Mouton 2); SHS 7 (Brown 2, Franke 2). Turnovers: GHS 15, SHS 13. Total fouls: GHS 18; SHS 18. Fouled out: GHS, Mouton (4th, 3:57). Technical fouls: none. Records: Georgetown, 16-7; Sahuaro, 13-0.
Third Place, Dec. 28
GEORGETOWN 64, MARANA 38
GHS (64) — Vickers 1-3 0-0 2, Sander 4-7 0-0 9, Hanson 0-3 0-0 0, Hampton 5-7 5-6 15, Ellsworth 2-8 4-5 8, Harris 4-6 1-1 10, Mouton 2-3 2-3 6, Robledo 0-0 0-0 0, Woodard 4-6 2-2 10, Williams 2-4 0-0 4, Totals: 24-47 14-17 64.
MARANA (38) — Emma Rozelle 0 0-2 0, Antoinette Audiss 2 0-3 4, Alyssa Aranda 0 0-4 0, Gabby Rojel 1 0-0 2, Jennifer Smith 3 1-3 7, Cody Slaughter 1 0-0 3, Raquel Diaz 2 4-5 9, Bella Muscoreil 5 2-2 13. Totals: 14-33 7-19 38.
Halftime: GHS, 25-23. 3-point shooting: GHS 2-12 (Vickers 0-1, Sander 1-2, Hanson 0-3, Ellsworth 0-3, Harris 1-2, Woodard 0-1); MHS 3-13 (Diaz 1, Muscoreil 1, Slaughter 1). Assists: GHS 15 (Harris 5, Ellsworth 4, Sander 2, Williams 2). Blocks: GHS 3 (Willams 2, Mouton 1); MSH 0. Rebounds: GHS 28 (Williams 7, Hampton 7, Mouton 4, Woodard 4); MHS 27. Steals: GHS 21 (Harris 7, Hampton 3, Sander 3); MHS 5. Turnovers: GHS 12; MHS 21. Total fouls: GHS 21; MHS 14. Fouled out: none. Technical fouls: GHS, Hanson (3rd, :39). Records: Georgetown, 17-7; Marana, 9-6.
Note: Complete Empire individual statistics unavailable.
***
TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF BASKETBALL COACHES
CLASS 5A STATE RANKINGS
(Released Monday, Dec. 30)
- Amarillo (19-0). 2.Cedar Park (18-3). 3. Corpus Christi Carroll (16-3). 4. Red Oak (15-4). 5. Fort Bend Hightower (19-4). 6. Pearland Shadow Creek (16-4). 7. Denton Braswell (15-3). 8. Kerrville Tivy (18-3). 9. Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway (17-5). 10. Boerne Champion (17-4). 11. GEORGETOWN (17-7). 12. Mansfield Timberview (11-8). 13. Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial (18-6). 14. Bryan Rudder (16-1). 15. Wichita Falls Rider (20-1). 16. Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill (16-3). 17. McKinney North (12-6). 18. Royse City (15-5). 19. Waller (16-1). 20. Magnolia West (16-5). 21. San Antonio Veterans Memorial (15-7). 22. Brownsville Veterans (19-5). 23. Lake Dallas (15-3). 24. Frisco Liberty (10-7). 25.Lubbock Monterey (17-1).
Note: Records provided by the TABC.
TEXAS GIRLS COACHES ASSOCIATION
CLASS 5A STATE RANKINGS
The Texas Girls Coaches Association has not posted new rankings since Dec. 16. New rankings are due Monday, Jan. 6.
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GEORGETOWN HOLIDAY TRIPS
1998 — Springfield, Mo. 1999 — Las Vegas, Nv. 2000 — Phoenix, Az. 2001 — Pickerington, Ohio. 2002 — Phoenix, Az. 2003 — Las Vegas, Nv. 2004 — New York, NY. 2005 — Willmington, De. 2006 — Atlanta, Ga. 2007 — Seaside, Ca. 2008 — Owensboro, Ky. 2009 — Phoenix, Az. 2010 — San Francisco, Ca. 2011 – Norfolk, Va. 2012 — Ada, Okla. 2013 — Las Vegas, Nv. 2014 — Fort Myers, Fl. 2015 — Ada, Okla. 2016 — Charleston, S.C. 2017 — New Orleans, La. 2018 — Nashville., Tenn. 2019 — Tucson, Az.