Georgetown coach Rhonda Farney was candid in her postmortem of her Lady Eagles’ 46-42 loss to arch-rival East View in an 18-5A game Friday night on the Patriots’ playing surface that left the two teams tied for the district lead at 5-1 at the midpoint of the race. “That was tough,” Farney said of Georgetown’s first loss to East View in the `15-game series that dates back to the 2012-2013 season. “We didn’t play good enough to win — especially rebounding. They (the Patriots) were well prepared and played hard. We just didn’t play well enough until the final minutes of the game.
“For us it’s back to the drawing board and get ready for Bastrop on Tuesday. We struggled to beat them in the first round (45-40 at Bastrop). It will be another tough test for us.”The victory — East View’s 20th in 24 games — also gave the Patriots the head-to-head tie-breaker over the Lady Eagles unless GHS wins the regular-season finale between the two at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at Eagle Gym. Going into the second round of the 18-5A race, five of the district’s seven teams are within two games of the district lead. Bastrop is alone in third place at 4-2, while Hutto and Manor are tied for fourth at 3-3. The Bears’ only other district loss was to East View, 52-34. In the first meeting prior to the Christmas Break, Bastrop, now 11-14 on the season, led Georgetown, 36-30, after three quarters, but the Lady Eagles, with Kylee Sander scoring seven consecutive points, outscored the Lady Bears, 12-2, during the first 4:18 of the final period to put them in position to claim the win.
The Lady Eagles do have a decided advantage over East View in the second half. GHS has all four of the other playoff contenders playing them at Eagle Gym. Georgetown’s only road games in the final half are with Elgin (0-6 in district) on Friday and Bastrop Cedar Creek (1-5) on Tuesday, Feb. 4. In addition to the Lady Eagles, East View will have to play Manor and Hutto on the Road. With 6-foot-1 Portia Leathers being the principal culprit with nine boards, East View became one of the few opponents to best GHS in rebounds, posting a 24-16 edge. Coach Dave Walla’s Patriots also collected their winning margin at the free-throw line, making 14 of 18, while GHS hit on nine of 11. Farney said she had no problems with the Austin-based officiating crew that called 15 fouls on the Lady Eagles and 11 on the Patriots.
East View shot 35 percent from the floor (14 of 40, including four of 12 beyond the arc), while GHS hit 45.7 percent (16 of 35, but only one of 11 from 3-point range). Seniors Kylie Ellsworth and McCall Hampton led GHS scoring with 14 and 11 points, respectively, while Je’Niece Williams and Leathers had 12 and 11 for the Patriots. Hampton also topped GHS rebounding with four. The game was deadlocked 11-11 after one period and Georgetown held a slight 17-16 lead at the half. The Lady Eagles appeared to have the momentum early in the third quarter, taking a 23-18, advantage, but a 3-pointer by Williams ignited a run of 11 points at the end of the third period to go up 29-23. However, GHS fought back despite falling behind by nine points at 34-25 with 6:32 remaining in the game. Five straight points — three by Ellsworth and two by Sander — enabled the Lady Eagles to close the gap to 41-40 with 1:36 to go. But East View outscored GHS, 5-2, down the stretch to annex their historic victory. A free throw by Williams sealed the deal with 10.3 seconds remaining. The loss to the Patriots dropped GHS from sixth to 10th in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 5A rankings. They also fell from 15th to 22nd in the Texas Girls Coaches Association rankings. East View — unranked by the TABC — moved from 23rd to 17th in the TGCA poll.
In sub-varsity action with East View, Georgetown posted a pair of one-sided victories to run their 18-5A records to 5-0 (sub-varsity district games with Cedar Creek were canceled on Friday, Jan. 10, by the threat of foul weather). The GHS JV improved to 15-6 on the year Friday night with a 52-16 victory as guards Jacqui Spencer used her length to score 15 points and Brooke White added 11 to lead the route. With Taylor Meyners leading five players scoring in double digits, GHS posted a 79-23 victory on Saturday morning to run their unblemished season mark to 21-0. Others in double figures were Avery Lopez with 16, Jane Butler with 15, Madelyne Furr with 12 and Ainsley Pelczar with 10. The Freshman White also recorded a victory Saturday morning with a 36-16 non-district win over Belton. Reagan Nelson and Natalie Rivera scored 10 and nine points, respectively, to pace the Lady Eagles.
In Friday’s sub-varsity games with Bastrop, the JV game is set for 5:30 p.m. in Eagle Gym and the freshman contest will be played at the same time in the auxiliary gym. All freshmen players — both Blue and White teams — will suit up for the game. With Elgin having canceled Friday’s 18-5A freshman game, the GHS Freshman Blue has scheduled a game with Lampasas at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Eagle Gym.
***
GHS VS. EAST VIEW VARSITY SERIES
(GHS leads, 14-1)
Year — Game 1 Game-2
2012-2013 — 61-18 58-24
2013-2014 — 49-28 71-38
2014-2015 — 45-29 50-26
2015-2016 — 44-34 35-32
2016-2017 — 47-42 51-33
2017-2018 — 44-43 (OT) 52-36
2018-2019 — 38-33 45-18
2019-2020 — 42-46 ????
***
DISTRICT 18-5A RACE AT A GLANCE
(As of Friday, Jan. 17)
Standings: East View*, 5-1; Georgetown, 5-1; Bastrop, 4-2; Hutto, 3-3; Manor, 3-3; Bastrop Cedar Creek, 1-5; Elgin, 0-6.
* — denotes East View has head-to-head win over Georgetown.
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 (Jan. 7) results: Georgetown 47, Manor 42; Cedar Creek 33, Elgin 29; Bastrop 51, Hutto 46, 7p.m. Bye — East View.
Saturday (Jan. 11) results: Georgetown 71, Cedar Creek 7; East View 52, Bastrop 34; Hutto 59, Elgin 32. Bye — Manor.
Tuesday (Jan. 14) results: Georgetown 48, Hutto 27 ; East View 32, Elgin 21; Manor 80, Cedar Creek 42. Bye — Bastrop.
Friday’s results: East View 46, Georgetown 42; Manor 64, Hutto 48; Bastrop 46, Elgin 44. Bye — Cedar Creek.
(End of first round)
Tuesday’s games: Bastrop at Georgetown, 7 p.m.; East View at Manor, 7 p.m.; Hutto at Cedar Creek, 7 p.m. Bye — Elgin.
FRIDAY’S DISTRICT 18-5A GAME
At East View
EAST VIEW 46, GEORGETOWN 42
GHS (42) — Ella Vickers 0-0 0-0 0, Kylee Sander 2-5 0-0 4, Hailey Hanson 0-1 0-0 0, McCall Hampton 4-7 3-4 11, Kylie Ellsworth 5-10 3-4 14, Graci Harris 3-8 0-0 6, Mackenzy Mouton 1-1 3-3 5, Lauren Woodard 1-3 0-0, Nia Williams 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 16-35 9-11 42.
EAST VIEW (46) — Brooke Bullard 0-0 0-0 0, Mary Btown 2-6 4-4 8, Mae Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Westlin Corley 0-0 0-0 0, Hailey Smith 2-3 1-2 7, Je’Niece Williams 3-9 4-6 12, Sarah Workman 1-42-2 4, Portia Leathers 4-13 3-4 11, Elizabeth Daniels 2-3 0-0 4, Jaxlyn Meixsell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 14-40 14-18 46.
Halftime: GHS, 17-16. 3-point shooting: GHS 1-11 (Sander 0-2, Hanson 0-1, Hampton 0-1, Ellsworth 1-5, Harris 0-2); EV 4-12 (Smith 2-2, Bullard 0-1, Brown 0-2, Williams 2-4, Workman 0-2, Daniels, 0-1) Assists: GHS, 4 (four players with one each). Blocks: GHS 1 (Sander 1). Rebounds: GHS 16 (Hampton 4, Ellsworth 3, Woodard 3); EV 24 (Leathers 9). Steals: GHS 16 (Harris 6, Woodard 5, Sander 3); EV 16 (Smith 5, Workman 4). Turnovers: GHS 18, EV 20. Total fouls: GHS 15, EV 11. Fouled out: none. Technical fouls: none. Records: Georgetown, 5-1 in 18-5A, 20-8; East View, 5-1 in 18-5A, 20-4).
***
FRIDAY’S SUB-VARSITY GAME
At East View
(GHS scoring only)
GEORGETOWN JV 52, EAST VIEW JV 16 — Jacqui Spencer 15, Brooke White 11, Sam Folsom 0, Tanaya Smith 0, Morgan Larson 4, Shelia Lee 6, Morgan Herring 4, Brielle Maxwell 7, Vyctorya Lehr 2, Jordyn Stout 3, Lauren Cavanaugh 0. Halftime: GHS, 25-6. GHS record: 5-0 in 18-5A; 15-6.
SATURDAY’S SUB-VARSITY GAMES
(GHS scoring only)
GEORGETOWN FRESHMAN BLUE 79, EAST VIEW FRESHMAN 23 — Erica Ramthun 3, Avery Lopez 16, Jane Butler 15, Taylor Meyners 19, Amiya Gonzalez 4, Madelyne Furr 12, Ainsley Pelczar 10. Halftime: GHS, 38-9. GHS record: 5-0 in 18-5A, 21-0.
GEORGETOWN FRESHMAN WHITE 36, BELTON FRESHMAN 16 — Natalie Floriano 0, Reagan Nelson 10, Natalie Rivera 9, Danielle Rodriguez 7, Payton Humphrey 6, Lourdes Ramos 0, Sarah Herrera 0, Abby Brent 4. Halftime: GHS, 12-9.
***
LADY EAGLES REMAINING GAMES
(Current record: 20-8 season, 5-1 district)
District 18-5A Games
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.
***
LADY EAGLES SEASON TO DATE
(Current record: 20-8 season, 5-1 district)
November
8 — Round Rock Cedar Ridge (l) 38-44
11 — at Waco Midway (l) 28-52
***
Eaton Varsity Tournament (Ft. Worth)
14 — Ft. Worth Haltom (l) 37-42
14 — Keller Fossil Ridge (w) 51-35
15 — Ponder (w) 49-38
16 — Eaton (w) 54-32
***
19 — Vista Ridge (l) 40-55
25 — Victoria East (w) 48-43
26 — at Lorena (w) 35-27
30 — Vandegrift (w) 42-31
December
2 — Kyle Lehman (w) 80-19
***
Jack Frost Tournament (Georgetown)
5 — Austin Akins (w) 55-30
5 — Killeen (w) 52-39
6 — S.A. Incarnate Word (w) 52-37
7 — Ponder (w) 49-39
7 — Cedar Park (l) 34-61
***
10 — at Bastrop* (w) 45-40
13 — at Austin Westlake (l) 33-65
17 — Elgin* (w) 65-44
20 — Burnet (w) 70-35
***
Flowing Wells Holiday Shootout (Tucson, Az.)
27 — Tucson Desert Christian (w) 79-26
27 — Tucson Empire (w) 65-28
28 — Sahuaro (l) 58-60
28 — Marana (w) 64-38
***
January
7 — at Manor* (w) 47-42
11 — Bastrop Cedar Creek* (w) 71-7
14 — at Hutto* (w) 48-27
17 — at East View* (l) 42-46
* — denotes District 18-5A game.
GHS SEASON LEADERS
Points in a game — Hampton, 22 of his team’s 35 points vs. Lorena.
Rebounds in a game — Hampton, 16 vs. Manor
***
TEXAS BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
CLASS 5A RANKINGS
(Released Monday, Jan. 20)
- Amarillo (26-2). 2. Cedar Park (23-3). 3. Red Oak (19-6). 4. Corpus Christi Carroll (24-4). 5. Pearland Shadow Creek (22-4). 6. Mansfield Timberview (19-8). 7. Fort Bend Hightower (23-5). 8. Denton Braswell (21-4). 9. Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial (23-6). 10. GEORGETOWN (20-8). 11. Royse City (20-5). 12. San Antonio Veterans Memorial (20-7). 13. Wichita Falls Rider (23-1). 14. Kerrville Tivy (23-4). 15. Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill (24-4). 16. Brownsville Veterans (24-5). 17. Frisco Liberty (17-9). 18. Lubbock Monterey (25-3). 19. Lake Dallas (17-4). 20. Jacksonville (16-8). 21. Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway (20-6). 22. Bryan Rudder (24-3). 23. Pflugerville Connally (20-9). 24. El Paso Andress (20-4). 25. Corpus Christi Flour Bluff (18-8).
Note: records provided by TABC.
TEXAS GIRLS COACHES ASSOCIATION
CLASS 5A RANKINGS
(Released Monday, Jan. 20)
- Amarillo (26-2). 2. Cedar Park (23-3). 3. Wichita Falls Rider (23-1). 4. Lubbock Monterey (25-3). 5. Pearland ShAdow Creek (22-4). 6. Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill (24-4). 7. Denton Braswell (21-4). 8. Red Oak (19-6). 9. Corpus Christi Carroll (24-4). 10. Fort Bend Hightower (23-5). 11. San Antonio Veterans Memorial (20-7). 12. Kerrville Tivy (23-4). 13. Fort Worth Arlington Heights (18-3). 14. Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial (23-6). 15. Bryan Rudder (24-2). 16. Mansfield Timberview (19-8). 17. Georgetown East View (20-4). 18. Royse City (18-5). 19. Brownsville Veterans Memorial (24-5). 20. Dripping Springs (21-7). 21. Pflugerville Connally (20-9). 22. GEORGETOWN (20-8). 23. Magnolia West (19-6). 24. El Paso Eastwood (21-4). 25. (tie) Lake Dallas (17-4), Frisco Liberty (17-9) and El Paso El Dorado (19-5).
Note: Records provided by TGCA.