Fighting for their 12
th consecutive trip to the playoffs, another cold shooting night doomed the Lady Lions, who fell to the Lampasas Lady Badgers, 51-36, in a battle for District 6-4A’s fourth and final playoff seed.
The Lady Lions, who defeated Lampasas by a 57-52 count at Warren Gym in the first meeting, dropped the last two, including a 62-40 road loss to the Lady Badgers.
“Our effort and game plan was where it needed to be, but that third quarter again was a plague for us only scoring four points,” said Lady Lions 12th-year head coach Heather Hohertz. “Lampasas brought it more in every category that they needed tonight and that was the difference in the ball game.”
Mady Pyle (right), pictured against Gatesville, was one of four Lady Lions to finish with three points in Friday’s loss at Stephenville. [File photo by Derrick Stuckly]
STEPHENVILLE – Needing a victory over the sixth-ranked team in the state to avoid a postseason play-in game, the Brownwood Lady Lions were plagued by a scoreless third quarter en route to a 45-27 loss Brownwood, Lampasas to meet at 6 p.m. Monday in San Saba to determine 6-4A’s fourth and final playoff seed to District 6-4A champion Stephenville Friday night.
“We battled in the first two quarters and kept it to where it needed to be,” said Lady Lions head coach Heather Hohertz. “They missed some easy shots and we missed some easy shots, but it was a two-point game going in at halftime. I challenged my girls to come out and keep fighting, but it’s hard to win a ball game when you don’t score in the third quarter.”
In the midst of a four-game skid with each loss by at least 20 points, playing without their leading scorer and rebounder for the second game in a row, and having slipped into a fourth-place tie in the District 6-4A girls basketball standings, Friday’s home finale for the Brownwood Lady Lions was the very definition of desperation mode.
And on Senior Night at Warren Gym, the Lady Lions came through with their most spirited effort of the season, sparked by an 18-1 run in the second half to stun the Gatesville Lady Hornets, 50-36, and regain control of fourth place in the league standings.
Trailing by double digits in the third period, the Brownwood Lady Lions went on a 20-0 run, then held off a late fourth-quarter rally to upend the TGCA No. 13 Lampasas Lady Badgers, 57-52, Friday night at Warren Gym in District 6-4A girls basketball action.
The Lady Lions (8-9, 1-1) were coming off a 36-32 loss to No. 6 Glen Rose in the district opener, a game in which Brownwood could not hold on to the lead in the fourth period.
“We dug ourselves a big hole there in the first half and we had to dig ourselves out,” said Lady Lions 12th-year head coach Heather Hohertz “I thought my girls responded really well to the adjustments we made coming out of the locker room. I had to get on to them a little bit to wake them up, but I thought they responded tremendously in the second half, and we brought it.”
The Brownwood Lady Lions are headed into the start of District 6-4A competition on a positive note, as they upended the Graham Lady Blues, 45-38, Wednesday afternoon in the pre-district finale.
“Our whole team was physical and that’s what I want to see,” said Lady Lions 12th-year head coach Heather Hohertz. “We were going to get rebounds, we were getting up off the ground and getting after it, we were exploding and getting to the rim, that’s how we have to play.”
Fresh off a 55-42 loss to Merkel Tuesday afternoon at the Brownwood Coliseum, the Lady Lions (7-8) buckled down against Graham (7-9). After yielding 16 points in the first quarter, Brownwood gave up just 19 the remainder of the contest.