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02-28-2015, 11:14 AM
Posted: Saturday, February 28, 2015 2:00 am | Updated: 6:00 am, Sat Feb 28, 2015.
By Joshua Cook joshua.cook@thefacts.com | 0 comments
KINGSVILLE — It took a little longer than anticipated Friday, but the Brazosport Lady Ships wiped out the Fredericksburg Battlin’ Billies, 54-37, to advance to the Region IV Class 4A finals.
After a slow start at the Steinke Physical Education Center on the campus of Texas A&M-Kingsville, the Lady Ships (28-6) pulled away in the second half.
Brazosport took a 25-22 lead into halftime, but wasted little time in pushing their advantage into double-figures, as it opened the third period with an 11-3 run to go ahead by 11 points, 36-25.
Delivering an exclamation point during the run was sophomore guard Falyn Taylor (five points) who drilled a 3-point dagger from the corner and banked in a layup.
“I knew it would start tight because it’s the biggest stage we’ve been on,” Brazosport coach Cheryl Williams said. “I was hoping we would relax into the game, and I think after halftime — it took us about a half to play our brand of basketball — once we did that, we got rolling, picked up some easy baskets and that really turned us around.”
With the victory, the Lady Ships earned the right to play for the regional championship at 1 p.m. today against Liberty Hill (36-2), which is ranked No. 4 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches poll.
Liberty Hill defeated Boerne (26-9), 56-42, in the second game Friday.
Because the Lady Ships played the opener, they were given a unique opportunity to see their next opponent up close.
“Just to gain as much knowledge about both teams as possible,” Williams said of what she and her players were looking for. “We have a little bit of film on them, but in person is always better.”
Before heading into the stands to see Liberty Hill play Boerne, the Lady Ships remained focused on the task at hand after their victory.
“We’re on to the next. There was very little celebration,” Williams said.
Friday’s win was sparked by star guard Jasmyne Harris’ ability to shoulder the load during stretches. Playing 20 of the 32 minutes, the junior racked up 26 points, 15 rebounds, five steals, two assists and a pair of blocked shots.
Brazosport opened the game with some extended offensive struggles, as it turned the ball over 10 times in each of the first two periods. However, the Lady Ships got a big boost from Harris early on, as she netted 13 of the team’s 15 first-quarter points despite playing with two fouls.
“A lot of that is just confidence in her game,” Williams said. “We understand what she can do, and she’s very hard to stop.
“We made the decision to leave her in because she’s a smart player also, and she understands when she needs to pull back a little,” the coach said.
Behind Harris’ first-quarter heroics and a basket by Kaytlin Holmes (two points, three rebounds), Brazosport headed into the second period with a 15-12 advantage.
However, the early fouls caught up with Harris, as she picked up her third just eight seconds into the second quarter and was forced to sit for the remainder of the half.
With Harris on the bench, Fredericksburg rallied to tie the game at 15-all on a free throw by 6-foot-2 sophomore post Abby Spurgin and a layup by junior Madison Trousdale.
Momentum shifted into the Billies’ corner, but Brazosport’s aggressive defense helped get it back on track.
Junior Alexis Smith (four points, four rebounds, two steals) ripped a pair of steals in the second quarter, converting one for a layup while drawing a foul and knocking down two freebies on the other. Fellow junior Tia Durgan (two points, four boards, two assists) added a layup, and the Lady Ships jumped in front, 21-15.
But Spurgin was too hard for the Lady Ships to stop, as she dropped in back-to-back layups to bring the Billies to within two, 21-19. The post put up 16 points and hauled in 14 rebounds in the game.
Senior guard Kiara Hall, who was featured in the starting lineup, got a jumper to go and swished in a couple of free throws in the final two minutes. Fredericksburg added a layup and a free throw to keep the deficit at three, 25-22, at the half. From then on, it was all Brazosport, as the second-quarter output was pivotal in getting other players going.
“When they started building their confidence and realizing they can also score against a very aggressive team, they relaxed,” Williams said.
Brazosport’s defense forced 19 turnovers in the first half and 31 for the game.
Fouls were an issue all night for the Lady Ships, as Harris, Durgan and post Christian Conner (three rebounds) each picked up their fourth personals in the third quarter. Durgan fouled out with 2:56 remaining in the game.
But with the reserves rolling, and Harris being careful, the Lady Ships were able to roll through the second half on a 29-15 run.
Brazosport’s three seniors each made an impact, as Hall dropped in four points, while Chatavia Nelson added seven points and Cierra Smith grabbed 11 boards.
Trousdale scored seven points for the Billies, but Spurgin was the only scorer in double figures. Fredericksburg struggled from the free-throw line, just as it had done all season. The Billies converted 12 of their 28 attempts (42.9 percent) and were hitting about 55 percent heading into the contest.
By Joshua Cook joshua.cook@thefacts.com | 0 comments
KINGSVILLE — It took a little longer than anticipated Friday, but the Brazosport Lady Ships wiped out the Fredericksburg Battlin’ Billies, 54-37, to advance to the Region IV Class 4A finals.
After a slow start at the Steinke Physical Education Center on the campus of Texas A&M-Kingsville, the Lady Ships (28-6) pulled away in the second half.
Brazosport took a 25-22 lead into halftime, but wasted little time in pushing their advantage into double-figures, as it opened the third period with an 11-3 run to go ahead by 11 points, 36-25.
Delivering an exclamation point during the run was sophomore guard Falyn Taylor (five points) who drilled a 3-point dagger from the corner and banked in a layup.
“I knew it would start tight because it’s the biggest stage we’ve been on,” Brazosport coach Cheryl Williams said. “I was hoping we would relax into the game, and I think after halftime — it took us about a half to play our brand of basketball — once we did that, we got rolling, picked up some easy baskets and that really turned us around.”
With the victory, the Lady Ships earned the right to play for the regional championship at 1 p.m. today against Liberty Hill (36-2), which is ranked No. 4 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches poll.
Liberty Hill defeated Boerne (26-9), 56-42, in the second game Friday.
Because the Lady Ships played the opener, they were given a unique opportunity to see their next opponent up close.
“Just to gain as much knowledge about both teams as possible,” Williams said of what she and her players were looking for. “We have a little bit of film on them, but in person is always better.”
Before heading into the stands to see Liberty Hill play Boerne, the Lady Ships remained focused on the task at hand after their victory.
“We’re on to the next. There was very little celebration,” Williams said.
Friday’s win was sparked by star guard Jasmyne Harris’ ability to shoulder the load during stretches. Playing 20 of the 32 minutes, the junior racked up 26 points, 15 rebounds, five steals, two assists and a pair of blocked shots.
Brazosport opened the game with some extended offensive struggles, as it turned the ball over 10 times in each of the first two periods. However, the Lady Ships got a big boost from Harris early on, as she netted 13 of the team’s 15 first-quarter points despite playing with two fouls.
“A lot of that is just confidence in her game,” Williams said. “We understand what she can do, and she’s very hard to stop.
“We made the decision to leave her in because she’s a smart player also, and she understands when she needs to pull back a little,” the coach said.
Behind Harris’ first-quarter heroics and a basket by Kaytlin Holmes (two points, three rebounds), Brazosport headed into the second period with a 15-12 advantage.
However, the early fouls caught up with Harris, as she picked up her third just eight seconds into the second quarter and was forced to sit for the remainder of the half.
With Harris on the bench, Fredericksburg rallied to tie the game at 15-all on a free throw by 6-foot-2 sophomore post Abby Spurgin and a layup by junior Madison Trousdale.
Momentum shifted into the Billies’ corner, but Brazosport’s aggressive defense helped get it back on track.
Junior Alexis Smith (four points, four rebounds, two steals) ripped a pair of steals in the second quarter, converting one for a layup while drawing a foul and knocking down two freebies on the other. Fellow junior Tia Durgan (two points, four boards, two assists) added a layup, and the Lady Ships jumped in front, 21-15.
But Spurgin was too hard for the Lady Ships to stop, as she dropped in back-to-back layups to bring the Billies to within two, 21-19. The post put up 16 points and hauled in 14 rebounds in the game.
Senior guard Kiara Hall, who was featured in the starting lineup, got a jumper to go and swished in a couple of free throws in the final two minutes. Fredericksburg added a layup and a free throw to keep the deficit at three, 25-22, at the half. From then on, it was all Brazosport, as the second-quarter output was pivotal in getting other players going.
“When they started building their confidence and realizing they can also score against a very aggressive team, they relaxed,” Williams said.
Brazosport’s defense forced 19 turnovers in the first half and 31 for the game.
Fouls were an issue all night for the Lady Ships, as Harris, Durgan and post Christian Conner (three rebounds) each picked up their fourth personals in the third quarter. Durgan fouled out with 2:56 remaining in the game.
But with the reserves rolling, and Harris being careful, the Lady Ships were able to roll through the second half on a 29-15 run.
Brazosport’s three seniors each made an impact, as Hall dropped in four points, while Chatavia Nelson added seven points and Cierra Smith grabbed 11 boards.
Trousdale scored seven points for the Billies, but Spurgin was the only scorer in double figures. Fredericksburg struggled from the free-throw line, just as it had done all season. The Billies converted 12 of their 28 attempts (42.9 percent) and were hitting about 55 percent heading into the contest.