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Cinco's girls in quarters again
Lady Cougars outlast Westside; Taylor's girls fall to Bellaire
By Scott Kaiser
Times Sports Writer
It's getting almost routine to see Cinco Ranch in the Region III quarterfinals.
The Lady Cougars advanced to that round for a fifth straight season Friday night with a 59-53 victory over Westside.
Cinco Ranch (23-13) will next face state No. 1 Nimitz and 6-foot-8 All-American Brittney Griner on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Cypress Ranch High School. The Lady Cougars are one team that won't be intimidated by the Baylor signee as they have beat Nimitz in the area round the past three years, and are 4-0 overall in that span.
Taylor's girls weren't as fortunate in the second half of the doubleheader at Stratford, dropping a 39-37 decision to state No. 5 Bellaire. The Lady Mustangs (24-13) had a shot to tie in the final seconds, but Lexie Ray's leaner from the left baseline bounced off the rim.
In the opener, the Lady Cougars outscored the Lady Wolves 10-3 in the final 2:26 to pull out the victory. After Westside had taken a 50-49 lead on a 3-pointer by Rachael Combo, Demi Clinch scored on a runner in the lane just 15 seconds later to make it 51-50.
Kellie Ros hit two free throws and then Clinch hit a 14-foot pullup jumper with 1:27 left to give Cinco a 55-50 lead. Westside got within 56-53 with :37 left, but DeDe Nwanguma hit one free throw and freshman Megan Palmer hit a pair to seal the victory.
Clinch, who picked up her fourth foul with 4:26 left in the third quarter and Cinco leading 35-26, returned to open the fourth quarter with the Lady Cougars clinging to a 37-35 lead. She opened the fourth with an assist to Nwanguma, hit two free throws, then drove the lane for a three-point play to give the Lady Cougars a 44-37 advantage.
The 5-11 junior scored 13 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter, plus added four rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Ros had 12 points, four rebounds and three assists, and again was a steady ballhandling presence against Westside's aggressive man-to-man pressure.
Westside got a monster night from 6-0 post Donna Dike, who scored 29 points to go with 15 rebounds and three blocks.
In the nightcap, Taylor jumped out to a 9-0 lead and held Bellaire scoreless the first 6:52 of the game. Using a hybrid zone designed to take away Bellaire's high post play, the Lady Mustangs forced the Lady Cardinals out of the comfort zone.
The second quarter was a different story as Bellaire upped the pressure and forced 11 turnovers, turning a 9-3 deficit into a 24-16 halftime advantage. The key stretch was in the final 2:20 of the half, when the Lady Cardinals went on a 10-0 run, six of which came directly off steals.
Taylor answered with a near perfect third quarter, going 6-of-6 from the field and not committing a turnover in pulling back within 31-29. Jungwirth had nine of her team-high 14 points, plus an assist, in the quarter.
Freshman Logan Johnson and Ray each scored early in the fourth quarter to knot the contest, but the Lady Mustangs could never take the lead. Division I guard Taylor McGilbra was the difference in the final three minutes, hitting a 3-pointer and scoring on the press break to keep Taylor at bay.
Jungwirth scored on a put-back with :12 left to cut Taylor's deficit to 39-37 and McGilbra missed the front end of a one-and-one, but there was no last-second magic for the Lady Mustangs.
For a complete wrapup of Friday's doubleheader, please see the Wednesday, Feb. 25, edition of The Katy Times.
The Lady Cougars advanced to that round for a fifth straight season Friday night with a 59-53 victory over Westside.
Cinco Ranch (23-13) will next face state No. 1 Nimitz and 6-foot-8 All-American Brittney Griner on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Cypress Ranch High School. The Lady Cougars are one team that won't be intimidated by the Baylor signee as they have beat Nimitz in the area round the past three years, and are 4-0 overall in that span.
Taylor's girls weren't as fortunate in the second half of the doubleheader at Stratford, dropping a 39-37 decision to state No. 5 Bellaire. The Lady Mustangs (24-13) had a shot to tie in the final seconds, but Lexie Ray's leaner from the left baseline bounced off the rim.
In the opener, the Lady Cougars outscored the Lady Wolves 10-3 in the final 2:26 to pull out the victory. After Westside had taken a 50-49 lead on a 3-pointer by Rachael Combo, Demi Clinch scored on a runner in the lane just 15 seconds later to make it 51-50.
Kellie Ros hit two free throws and then Clinch hit a 14-foot pullup jumper with 1:27 left to give Cinco a 55-50 lead. Westside got within 56-53 with :37 left, but DeDe Nwanguma hit one free throw and freshman Megan Palmer hit a pair to seal the victory.
Clinch, who picked up her fourth foul with 4:26 left in the third quarter and Cinco leading 35-26, returned to open the fourth quarter with the Lady Cougars clinging to a 37-35 lead. She opened the fourth with an assist to Nwanguma, hit two free throws, then drove the lane for a three-point play to give the Lady Cougars a 44-37 advantage.
The 5-11 junior scored 13 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter, plus added four rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Ros had 12 points, four rebounds and three assists, and again was a steady ballhandling presence against Westside's aggressive man-to-man pressure.
Westside got a monster night from 6-0 post Donna Dike, who scored 29 points to go with 15 rebounds and three blocks.
In the nightcap, Taylor jumped out to a 9-0 lead and held Bellaire scoreless the first 6:52 of the game. Using a hybrid zone designed to take away Bellaire's high post play, the Lady Mustangs forced the Lady Cardinals out of the comfort zone.
The second quarter was a different story as Bellaire upped the pressure and forced 11 turnovers, turning a 9-3 deficit into a 24-16 halftime advantage. The key stretch was in the final 2:20 of the half, when the Lady Cardinals went on a 10-0 run, six of which came directly off steals.
Taylor answered with a near perfect third quarter, going 6-of-6 from the field and not committing a turnover in pulling back within 31-29. Jungwirth had nine of her team-high 14 points, plus an assist, in the quarter.
Freshman Logan Johnson and Ray each scored early in the fourth quarter to knot the contest, but the Lady Mustangs could never take the lead. Division I guard Taylor McGilbra was the difference in the final three minutes, hitting a 3-pointer and scoring on the press break to keep Taylor at bay.
Jungwirth scored on a put-back with :12 left to cut Taylor's deficit to 39-37 and McGilbra missed the front end of a one-and-one, but there was no last-second magic for the Lady Mustangs.
For a complete wrapup of Friday's doubleheader, please see the Wednesday, Feb. 25, edition of The Katy Times.
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| Hoops playoffs set | Tigers eliminate Taylor, face Morton Saturday for 4th |
