The Chaparral Lady Bobcats find ways to get the job done, which has led to this season, so far, the program's and school’s first district title and playoff wins.
Sometimes, those victories were powered by the offense. Sometimes, the defense. Sometimes a combination of the two facets.
There was plenty of both Tuesday night, but head coach Kiara Marshall kept circling back to “composure” as the catalyst in the Lady Bobcats' latest triumphant concoction.
Tested by a tough Montgomery Lake Creek squad with tools that led it three rounds deep into the playoffs during a shoulder-to-shoulder 32 minutes, Chaparral matched the physicality and timely shots, and then showed that calm and collected piece in the tense moments to secure a 51-41 regional quarterfinal victory over the Lady Lions at Caldwell High School.
“Honestly, they are just tough, man. They are just so tough. They answer to any adversity. We’ve been playing with this target on our backs all year, and they’ve been able to keep their composure in moments,” Marshall said. “So, I’m just really proud of them.”
With the playoff train chugging along full steam ahead, the No. 16-ranked Lady Bobcats (28-6) advanced to the Class 5A Region III Tournament in Katy, where they will play Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill (30-7) on Friday night in the Merrell Center. Game time will be announced Wednesday.
On Tuesday night, the Lady Bobcats announced their presence in the clutch.
Composure.
Jerryiah Baines hit a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer to give Chaparral a 16-11 lead. It was 23-20 at halftime, but the Lady Lions (26-11), who hadn’t led since 8-6 midway through the first quarter, went in front twice in the third –– including after a 3-pointer by Ava Anderson that made it 30-28.
Ivy Powell answered from 3-point range on the Lady Bobcats’ next possession to push her team back ahead 31-30. Baines followed with a 3 before Powell sent Chaparral’s fans, and her teammates, into a frenzy.
With time winding down, Powell received a pass on the left wing, glancedup at the clock and smoothly stepped into a 3-point attempt, which swished through the net as the buzzer sounded for a 37-30 advantage.
Composure.
Lake Creek got as close as 44-39 in the fourth but Powell and Tori Hines combined to go 7-of-8 at the free throw line to ice the contest.
“To be honest, and I know I sound like a broken record, but, it was our composure. The maturity that we’ve gained all year showed at the end,” Marshall said. "For us to keep our composure, to be so new to this stage, was just everything."
Baines finished with a game-high 22 points. Powell tallied 11 points, Chazlyn Dettor six, Trinity Brown five, Hines four and Julissa Weeks three for Chaparral.
Corrie Clark paced the Lady Lions with 15 points.
Also advancing to the Region III tournament were Richmond Randle (28-8) and Pflugerville Hendrickson (29-7).
The winners of the regional semifinals will play Saturday for a spot in the UIL State Tournament, which is scheduled for Feb. 29-March 2 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
“It’s all exciting,” Marshall said. “I tell them all time, this right now is you building the foundation for our program. They are doing a great job of trying to establish a culture here. They are the first building block, and right now they are just enjoying the moment and trying to stay one game at a time.”
This is the deepest playoff run for a KISD girls basketball team since Killeen advanced to the Class 6A Region II semifinals during the 2015-16 season. That year, Latisha Williams' final season as head coach, the Lady Roos went unbeaten in district and defeated Tyler Legacy, Dallas Skyline and Richardson to reach the fourth round, in which they were toppled by Spring Dekaney to finish 33-5.
