Feb. 20—The Slocum Lady Mustangs and Neches Lady Tigers extended their seasons Friday night, claiming area championships to propel themselves into the 1A region 4 semi-finals.
The Lady Mustangs, 21-12, found themselves in dogfight with the Milford Lady Bulldogs, but found their way into the third round with a 52-44 win. Slocum had a great shooting night from behind the arc, with leading scorer Audrey Leuschner going 3-4 from distance, and ending with 12 points for the victorious Lady Mustangs. Claire Bailey and Lexi Bennett each scored 11, with Bailey also having a hot shooting night from the perimeter, going 2-3 for the contest.
Next up for the Lady Mustangs are the Zavalla Lady Eagles, who currently hold a 24-8 overall record. Zavalla earned their way into the regional semi-final with a 46-31 win over Aquilla last Friday. The Lady Eagles will be a tough matchup for Slocum, as Zavalla has only allowed an average of 28 points to opponents all year, while scoring an average of 46. Slocum, on the other hand, scores an average of 37 points per game, while allowing 33.
Tipoff for the Lady Mustangs and Lady Eagles regional semi-final showdown is set for 6 p.m Tuesday, Feb 20, and will be played at Lufkin high school in Lufkin.
The Lady Tigers of Neches had no trouble in their area championship game with the Jonesboro Lady Eagles, winning in blowout fashion, 65-25. The Lady Tigers, 25-7, have been a powerhouse all season, with their average margin of victory sitting at 31 points per win, and are currently ranked 16th in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches 2A poll.
The Lady Tigers, however, will have one of their toughest tests of the season tonight, as they will travel to Woden for a neutral site game with the Brookeland LadyCats, owners of a 25-8 record. The similarities between the two teams’ seasons is striking, as both teams will come into the contest with 13 game winning streaks on the line. The Lady Tigers and LadyCats also have similar game averages, with Neches averaging 52 points a game, while only allowing 29, and Brookeland scoring 47 while allowing 30.
The highly anticipated regional semi-final between the Neches Lady Tigers and Brookeland LadyCats is scheduled to tipoff at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb 20, and will be played at Woden high school in Woden.
The Palestine LadyCats and Frankston Maidens seasons would come to a close in the area round, with both teams wrapping up successful seasons in their 2023-24 campaigns.
The Palestine LadyCats lost a heartbreaker to the Liberty Lady Panthers, 44-38.
Palestine started out strong, jumping out to a 13-10 lead after the first quarter, but faltered in the second quarter, scoring no points over the eight minute stretch. While the LadyCats would come roaring back in the second half, the deficit was just too much to overcome, ending Palestine’s season as bi-district champions with a 12-23 record.
The Maidens, playing without star point guard Willa Davis, had a tough showing against the ultra-talented Marlin Lady Bulldogs, losing 69-33.
The Maidens had trouble with turnovers in the loss, giving the Marlin Lady Bulldogs over 30 extra possessions on the night. Marlin capitalized on the shaky ball handling of the Maidens, applying full court pressure on the Maidens for a majority of the night. The loss puts a damper on a successful year for the Maidens, who went 20-9.
The Maidens and LadyCats will have a significant amount of retooling to do over the offseason, as they both will lose a number of key players to graduation this summer. But, with a history of excellence for both programs, we should expect both the Maidens and LadyCats to be back in the playoff picture next season.
