Sports
Lady Tigers get 1st 8-5A victory
Tuesday, 05 February 2013 by Tony Adams
The Lady Tigers’ Brittney Scualrk battles with a Copperas Cove player during the two team’s District 8-5A game last Saturday. Belton lost to the Lady Bulldawgs, but picked up its first district win Tuesday night against Killeen.It has been a long, dark, penniless District 8-5A season for the Belton Lady Tigers basketball team.
Olivia Warehime, Emily Hugo and Briana Ragland cashed in a collective 48 points as the Lady Tigers earned their first district victory of the season and of 2013, a 75-55 victory over the visiting Killeen Lady Roos at Tiger Gym Tuesday night.
The basketball seniors were honored prior to the game. Warehime, Ragland, Tierani Domingue and student-manager Shantell Hitt were all recognized by the Belton Basketball staff for their contributions to the program and to Belton High School.
Jasmine Goodwine knocked down the first two field goal attempts of the game to give Killeen a quick 4-0 just 38 seconds in. Hugo hit the first field goal for the Lady Tiger 18 seconds later. Goodwine and Esha Atkins hit the next five points to put Killeen up 9-2 with 5:36 remaining in the quarter. Belton struck back with 15-5 run to end the quarter, receiving solid defensive and steady offensive contributions from Ragland, Hugo, Warehime, Kinsey Williams, Blair Gilbert and Kesha Butler to put Belton on top 17-14 at the end of the first quarter.
The streak would continue into the second quarter, as Ragland, Williams, Hugo, Warehime, Domingue and McKinzee Robinson contributed to the 15-3 sprint over the quarter's first 4:53. The 30-8 run over the span of 10:29 gave the Tigers a very rare 16-point lead at 33-17. Goodwine, Atkins, and Johlicia Williams strung together five points, sandwiched around a Warehime field goal for Belton to make the score 35-22 with 1:48 remaining. A Hugo free throw made the score 36-22 at halftime. The Lady Tigers outscored Killeen 19-8 in the quarter.
Butler hit the Lady Tigers first basket of the half to stretch Belton's back out to 16 points. The Lady Roos started to press the tempo on the Lady Tigers and forced five turnovers, which triggered an 18-4 run covering 3:14, fueled by Goodwine and Atkins. The run put Killeen within a field goal at 42-40 with 3:22 remaining in the third quarter. Belton (1-11 in District 8-5A, 9-22 overall) fought back to repel Killeen from any additional third quarter damage, as Ragland, Butler and Hugo all found the basket. Although they were outscored 20-11 in the third quarter, the Lady Tigers led 47-42 going into the fourth quarter.
The teams traded baskets for the first half of the quarter, as the Lady Roos could not cut into the Belton five-point lead. Killeen found themselves on the wrong side of foul trouble in the fourth quarter, including two flagrant fouls on Ghiniva Phillips, which resulted in eighth Belton trips to the free line in the final three minutes. The Lady Tigers converted 15 of 16 attempts, as Belton outscored Killeen in the final quarter 28-13.
Belton converted 24 of 35 free throws line for the game, compared to eight of 15 for Killeen.
"We made our free throws," said Belton coach Brenda Gomez. "It was the difference in the game. We got sent to the line and we made them."
A much deserved win for a team that has played hard and came up unlucky at certain times of the season.
"I am so proud of our kids tonight," said Belton coach Brenda Gomez. "We are going to watch this video over and over and over again to convince the kids that this can be done. I've seen it in practice. I've seen glimpses of it in games. I have seen great effort from three or four at a time. But tonight, it was eight or nine of them."
Four Lady Tigers finished in double figures, which has not occurred this season. Warehime scored 19 points including 8 for 8 from the free throw line. Hugo scored 17, shooting 11 of 12 from the free throw line. Ragland scored 12 points and Kinsey Williams had 11 points for Belton.
Lady Tigers fall to Cove
COPPERAS COVE-Increased intensity, effort and resolve is what the Belton Tigers girls basketball team is built on.
For the first twelve minutes of Friday night's tilt at The Dawghouse in Copperas Cove, they received all three things. Cove was able to control the intensity and take away a 56-32 victory from the Lady Tigers.
Butler spearheaded the Lady Tigers an early second quarter run, with the assistance of Darby Baker and Olivia Warehime, to draw Belton back to a 17-17 tie with 4:17 left in the second quarter. Jasmin Johnson put the Lady Dawgs back on top with bucket at the 3:10 mark, sparking the game defining 9-1 run. The Lady Dawgs outscored Belton 12-9 for the quarter and took a 26-18 lead into the locker room.
Shawnte' Goff, Cove's talented star, made her presence felt in the third quarter following illness earlier in the day. She immediately sandwiched three-point baskets around a field goal from Hall to open 34-18. But it was not enough to stop the continual onrush of the Lady Dawgs as Goff, Stephanie Cochran and Brittany Gamble continued to pepper the scoreboard with points.
Goff led all scorers with 13 points, all in the third quarter.
Butler and Harris each had nine points for the Lady Tigers. Belton fell to 0-10 on the District 8-5A season and 8-22 overall.
