Sports
Lady Tigers down Bryan
Monday, 20 February 2012 by Keith Bahlmann
Senior Lady Tiger Torie Henderson, Lindsey Dunahoo, Vanessa Jimenez and Nicole LeBouf donned the red and white for their final basketball game in Tiger Gym Feb. 3rd and they finished up at home in style --- with a 43-40 victory over the Bryan Lady Vikings.
The team effort was what first-year head coach Brenda Gomez has been looking for all season.
After holding an 11-point lead with just under two minutes to play, Belton had to fight to hold off a last minute Bryan rally to post the team's second district win of the year and avoid a last-place finish. It was a total team effort.
The showdown began at a slow pace as the two squads familiarized themselves with their opponents' strengths and weaknesses.
Bryan got a layup and added a foul shot for a three point play that held up for six minutes into the game. Then, Belton took over when sophomore Emily Hugo hauled in an offensive rebound and put it back for the Lady Tigers' first points and converted a foul shot to make it three. Sophomore teammate Kinsey Williams got into the action with a basket and junior Kenedy Fowler dropped in another two points for a 7-3 first quarter lead.
Williams then led off the second period scoring with a bucket. The Lady Vikings went to the line for two. Williams sank a long two-pointer, followed by a three-point bomb from sophomore Brittany Harris. Bryan made a basket. Fowler answered with another three-point shot from the left corner at the three minute-in mark. Bryan made two foul shots, Henderson sank one of two. Bryan got another two at the line, Henderson came back with a basket. The Lady Vikings narrowed the gap with two at the foul line and a bucket and foul after a steal. But Henderson was good on two shots at the line and Harris picked off a steal and drove the court for a layup.
Belton went into the locker room at the half with a 25-17 lead.
Bryan tried hurriedly to get back into it at the start of the third quarter with a bucket and two more points from the line. Harris grabbed an offensive rebound and tossed it back thru the net for two. Hugo hit a jumper from the top of the key. The Lady Vikings got a basket off an inbound pass from beneath the board. Harris took a pass inside and scored as the third period came to an end.
Belton led by eight --- 31-23.
It was three minutes into the final quarter before either team scored but Harris lit up the scoreboard and the crowd with a three-pointer from the middle of the arc. Just under four minutes to play, Bryan made a bucket. Henderson got one of two at the line. Bryan hauled down a rebound and put it back for two. Junior Brianna Ragland took a pass inside and sank it for two to hold onto a 10-point lead with two minutes left in the game.
Then Bryan's come-from-behind bid began --- read carefully and think about the stress that followed on the court, on the benches and in the stands:
1:54 to play – the Lady Vikings make a foul shot, Hugo answers with two from the line; 1:10 left – Bryan drives the base line for a basket and follows with a shocking three-pointer, Senior Vanessa Jimenez sinks a pair of free throws, Bryan gets a basket and a foul shot for a three-point play; 30 seconds left – Bryan sinks another trey, it's a three point game 41-39!; 13:7 sec. – Henderson gets one of two from the foul line; 6:8 sec. – Bryan makes one of two from the free throw line; 4:4 sec. left in the game – Henderson is fouled and converts one of two shots from the line and time expires as Bryan heaves a long ball downcourt to no avail.
BELTON WINS 43-40.
Pay particular attention to the underclassmen involved in the scoring. Those will be the core of next season's team!
Harris (soph) led the scoring with 12, Henderson got 8 in her final home game, Hugo and Williams (both soph) got 7 each, Fowler (jr.) had 5, Jimenez (sr) and Ragland (jr.) added two apiece.
District runnersup Consolidated (25-9, 11-3) thumped Belton (8-24, 2-12) 56-28 in a mismatch.
It looked hopeful in the beginning as our Lady Tigers stayed with Consolidated awhile, trailing by only two points six minutes into the game.
Then, Consol came alive and scored 19 of the next 23 points.
The host girls held Belton to five points in the first quarter while posting 13 and then outscored the Lady Tigers by ten 18-8 to take a commanding 31-13 lead at halftime.
In the third period, Consolidated outscored Belton two-to-one, 14-7, and began to rotate in more reserves as the game wore on. The final frame was the closest, 11-8 in the host team's favor.
Their Lady Tigers nailed a total of nine three-pointers while our Lady Tigers had two major problems --- shooting, 11-of-33, and more turnovers than points, 29 .
Remember, Belton has a young team this season but despite the score in College Station, these girls will be competitors next year. OJT!
Sophopmore Kinsey Williams led the evening's scoring for Belton with 9 points; Torie Henderson had 5, Kenedy Fowler turned in 4; Lindsey Dunahoo, Vanessa Jimenez and Olivia Warehime had 2 each; Savannah Frick and Briana Ragland added one apiece.
