Jayton 29, Whiteface 44
When they weren’t fighting sub-freezing temperatures, losses of electricity and on-again–off-again water service in their hometowns, the girls’ varsity 5-1A basketball teams faced other formidable foes and these opponents were similarly pugnacious in the playoffs.
The third seed and unranked Lady Jays had their hands full against the number four team in the state (TGCA, Feb. 17) Whiteface Lady Lopes (21–2) Thursday afternoon at Lubbock Roosevelt.
Jayton kept within striking distance of Whiteface for most of the contest. At halftime only a three-pointer separated them from Whiteface ahead 19–16.
But in the second half the Lady Lopes began hitting on all cylinders and outscored Jayton 2 to 1 in both the third and fourth quarters to win the Area championship 44–29.
Sands 76, Guthrie 31
In their February 19 poll, MaxPreps, the online high school sports website, ranked the Sands Lady ’Stangs of Ackerly (26–2) as the number one team in the state. (MaxPreps had perennial state champion Nazareth at number three.)
This year the Lady Stangs have scored 1,520 points and held their opponents to only 767. Sands’ brand of shut-’emdown defense had given them a 16-game winning streak to bring into the area championship versus Guthrie in Littlefield.
Guthrie’s playoff game versus Sands had been rescheduled twice, and on a day that weather conditions closed the Lady Jags’ school, the girls made the 258-mile round trip to Littlefield to play the number one team in the state.
For Sands the area appearance marked their third consecutive appearance in the playoffs in as many years, and they wasted no time executing their game plan of aggressive offense and stingy defense and at halftime, the scoreboard read Sands 38, Guthrie 9.
The Lady Jaguars never gave up, and in the fourth quarter almost kept pace with Sands with a 16 to 18 scoring output, but it was too little, too late.
Borden County 68, Spur 39
In their February 19 poll, MaxPreps ranked the Borden County Lady Coyotes (28–3) as the number two team in the state. (MaxPreps has perennial state champion Nazareth at number three.)
On Thursday night on a day when Spur schools were closed due to weather conditions the Spurettes made the trip to Ira to play Borden County for the Area championship.
Like their District 8-1A counterparts, Sands, Borden County operates a fast offense and a tight defense, and at half time the Spurettes were behind 41–14.
The Spurettes came back in the second half, matching the Lady Coyotes 14 to 14 in the third quarter and nearly matching them in the fourth, 11 to 13, but the first half deficit was too large to overcome, and Borden County won the Area championship.
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