Thursday, May 9, 2024
Gatesville girls basketball opened the district slate with a gritty road win at Robinson before falling to China Spring at home in the second game of league play.
The Lady Hornets topped the Lady Rockets 46-44 in a knock-down drag out on Jan. 5 behind their normal stellar post play and a big night from guard Paige Sentillas.
Taylor Coward posted a double-double with 19 points and ten rebounds while being blanketed and beat up all night. The senior forward consistently faced triple teams and shot 18 free throws in the game. Her partner in the interior – Emma Pollard – scored nine points and grabbed seven boards.
Sentillas scored eight points – one off of her season high – and grabbed a season-best seven rebounds while navigating the Lady Rockets press. The Hornets had just 14 turnovers, and only three belonged to Sentillas.
On the flip side, the Hornets forced 21 Rockets turnovers with Pollard and Riley Higginbotham leading the way with two steals apiece. Gatesville (11-14) connected on four three-pointers in the game including a pair from Coward, one from Pollard, and one from Taylor Sanderson.
The Lady Hornets trailed 39-38 late in the fourth quarter but took the lead for good at 40-39 on a pair of Pollard free throws. Higginbotham knocked down a pair of foul shots to extend the lead to 42-39, but Robinson came back with a pair of their own free throws to narrow the deficit to 42-41.
Sentillas made a free throw to extend the lead to 43-41. Then the Lady Rockets missed their attempt at a game-tying bucket, and Yasmin Sanders forced a jump ball that gave Gatesville possession.
Two more free throws from Sentillas provided a 45-41 cushion, but a Robinson three pointer cut the lead to 45-44. The Lady Rockets fouled Pollard with less than a second to play, and she hit one free throw to provide the final 46-44 win.
Against China Spring, the Lady Hornets trailed by as many ten in the third quarter before battling back. Down 38-28 late in the third they cut the lead to 38-30 on a nifty layup from Coward. Then Sanderson followed with a three-pointer to cut it to 38-33 heading into the fourth.
China extended their lead to 42-33 early in the final period before Coward led the Hornets back. The senior scored ten straight points to cut the lead to 43-41. Then a tough bucket from Pollard tied the game at 43-43 with under three minutes to play.
Coward connected on a free throw for a 44-43 Gatesville lead before a quick three-pointer handed China Spring a 46-44 lead. Coward hit a short jumper in the paint to tie the game at 46-46 with two minutes to play, but the Lady Cougars would pull away late for a 53-46 win.
Gatesville traveled to No. 11 Connally on Friday before another road tilt at Salado on Jan. 16. They wrap the first round of district play against No. 2 La Vega at home on Jan. 19.
