Thursday, May 2, 2024
The Gatesville girls’ basketball team traveled to Mineral Wells on Dec. 15 looking to grab one more win before they break for Christmas.
Heading into their most recent tournament in Jarrell, the Lady Hornets were 7-4 and a win away from matching their win total from last season but a trio of narrow losses contributed to a winless tournament.
Gatesville opened with a 54-53 loss to TAPPS 5A St. Dominic St. Savio then lost to host Jarrell 64-45. They were then dealt another close defeat when they lost to Bosqueville 36-32. A 43-28 loss to Sanger was followed by a 38-35 loss to Thrall in the tournament finale.
In the loss to St. Savio, the Lady Hornets (7-10) trailed 42-23 at the half before a third quarter surge in which they outscored the Lady Eagles 22 to 6. Sophomore Emma Pollard scored 15 points in the quarter to lead an offensive explosion. Pollard was named to the All-Tournament team for her efforts.
In the fourth, Pollard’s layup gave Gatesville a 53-52 lead before St. Savio knocked down a pair of free throws to take a 54-53 lead. Gatesville’s final attempt came up short when a Taylor Sanderson jumper rattled around but didn’t fall.
In their four-point loss to Bosqueville, they turned another halftime deficit around in the third quarter. Bosqueville led by 14 at the half before another 22-6 third quarter in Gatesville’s favor. Gatesville had a chance to tie the game at 34-34 with less than a minute to play, but Bosqueville forced a turnover, then hit two free throws for the 36-32 win. Pollard led all scorers with 15 points, while Sanderson had six points as did Taylor Coward.
Coward averaged double digits in the tournament and grabbed more than seven rebounds per game over the five-game stretch. Pollard collected just over nine rebounds per game.
The Lady Hornets led Thrall 23-20 at the half and led 29-26 after three quarters before Thrall outscored Gatesville 12-6 in the final frame.
A 48-36 loss to Jarrell was Gatesville’s second-to-last game before they go on break for Christmas. After traveling to Mineral Wells, they will have 12 days off before their final tournament of the season in Troy. They will play a final non-district game at Lampasas before opening district play at Robinson on Jan. 5.
