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Basketball

Aledo earns home sweep over Fossil Ridge

Ladycats and Bearcats both win close contests

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The Aledo Ladycats and Bearcats basketball teams hosted an intense doubleheader Friday night, Jan. 24 against visiting Fossil Ridge as both Aledo squads continue to fight for playoff positioning.

In the end, the Aledo varsity teams got the edge on the hardwood while the subvarsity squads were also victorious. The Ladycats varsity edged Fossil Ridge 55-52 while the Bearcats earned a 53-47 victory.

Liz Griffin steals the ball away from the Fossil Ridge point guard as the Ladycats prevailed, 55-52, in a tough district matchup.
Liz Griffin steals the ball away from the Fossil Ridge point guard as the Ladycats prevailed, 55-52, in a tough district matchup.

Ladycats

“I am so beyond proud of these kids. They had so many opportunities to give up, they got down, went on an 8-0 run late … but we stayed connected and stayed focused,” Ladycats head coach Donnie Ott said. “They stayed committed to each other throughout the game and did it in front of middle school kids that look up to these girls.”

The game was nip-and-tuck late, but big plays and big shots by the Ladycats (18-11, 7-2 in District 5-5A) – including a tie-breaking 3-pointer – helped Aledo secure a critical victory with just three league contests remaining.

“Brenna (Clock) stayed with her composure and she’s not afraid to shoot those big shots,” Ott said. “Her late three was the dealbreaker right there. When she hit that shot right there, it really just put a nail in it and we had the momentum to close it out.”

Brooklyn Dempsey is fouled during the second half of the Ladycat loss to Brewer on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
Brooklyn Dempsey is fouled during the second half of the Ladycat loss to Brewer on Tuesday, Jan. 14.

Tiara Butler led the way with 16 points while Elizabeth Griffin scored nine points. Ella Isbell had eight points while Brooklyn Dempsey and Kinley Elms each recorded seven points. Clock added her clutch long ball as well.

“We have Saginaw, Granbury and Azle left down the stretch. If we take care of business the rest of the way, then we should have the top big-school seed in the playoff bracket, which would likely match us up against Birdville,” Ott said. “Right now, we just have to stay committed to getting better. I think we are hitting that peak, that stride, so we just want to keep growing in that direction.”

Joaquin Pacheco and Kaiden Clayborn celebrate following the Bearcats' district win over Brewer on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
Joaquin Pacheco and Kaiden Clayborn celebrate following the Bearcats' district win over Brewer on Tuesday, Jan. 14.

Bearcats

Meanwhile, the boys team overcame a tough shooting night to secure another key district win to keep the Bearcats (24-4, 8-0 in District 5-5A) alone atop the district standings as they seek the first district championship in program history.

“I thought our guys played really hard even though we shot the ball poorly,” Bearcats head coach Brian Blackburn said. “I take ownership of the poor shooting performance, but the game didn’t have much of a flow outside of the first quarter. It’s tough to keep your rhythm through a choppy game, which I think affected the guys. At the same time, it’s a testament to our guys to be able to pull out a win in a game like this.”

The Bearcats outscored the Panthers 19-8 in the first quarter but the Bearcats needed a late push to pull away from Fossil Ridge. Aledo reached double-figure scoring in each quarter as well.

Joaquin Pacheco led the boys’ efforts with 19 points while Townes Van Huysen added nine points. Enrique Pacheco finished with eight points while Kaiden Clayborn scored five. “We have eight district wins now and every district win is important,” Blackburn said. “Going forward, our guys know we are going to have to play better than that to get to where we want to go, and that will start with a tough road game Tuesday at Saginaw.”

The Ladycats and Bearcats were playing at Saginaw at press time. They host Granbury for Senior Night on Friday, Jan. 31, girls at 6:15 p.m. and boys to follow.

 

Subvarsity

The Ladycats junior varsity team won 52-19 behind 14 points from Sawyer Voight and 11 from Sarah Edwards. Additionally, the freshman squad earned a 43-22 victory, led by 10 points from Bailey Martin and nine from Sonsoles Rosado.

Furthermore, the Bearcats JV team won 67-56 while the freshman squad recorded a 60-47 triumph.

 

Double-digit victories last week

The Bearcats and Ladycats both hit the bus for a short road trip to Chisholm Trail for a pair of District 5-5A contests on Tuesday night, Jan. 21.

After the thrilling doubleheader at home against Brewer in the teams’ previous outing, both squads emerged victorious by a double-digit margin. The Ladycats tipped off the varsity action with a 56-34 victory while the Bearcats followed that up with a 47-33 win.

The Ladycats were dominant in the victory after suffering a four-point loss to first-place Brewer. Standout move-in junior Tiara Butler led the charge with 14 points while Elizabeth Griffin and Ella Isbell also reached double figures with 10 points apiece. Sophomore Brooklyn Dempsey also contributed with nine points.

On the boys side, a program sweep was also accomplished, highlighted by the varsity’s 14-point win. The varsity boys (23-4, 7-0) were led by Joaquin Pacheco’s 19 points while Towns Van Huysen added nine in the win.

Caden Cunningham also chipped in with eight points.

The Ladycats’ subvarsity programs were winners as well. The junior varsity team recorded a 50-27 triumph while the freshmen team earned a 54-15 victory for the program sweep.

Kennedy Cardenas (16) and Sawyer Voight (15) led the JV team in scoring while Bailey Martin (15) and Sonsales Rosado (11) led the freshman team’s efforts.

In addition to that, the boys JV squad recorded a 65-60 victory while the freshmen team emerged with a 41-33 win.

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