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Basketball: Aledo bounces back to beat Granbury

Ladycats dominant in win over Lady Pirates

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Following their first loss of the district season, a 77-61 defeat at Saginaw, the Aledo Bearcats basketball team faced off against another district rival in the Granbury Pirates at home Friday night, Jan. 31. Additionally, the Ladycats took their home court in their second-to-last regular season game against Granbury as well. As the home crowd fueled both teams to the finish line, Aledo emerged victorious in each contest as the girls walked away with a 49-28 win and the boys earned a 60-47 victory.

Senior guard Joaquin Pacheco gets by a pair of Granbury players to put up a shot during the Bearcats' 60-47 victory to stay atop the District 5-5A standings.
Senior guard Joaquin Pacheco gets by a pair of Granbury players to put up a shot during the Bearcats' 60-47 victory to stay atop the District 5-5A …

Bearcats

In the boys’ game, Aledo jumped out to a 19-6 first-quarter lead behind stifling defense and six points apiece from senior Joaquin Pacheco and sophomore Caden Cunningham. Aledo entered halftime with a 32-21 advantage that Granbury cut to 44-37 entering the final quarter after the Pirates outscored the Bearcats 16-12. Despite that, Aledo was able to pull away in the fourth quarter as Pacheco and his younger brother, Enrique, accounted for 11 of Aledo’s 16 fourth-quarter points.

“I thought our energy to start the game was elite – we really came out and played really hard that gave us a cushion to start the game,” Bearcats head coach Brian Blackburn said. “Teams really try to slow us down, so we need to continue to do well with our execution, but I’m super proud of the effort coming back from Tuesday night.”

Joaquin Pacheco and Cunningham led the way with 17 points apiece while Townes Van Huysen posted double-figure numbers with 10 points.

Ladycat basketball celebrated Senior Night during their district matchup with Granbury on Friday, Jan. 31. From left to right, seniors Savannah Salas, August Carlone, Kinley Elms, Rebekah Jarrell, and Ella Isbell pose with the Ladycat senior team managers.
Ladycat basketball celebrated Senior Night during their district matchup with Granbury on Friday, Jan. 31. From left to right, seniors Savannah …

Ladycats

Before the boys’ game, the Ladycats took the floor and cruised to the finish line in their 21-point victory. In the game, Aledo reached double-figure scoring in each of the four quarters while, defensively, limiting Granbury to single digits in each frame.

“I told the girls before the game that Granbury was playing for a playoff spot, so we knew they were going to come in with a lot of energy early,” Ladycats head coach Donnie Ott said. “We were able to play with a greater sense of urgency than them and extended the lead past 20 – it was a good mindset shift on the girls’ part.”

The Ladycats turned a 25-16 halftime lead into a comfortable victory by doubling up Granbury 24-12 in the final two quarters.

“I thought it was beautiful to watch. They really executed on the offensive end and did a good job of going inside-out,” Ott said. “We shot eight-of-15 from the 3-point line tonight, which was huge, and the girls were really patient in setting up those shots. Liz (Elizabeth Griffin) was six of 10 and got some good, clean looks from beyond the arc. Our attention to detail has been really good.”

Griffin led the way with a game-high 16 points while Tiara Butler and Brooklyn Dempsey poured in nine and eight points, respectively. Kinley Elms also chipped in with six points.

 

Subvarsity

On the sub varsity levels, the JV and freshman boys and girls teams were all victorious. The JV boys won 78-57 while the freshman team earned a 75-45 victory. On the girls’ side, Sarah Edwards’ nine points paced Aledo’s JV past Granbury while Bailey Martin scored a game-high 13 points to push the Ladycats freshman squad past Granbury 50-33.

 

Up next

The Bearcats (25-5, 9-1) remained atop the district standings and were playing at Azle at press time with an emphasis of working on offensive execution in certain situations. Meanwhile, the Ladycats (20-11, 9-2) were ending the regular season at Azle.

“I’ve never been around a group like this in 26 years of coaching – 13 with girls,” Ott said. “There have been no issues or arguments about playing time, and all seven of our seniors have created such a genuine, loving culture of playing for each other and caring for each other. When I retire, I will remember this team for the rest of my life.”

 

Ladycats roll past Saginaw

SAGINAW – With the regular season winding down, the Aledo Ladycats basketball team picked up another key district win to solidify their playoff positioning Tuesday, Jan. 28 at Saginaw. In that game, Aledo started fast and never looked back, racing past Saginaw for a 52-23 blowout win.

The win kept Aledo (19-11, 8-2) ahead of Fossil Creek for second place in the district and in line to be the top-seeded large school representing its district in the Class 5A Division I postseason bracket.

Ladycat guards Elizabeth Griffin and Brooklyn Dempsey each scored 15 points to lead Aledo while Tiara Butler added seven. Brenna Clock and Kinley Elms also chipped in with four points apiece while Jaylee Owens had three and August Carlone and Ella Isbell recorded two points apiece.

The Ladycats junior varsity and freshman teams were also big winners. The JV team won 56-11 behind 14 points from Sawyer Voight while the freshman squad captured a 62-11 victory behind 18 points from Sonsales Rosado.

 

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