Ladycats’ playoff run ends with loss to Colleyville Heritage

The Aledo Ladycats’ hoops season came to an unfortunate end on Thursday, Feb. 16, at Chisholm Trail High School when they were defeated by Colleyville Heritage, 68-49, in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs.

The Ladycats got out to a healthy 12-point lead in the first quarter, putting up 20 points in the first eight minutes of action. Two key factors heading into the second quarter, though, allowed the Lady Panthers to capture the momentum.

Aledo center Clair Byars ended the first quarter on the bench in foul trouble where she stayed the entire second period. Byars’ absence in the post allowed Lady Panthers center Sulaine Davis to dominate the paint on both ends of the floor. In the second quarter alone she scored seven points while cleaning the glass on offense and defense as Aledo struggled to deal with her 6-foot-2 frame.

Colleyville Heritage also switched to a full-court press in the second quarter. The defensive pressure overwhelmed the Ladycats, leading to turnovers and fast break scoring opportunities for the Lady Panthers. They capitalized with efficiency, going on a 22-2 run to end the half. Entering the break at halftime Aledo trailed 30-22.

When play resumed in the second half Heritage continued to bring pressure with the press. Scoring opportunities came fast and often for the Lady Panthers as they started off the third quarter on a 16-3 run before they called the first timeout of the half with 3:35 remaining in the third stanza to allow winded players to take a breather.

In the final two minutes of the third quarter the Ladycats were able to find their legs. Freshman guard Liz Griffin kicked off the Ladycat late rally with a steal, leading to a fast break opportunity of her own as she played the layup off the glass with 2:09 left in the third. Kenzi Grau dropped in a bucket from three-point range moments later. Kinley Elms knocked down an eight-foot jumper from the near side of the floor. Ella Isbell brought the third frame to a close by draining a jumper from just inside the three-point line to cap off Aledo’s 9-4 run.

With a quarter left in the game and the season hanging in the balance, the Ladycats picked up to start the fourth where they left off in the third. Byars and Griffin combined for 14 of Aledo’s 15 fourth-quarter points. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, as the Lady Panthers held on to win by 19.

Much like they did in their loss to Colleyville Heritage, the Ladycats continued to battle all season long regardless of the odds or obstacles stacked against them. From a team that started the season 1-5, Aledo went to work every time they took the floor. Their persistence paid dividends as the year went on. They eventually secured a playoff berth in the final game of the regular season, defeating Granbury 48-45 to end the year at .500 (17-17 overall, 6-6 in District 5-5A).

The Community News was unable to reach Coach Nikki Hyles for comments.