The Howe Lady Bulldogs again showed why they deserve top spot in district when they disposed of the Tom Bean ladies 52-39 Tuesday night. Despite a late fourth quarter surge from the Lady Cats, the deficit was just too much to overcome. As for Howe, they remain undefeated in district play and seem to be well on their way to the playoffs.
Tom Bean started the game on the back foot, as they were outscored 17-5 in the first quarter by 12th ranked Howe. They were able to answer back, but were again outdone 13-12 in the second. Howe’s offense, led by senior Taylor Murray, applied massive amounts of pressure and took advantage of almost every offensive opportunity they had early in the match. Murray led in scoring on the night with 16 points.
The Lady Cats were able to apply pressure late in the game, and outscored their opponents 13-8 in the final quarter. Junior Lauren Achimon showed great defensive work for Tom Bean, and made the Lady Bulldogs earn the points they got. Senior Lindsey Lacy, who is continuing to have a fantastic year, led the Lady Cats with 11 points.
In their last game against Howe at the start of the district schedule, Tom Bean’s Coach Emily Martinez said that her team’s slow start to the game eventually lead to their loss, and that seemed to be the case in this game as well.
“I think they just get frustrated just because it’s a consistent press. Howe is very consistent with what they do,” said Martinez after Tuesday’s loss. “We came out okay, but then we got frustrated within the first quarter. But, we still hung around, but it did hurt to lose one of our starters within the first minute of the game.”
Martinez is referring to senior Leslie Fulton, who injured her ankle not thirty seconds into the game. This could be another injury blow to the Lady Cats. Junior Shay Cavender has just recently returned to full strength following a strained hamstring.
“We’re just unsure about her injury, and that’s why we didn’t want to force the issue,” said Coach Martinez about her star senior’s injury. “We’ll go ahead and get her checked out by a doctor tomorrow, and we’ll know more about it.”
As the district schedule begins to wind down, every game will become more and more important for teams who are looking to book post-season play. Any loss could be a big blow for any of those teams, including Tom Bean.
“I think we’re still in it,” replied Martinez upon being asked if her team was still in contention for a playoff spot. “We played a lot better against them tonight than we did the first time, so, as long as we continue to play that well against other teams, I think we’re just as close as going to the playoffs as we were last year. We still have a good chance.”
The Lady Cats now go on the road to face a tough S&S on Friday.