Lady Warriors fall in district semi-finals

The EPC (21-12) found themselves down 20-9 after the opening quarter as BIC (19-12) handed the Lady Warriors a 54-40 loss in the semi-finals of the 2A-3 district tournament being played at Rector.

Emma Kate McCord gave BIC the early 2-0 lead with a basket in the paint before Jalyn Constant canned a three-ball to make it 3-2 EPC. Jaylyn Cagle scored inside for the Lady Mustangs and Riley Ashcraft answered with a jumper for the Lady Warriors to make the score 5-4 EPC with 5:54 left. Kyla Harston hit two free throws only to see BIC get a coast to coast layup from McCord, a three-pointer from Cagle and two free throws from Riley Parker. The 7-0 run made the score 11-7 Lady Mustangs. Allison Gaines hit a jumper in the lane for EPC before the Lady Mustangs scored the last nine points of the quarter as Chandler Gathright hit a jumper, Josephine Hanneken scored down low, Parker hit one of two free throws, McCord scored off the fast break and Hanneken hit two free throws making it 20-9 BIC after one quarter.

The Lady Mustangs pushed the lead to 27-9 early in the second quarter as Cagle hit triple twine, Gathright scored down low and McCord stuck back a rebound. Constant scored inside for EPC to stop the run before BIC got one of three of free throws from Gathright, on back to back trips to the line, and two free throws from Parker making it 31-11 Lady Mustangs. Gaines hit a jumper in the lane to make the halftime score 31-13 BIC.

EPC scored the first five points of the third quarter as Kelly Ashcraft got a stick back basket, Constant hit one of two free throws and Gaines hit a jumper in the lane to make the score 31-18 BIC. Gathright converted an old-school three-point play before EPC got two free throws from Gaines and a jumper in the lane from Riley Ashcraft to cut the lead to 34-22 Lady Mustangs. Parker hit two free throws for BIC before EPC got back to back baskets inside from Gaines to cut the lead to 36-26 Lady Mustangs. Gathright hit one of two free throws for BIC, but EPC’s Riley Ashcraft hit a jumper, Cambria Williams scored inside and Riley Ashcraft hit two free throws to cut the BIC lead to 37-32. BIC’s Gathright scored in the paint to make it 39-32 Lady Mustangs at the end of three quarters of play.

BIC pushed their lead to 48-32 with a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter as Hanneken and Gathright scored back to back baskets down low, Parker hit two free throws, then scored in the paint and Gathright hit one of two free throws to give BIC the 16-point lead. EPC got one of two free throws from Williams and a three-ball from Kylee Henderson before Cagle hit one of two free throws for BIC to make the score 49-36 Mustangs with 2:04 left.

McCord hit one two free throws for the Lady Mustangs, before Henderson hit a jumper for EPC only to see BIC get one of two free throws from Parker and Gathright to make it 52-38 Lady Mustangs. McCord scored inside for BIC and Williams scored inside for the Lady Warriors to make the final score 54-40 BIC.

“EPC is tough, they are big, strong and physical. I felt like we did a good job of matching their physicality tonight,” BIC head coach Trevor Matheny said after the game. “I told the girls this is the type of game we like to play and we came in here and did our job tonight. Our offense built us a lead and our defense did a great job of holding onto that lead,” Matheny added.

Gathright led BIC with 17 points while McCord and Parker scored 11 points each. Cagle finished with nine points and Hanneken tossed in six points for the Lady Mustangs.

“We played a really tough BIC team today. Kind of like last time we played them, they jumped to a big lead and this time we couldn’t make the comeback to catch them,” EPC head coach Spencer Harston said after the game. “We just didn’t make enough plays or get enough stops in the second half to come back and win,” Harston added.

Gaines led EPC with 12 points while Riley Ashcraft scored eight points. Constant tossed in six points, Henderson and Williams scored five points each, with Harston and Kelly Ashcraft chipping in two points each for the Lady Warriors.