Last week, the Lady Texans hosted the Lady Vikings of Lago Vista in Texan Gym.
Coach Caleb Hall’s team never struggled in the Nov. 29 contest, jumping out early and maintaining a double- digit lead. The ladies extended their early season unbeaten streak climbing to 11-0.
“I’ve said it before but we have a deep bench,” said Coach Hall. “There’s minimal dropoff in talent and tonight some of our best contributions came from the bench.”
Campbell Woodward led all scorers with fourteen points with eight rebounds. Right behind Woodward, in both statistics, was Cameron Thames with eleven points and seven rebounds coming off of the bench. Thames has proven herself as a valuable commodity with her hustle and giving quality minutes to the team.
“We all played well, starting strong and stayed strong throughout the game,” Thames said. “It was probably my best defensive game. I’m happy with the effort but know there’s room for improvement.”
“I’m impressed with Camo’s (Thames) composure and coachability,” Hall shared. “She is coachable, eager to learn and improve. She’s one of those kids that takes in-game instruction well and makes great adjustments on the court.”
The Lady Texans took a ten-point lead at the end of the first quarter at 17-7. They pushed the ball up the court hard and combined a smothering press game in the second quarter to win the quarter 23-6, extending the lead at halftime to 40-13.
“Their effort points to the selflessness they share on the court. The points come from anyone,” commented Coach Hall. “They’re looking for open players, not forcing the ball up, but taking high-percentage shots. Their attitude produces high-efficiency scoring.”
Starter Baylee Gold had a solid night on the floor with eight points. Gold exemplifies both the athletic ability of the team and their attention to play sound, principled basketball.
“I felt like I had a good game. I went in to get boards or go back up on shots, looking for kick outs and trying to push the ball up the court,” stated Gold. “We started with a lot of intensity and never let up. We seemed to see the floor well and had good court communications, which led to great ball movement.”
“Baylee (Gold) has great floor awareness on both offense and defense. She’s got a high basketball IQ and is very intentional with what she does on the court,” said Hall. “We put her on the other team’s best players for defense and just let her wear them down.”
The Lady Texans outscored the Vikings 25-17 in the second half to take the win 65-30.
“The girls are proving that, though they’re very athletic, they can play fundamentally sound basketball over relying on athletic ability alone. That makes them a better team and will overcome youth and inexperience,” Hall proclaimed. “We have a tough district schedule, but these girls are going to thrive and survive and come out stronger for it.”
Coach Hall’s team participated in the Navarro tournament last weekend, going 4-1 and beating Somerset 5654 to claim the Silver Bracket Championship. The Lady Texans faced their stiffest competition this season in the tournament, preparing the team for district play. Gold received all-tournament honors.
Lady Texan basketball will play Marble Falls at home on Tuesday, Dec. 6, then begin district play against Fredericksburg’s Billies on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at Texan Gym.
