Lady Texans start district play 1–2

Fredericksburg’s Billies brought the fight to Wimberley as the Lady Texans began district play last Tuesday, Dec 13.

The Billies came in with a matching 15-2 record under coach Carrie Grona’s leadership. Fredericksburg fields strong teams every year, and mistake-free basketball is the only way to keep it close. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case Tuesday night with the Billies taking the win 75–36.

The Lady Texans committed 33 turnovers throughout the evening. The Billies added just over a point per possession, resulting in about 33 points on turnovers. By the same token, Lady Texans scored just under a half point per possession, resulting in five points after 11 Billies turnovers. The Billies led in every statistical category except for defensive rebounds, and the results translated to the scoreboard.

“This Tuesday was a hard loss. We struggled with their defense and taking care of the ball,” Coach Caleb Hall said. “They took 90 shots to our 44. We weren’t as efficient as we’ve been, hitting only 25% of our field goals meaning we only hit 11 shots from the field. We’re usually much better in transition but only had two points of fast breaks tonight.”

Campbell Woodward led Texan scoring with 12, followed by Lily Dela Rosa with seven and Laney Hennessee with six. The threesome also led in rebounds with nine, eight, and seven respectively.

Coach Hall said he felt like the loss would give the ladies an opportunity to refocus and recommit to the practices that had started a productive early season. The next game — away versus the Davenport Wolves — was rescheduled in order for the team to attend the Texan football game in Arlington.

The Lady Texans won three of the four quarters of the game, building a five-point lead going into the fourth. The Lady Texans led in rebounds, both offensively and defensively, points in the paint, and second-chance points. Once again, they turned the ball over more than the Wolves and trailed in points per possession. The statistic translated to a seven-point Wolf advantage in the fourth quarter as the Lady Texans fell 42–40.

Woodward scored 11 to lead the Texan scoring. Dela Rosa scored nine with Cameron Thames contributing eight. Woodward (10), Thames (eight) and Hennessee (seven) led rebounding.

“We just let the game slip away. We were inefficient in field goal percentage, hitting 13 of 56 for 23% shooting,” Hall explained. “We’re still turning the ball over too much and not finishing our possessions with points or free throws. The girls are playing hard and we’re proud of their effort. They’re doing what we ask of them but we’re making mistakes that our opponents are leveraging for wins.”

Monday night, Dec. 19, provided another opportunity for Wimberley to get healthy against Bandera at Texan Gym. They took full advantage of the evening, putting 63 points to the Lady Bulldogs’ 14.

Laney Hennessee led the Lady Texan scoring with 14 points. Dela Rosa scored 11, Woodward had 10 and Rhagen Masur, Cameron Thames and Holland Wyatt each added six. Hennessee also collected 20 rebounds.

“We were going to leave Laney in until she fouled out,” Hall said. “She played aggressively on both ends of the court. We’re looking at adjustments to help out for the remainder of district, and Laney will play a role in those changes.”

The Lady Texans next play in the Texan Hoop-Fest beginning Wednesday, Dec. 28 through Dec. 30. Coach Hall and Coach Whitten are asking for all the volunteer help they can muster.

“We need a BUNCH of help with clock and book for our boys and girls varsity tournament over the Christmas break. We have 80 games to cover and we're trying to get as many volunteers as possible. Having volunteers to work the clock and book will save over $3000,” Coach Hall said.

Call Coach Hall at (325) 642-1650 or email at caleb.hall@wimberleyisd. net. Volunteers can reach Coach Whitten by email at michael. whitten@wimberleyisd. net.