Lady Badgers top Hamilton on the road in opener, 56-44

Jennifer Howard: Senior led LHS with 21 points and pulled down seven boards.

The Lampasas High School girls' basketball team jumped out to a 21- 0 lead at Hamilton Tuesday night and rode the momentum to a 56-44 season-opening victory.

The Lady Badgers (1-0) watched the lead slip to 32-27 at the half and 39-36 after three quarters, but they rallied to dominate the fourth quarter 17-8.

"We came out very tough in the first quarter, and I was extremely pleased with the intensity," LHS head coach Mitzi Lancaster said. "We had a letdown in the second, allowing Hamilton to go on a 12-4 run which hurt us.

"But in the fourth quarter, our experience and ability to make our free throws pushed us to come away with a win."

The Lady Badgers, who boast six seniors, connected on 15-of-18 free throws on the night.

Senior guard Jennifer Howard led the team with 21 points. Howard also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists.

Sophomore post Lauren Barlow gave the Lady Badgers a strong inside presence. She scored 14 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.

Senior guard Casey O'Connor scored eight points and assisted on four baskets, and fellow senior guard Molly Rogers had four rebounds.

The Lady Badgers will play host to Llano at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Hamilton JV 27, LHS JV 23: The Lady Badgers held a 12-11 lead at the half, but Hamilton outscored them in the final two frames to defend home court.

Kayla Lowery led the Lady Badgers with seven points, and Mariah Jones chipped in with six. Lori Stafford paced LHS with six rebounds.

LHS 9th 38, Hamilton 9th 23: Behind a stout defensive effort, the Lady Badgers took a 24- 10 halftime lead, including a 14-0 lead after one quarter.

Offensively, Marisa Bogart led LHS with nine points while Jennifer Herron and McKenzie Myrick each scored six.