2nd-place Connally stops Lady Badgers
Connally 56, LHS Girls 41
By JEREMY HEATH Staff Writer

PFLUGERVILLE - The 15thranked Pflugerville Connally girls' basketball team took control of second place in District 25-4A with a decisive win against Lampasas at Cougar Gymnasium on Friday.

Connally (17-5, 3-1) moves into second behind top-ranked Marble Falls (15-1, 4-0), the only team to beat the Lady Cougars in district.

Lampasas (7-11, 1-3) falls two games below the .500 mark in district.

The Lady Badgers were within 23-22 with about five minutes left in the first half, only to watch the Lady Cougars run away with the game.

"There just wasn't any fire," LHS head coach Mitzi Lancaster said.

"The whole first half we were in the game, but we just lacked that excitement or fire -- that umph."

The Lady Cougars, who have made five straight trips to the regional tournament, were led by University of Texas-commit guard Ashleigh Fontenette's 16 points and seven assists.

The Lady Badgers were led by senior guard Jennifer Howard who was 6 of 7 from the free-throw line for half of her 12 points.

Senior post Latoscha Sherman, who hit 5 of 9 free throws, finished with 11 points, and senior guard Michelle Benton scored seven points, including a 3-pointer.

But every time the Lady Badgers started to claw their way back into the game, they would miss putback opportunities after offensive rebounds or allow Connally easy trips to the basket.

"We missed a lot of easy shots," Lancaster said. "I thought we rebounded well, but we also did something we've done all year long: At critical moments, we make errors that put us in the hole. We've got to learn to recognize important situations in games and rise to the occasion."

The Lady Badgers are scheduled to play at the Copperas Cove Tournament Thursday through Friday before returning to the district fray on Jan. 2 against Pflugerville Hendrickson.

"We just want to go up to Copperas Cove, get in shape and get some momentum and get ready for Hendrickson," the coach said.

LHS 52, SHS 46

Records
Lampasas is 7-11 overall, 1-3 in
district, Connally is 17-5, 3-1.
Impact
The Lady Badgers fall two games
below .500 in the 25-4A standings.
Key Stat
The Lady Cougars went on a 10-0
run to turn a 4-2 deficit into a 12-4
lead.
Key Play
With the Cougars leading 23-22 with
5:10 left in the first half, Connally's
Tamisha Williams hit a jumper,
sparking a 10-1 run.
Up Next
Lampasas at Taylor, Tuesday at 8 p.m.