Lady Rangers rally past LHS
VR Girls 54, LHS 49
By JEREMY HEATH Staff Writer

PHOTO BY RICHARD AKRIDGE Senior guard Jennifer Howard goes up for two of her 12 points on Friday.

In a game that strangely resembled the first meeting between the two teams, the Vista Ridge Lady Rangers used an early third-quarter run to upend the Lampasas Lady Badgers, 54-49, on Friday at Bozarth-Fowler Gymnasium.

In the first meeting on Jan. 4, the Lady Rangers used the momentum gained by a half-court, buzzerbeater to close out the third period to overcome a six-point deficit and win 58-53. Friday night, in a game that saw a dozen lead changes, it was an 8-2 Lady Ranger run in the third period that overcame a 35-32 Lady Badger lead and a 10-2 run in the fourth that wiped out a 44-42 LHS lead.

"We lost our poise on the pressbreaker (in the third period), and that allowed them to hurt us," LHS head coach Mitzi Lancaster said. "The girls played with great heart and effort, and I'm proud of them. I thought Jennifer Howard had a great game."

Howard, a senior guard, finished with 12 points, scoring eight of the Lady Badgers' 14 second-period points.

Senior guard Casey O'Connor scored a team-high 14. She scored eight of those in a one-minute, 50- second span in the third period, including two 3-pointers. Fellow senior guard Michelle Benton registered 12 points, and senior guard Molly Rogers recorded five. Benton and Rogers each hit a trey.

The Lady Rangers were led by senior point guard Brittany Zamora's 21 points.

The Lady Badgers (10-19 overall, 3-10 in District 25-4A) are scheduled to play host to Dripping Springs in their season finale at 6:30 p.m. today. Dripping Springs won the first meeting 74-50 on Jan. 11.