PHOTOS BY RICHARD AKRIDGE The Lady Badgers did not win it all, but they learned they are capable of winning it all.

After starting the season in a bit of a slump by losing the first two road games, Lampasas did a whole lot of growing over the weekend while hosting The Crossroads of Texas Basketball Tournament.

Lampasas won its first three games inside the new gymnasium and advanced to the championship round before falling to Dripping Springs in disappointing fashion, 61-43.

“They understand we can play a lot better than that,” head coach Stuart Beckwith said. “We’d love to invite Dripping Springs back and play them again, but that’s an opportunity lost.

“We’ve got to understand that getting to a championship game is not job done. When you get to a championship game, now it’s time to step up. Now it’s time to do things better than you’ve done before. Now it’s time to execute, and we just didn’t do that. Maybe it’s lack of maturity or maybe it’s a lack of being in the situation before, but it is not a lack of heart and effort.”

Above: Lampasas sophomore Hailey Morrison, right, wrestles with a Brentwood player for control of the ball. Right: Lauren Barlow helped lead the Lady Badgers to the championship game with her presence inside. The Lady Badgers opened the game by falling into a 15-point hole, 23-7, before going on a 10-2 run in the second quarter to pull within eight points at 25-17.

But a missed defensive assignment in the final moments of the half allowed tournament MVP Jisele Green (31 pts., 5-10 3FG) to bury a 3-pointer from the left corner and steal the momentum heading into the break.

Senior post Lauren Barlow and guard Kayla Prescott came out of the locker room focused. They scored 18 of the team’s 22 points in the third quarter as Lampasas trimmed the Lady Tigers’ lead to five points, 44-39, before committing a critical error with less than one second remaining on the clock.

Madison Morris, left, and Kayla Prescott pressure a Brentwood player in the backcourt during Thursday’s contest. A personal foul sent Green to the line for three free throws. She hit two of her attempts and sent Lampasas into a tailspin.

“It was a strange call, and giving up three free throws really seemed to break our momentum right there,” Beckwith said.

He was correct.

Madison Morris connected on a pair of free throws to start the quarter before the Lady Tigers went on a 15-0 run to clinch the championship.

Sarah Bishop hit a jumper to beat the buzzer, giving Lampasas its only field goal of the period (1-7 FG). Outside of the third quarter, Lampasas was a miserable four of 25 from the field.

There were highlights, however.

Barlow finished the game with a team-high 18 points, and Prescott added 10 points and four assists, which helped the duo secure spots on the all-tournament team.

“That could have been any number of kids, those two were just voted on by the coaches,” Beckwith said. “It’s a special honor for them, and I’m proud of them.”

While the final game left a bad taste in the team’s mouth, there were plenty of moments worth relishing over the weekend.

Perhaps the most significant came Thursday evening, when the Lady Badgers played their first contest in their new facility -- a 55-34 pounding of Brentwood.

“The kids take a lot of pride in [the new gym and] defending their home court,” Beckwith said. “It’s a big deal. There’s [only] one first time. These kids stepped out on the court for the first game of the tournament, and they won.

“The positive thing is that we got better every time we stepped on the court.”

The Lady Badgers returned to their recently christened court Friday afternoon to face Lubbock High in another one-sided contest.

Barlow scored the first six points of the game, triggering a 19-5 run to start the game.

By the end of the third quarter, Lampasas held a commanding 40- 26 lead. While the Lady Badgers held on for a 43-35 victory, the wheels nearly came off in the final period.

Lampasas connected on just one field goal and scored only three points in the quarter, missing a number of free throws as the Lady Westerners attempted to extend the game by sending Lampasas to the foul line.

“I think we missed every free throw we even thought about in that quarter,” Beckwith said. “That was a little disheartening.”

The Lady Badgers hit only eight of their 21 free-throw attempts. Prescott was responsible for seven of the makes, as she connected on seven of eight free throws en route to a game-high 15 points. The junior also produced four assists, three steals and a rebound in the win.

A few hours later, Lampasas was back on the court, facing an athletic Odessa Permian team.

After Lampasas took a quick 6-2 lead, the Lady Panthers pounced, scoring 12 unanswered points before Prescott’s 3-pointer halted the run.

But the shot was only a temporary deterrent.

Permian pushed its lead to double-digits after scoring 15 of the first 22 points in the second quarter.

Trailing 29-16, the Lady Badgers decided it was their turn to go on a run.

Using an 11-0 outburst, Lampasas fought back, tying the game at 32-32 on Prescott’s free throw to complete an and-one.

The Lady Badgers took their first lead since early in the contest when Barlow buried a 3-pointer to give her team a 35-32 advantage.

The squads exchanged scoring runs for the next several minutes until Lampasas put an end to the back-and-forth by tallying the game’s final seven points, which gave the Lady Badgers a 49-45 win.

“The positive thing over the weekend, other than winning three and losing one and reaching the championship [was that comeback],” Beckwith said.

Prescott’s 19 points led the team. Barlow added 16.

Defensively, Hailey Morrison pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. The sophomore posted 20 rebounds in the tournament’s final three games.

After having little time to grow as a team in the offseason with several players committed to the volleyball team as it made a run to the playoffs, the Lady Badgers are in the midst of playing six games in six days. Lampasas concludes the stint tonight with a home contest against Killeen Ellison.

“We can teach a whole lot in a game,” Beckwith said. “This week is going to be a big week.

“We’ll put on a good show.” Tipoff for tonight’s varsity game is set for 6:30 p.m.

***

Led by Taylor Brooks’ teamhigh 13 points, the Lady Badgers’ junior varsity team claimed fifth place with a 41-22 victory over Llano.

Austin Johnson won the tournament, with Burnet coming in second. Stephenville and Dripping Springs placed third and fourth, respectively.

In the freshman division, Dripping Springs placed first, followed by Johnson, Llano and Lampasas. Burnet placed fifth.

The freshman and JV teams will be in action tonight, hosting Killeen Ellison. Both games are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.