PHOTOS BY RICHARD AKRIDGE Senior Lauren Barlow gets slapped on the wrist while attempting a shot. Despite scoring a team-high 13 points, Barlow could not lead the Lady Badgers to victory. On the home floor of the San Antonio Spurs, the Lady Badgers accomplished something no NBA team has ever done.

They completed a five-game road trip in three days.

More importantly, they finished with a winning record.

After playing four games in two days and winning the Gatesville tournament’s Silver Bracket, Lampasas capped off 2009 by facing the Llano Lady Jackets inside the AT&T Center.

Despite losing the New Year’s Eve match-up 37-31, the Lady Badgers went 3-2 over the final week of the year and take an 8-13 record into 2010.

“The girls all played really hard, and it was a lot of fun,” Lampasas girls’ head coach Stuart Beckwith said. “I told them to enjoy it because this was a one-time thing.

Marisa Bogart delivers a pass after driving into the paint. The recent addition to the varsity squad finished with four points, four steals, a rebound and an assist. “ ‘The Spurs will not be drafting any of you,’ ” the coach told his players.

While it was a unique experience, perhaps the big-time NBA atmosphere rattled the visitors because the two teams combined to connect on a mere 13 of 68 fieldgoal attempts while committing a total of 37 turnovers.

Both teams suffered through quarter-long droughts without a single field goal, while also producing periods with just one and two field goals.

Lampasas’ best offensive quarter came in the fourth when it hit four of its 11 shots. Llano was hottest in the third quarter as it connected on three of six shots.

In all, the Lady Badgers (7-38 FG) were responsible for 31 missed shots and 17 turnovers, but they managed to keep the game tight until a run in the fourth quarter put the contest out of reach.

Lampasas guard Makayla Valles, middle, looks to deny a Lady Jacket from penetrating past the 3-point arc during the Lady Badgers’ New Year’s Eve loss to Llano at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. Entering the final period, Lampasas trailed 22-18 after suffering through a miserable third period when it missed all 11 of its shots. The Lady Jackets’ lead was quickly trimmed to two points, however, when sophomore Hailey Morrison delivered a pass to Sarah Bishop who drained a jumper.

Moments later, Llano hit four free throws and its lone field goal of the period to rebuild its advantage to a comfortable eightpoint cushion before Madison Morris’ assist led to Lauren Barlow’s first field goal of the quarter.

Less than a minute later, the combination reconnected, and Barlow brought the Lady Badgers within six points, 30-24, with 4:45 left in the game. The senior post finished with team-highs of 13 points and six rebounds to go with one steal and a block.

Lampasas trailed by just five points twice in the closing minutes but never truly threatened the Lady Jackets, who ended the game with their final 11 points coming at the free-throw line. For the game, Llano made 23 of its 41 free-throw attempts.

Lampasas, on the other hand, attempted only 23 free throws and made 17 of them. Barlow (5-9 FT) and guard Kayla Prescott (5 pts., 5- 5 FT) were the Lady Badgers’ most frequent visitors to the charity stripe.

Lady Jacket Allie Rostran almost single-handedly won the freethrow battle with Lampasas, going 13 of 19 attempts en route to a game-high 20 points. She added eight rebounds, two steals and an assist in the victory.

The new year also marks the beginning of district play for the Lady Badgers. Lampasas opens its District 25-4A schedule by hosting Hutto tonight at 7 p.m.

Lampasas plays its first two and three of its first four district games at home before taking to the road for a three-game road trip.

After Hutto, the Lady Badgers welcome Hendrickson and Marble Falls with a game at Lake Travis sandwiched in between. Lampasas travels to Killeen, Hutto and Hendrickson to complete the month of January.

The team begins February with a home game against the Lady