Aledo’s Ladycat hoopsters rode the proverbial rollercoaster all season long. The highs were filled with victories over teams like Wichita Falls Rider, Northwest, and Saginaw. The low pointssaw this team suffer heartbreaking, one-possession losses at home to Granbury and Azle.
Through it all these Ladycats have proven time and again they will fight on.
During Tuesday’s (Feb. 7) season finale on the road in Granbury they did with fighters ultimately do — win, 48-45 to clinch a playoff berth.
“That [win] felt amazing,” Ladycats head coach Nikki Hyles exclaimed. “The kids played great and really competed hard. Granbury is a hard place to win. It was really nice to pull out the win.”
The Ladycats closed out their 2022-23 regular season campaign in thrilling fashion with a road win that put them back to .500 on the year (16-16 regular season, 6-6 in District 5-5A) and simultaneously secured their postseason spot without having to chance a one-game district playoff.
Aledo will play Everman in the opening round of the playoffs. Back on Dec. 1 the Ladycats met up with the Lady Bulldogs during tournament play, besting Everman by a tally of 71-58. Heading into the playoffs when it really matters, the Ladycats would love a repeat performance against an old foe.
“The girls are really excited,” Hyles said when asked her squad’s feelings about the upcoming matchup against Everman. “I think we’re really in a good place right now in how we’re playing. We’re going into the playoffs with a lot of confidence.”
As for the game against Granbury, the Ladycats entered the contest coming off back-to-back losses to Azle and Brewer. The last time these two teams met less than a month ago the Lady Pirates left Aledo with a one-point victory, 45-44, after Claire Byars was unable to draw a desperately needed foul that would’ve sent her to the charity stripe with a chance to send the game into overtime as she captured a rebound before scoring the put-back bucket as time expired.
As the game got underway the Ladycats took an early 10-7 lead as the first quarter came to a close. However, the Lady Pirates found their groove in the second quarter, tacking on 14 points in the eight minutes of action to take a slim, 21-20 lead into the half.
Granbury managed to maintain that slim lead throughout the third quarter. Trailing by one with the score at 35-34 heading into the final frame of the game and of the season, the Ladycats shifted into high gear. Aledo stood tall at both ends of the floor as they closed out the game on a 14-10 run that put them on the winning side of a one-possession game.
While the Ladycats know they will meet up with Everman in the first round of the playoffs, the location and time of that first-round matchup is not yet known.
Ladycats vs. Granbury – Feb. 7
Varsity
Aledo 10 10 14 14 48
Granbury 7 14 14 10 45
Aledo scoring: Presley Hull 14, Claire Byars 12, Liz Griffin 7, Kandle Boggus 5, Ella Isbell 4, Reagan Davis 4, Caroline Browning 2.
Ladycats vs. Brewer – Feb. 4
Varsity
Aledo 9 16 14 21 60
Brewer 20 15 9 16 69
Aledo scoring: Claire Byars 15, Presley Hull 14, Liz Griffin 12, Reagan Davis 10, Ella Isbell 5, Kenzie Grau 2, Kinley Elms 2.
Ladycats vs. Brewer – Feb. 4
Junior Varsity
Aledo 18 8 13 18 57
Brewer 9 15 9 13 46
Aledo scoring: Maddox Lucas 11, Abby Shiller 11, Kinley Evans 11, Kaitlyn Shiller 10, Bekah Jarrell 8, Breleigh Mayer 4, Savannah Salas 2.
Ladycats vs. Brewer – Feb. 4
Freshmen
Aledo 10 15 12 8 45
Brewer 2 2 5 4 13
Aledo scoring: Natalie Browning 15, Jaylee Owens 8, Kayna Atchinson 4, Lily Heckathorn 4, Mackenzie Bullard 4, Jenna Haussler 2, Mia Valencia 2, Mesoma Emeka Okoye 2, Tori Culler 2.
Ladycats vs. Azle – Feb. 3
Varsity
Aledo 14 12 5 10 41
Azle 2 10 13 18 43
Aledo scoring: Claire Byars 11, Reagan Davis 9, Presley Hull 9, Kandle Boggus 5, Kenzie Grau 3, Natalie Anderson 2, Ella Isbell 2.
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