Ladycats take home hardware in Burleson Tourney

The hoops season started a bit slower than Aledo’s Ladycat basketball squad hoped after dropping seven of their first 11 heading into the Burleson Tournament last Thursday. Head coach Nikki Hyles has stressed the importance of learning from those early losses so that her squad can work to shore up their weaknesses as the season progresses before heading into district play later in December.

That’s precisely what the Ladycats have done.

Aledo earned a third-place finish over the weekend, posting a 4-1 record in pool play. Boasting wins over Arlington Martin, Tyler, and Everman, the Ladycats’ record improved to 8-8. They capped off their strong tournament performance with a 54-30 win over Frisco Centennial on Saturday.

Senior shooting guard Presley Hull earned a spot on the all-tournament team for her individual contribution on the hardwood. She posted 52 points during the duration of the tourney.

Aledo kicked off the tournament by getting one in the win column early as they bested Everman’s Lady Bulldogs 71-58. The Ladycats pounced on Everman to start off the first quarter with a 21-14 advantage. From there they never looked back as they led the Lady Bulldogs all four quarters of the contest.

Those early wins in tournament play typically just boil down to which team is better. The second game of the day when both teams are already fatigued usually comes down to a question of heart. In Game 2 against Tyler, the Ladycats put theirs on full display as they edged out the Lady Lions by a tally of 69-65.

Refreshed from a good night’s rest, the Ladycats returned to action last Friday against Arlington Martin to start the day. Aledo’s stalwart defense frustrated Lady Warrior players, fans, and coaches alike. That frustration reached its crescendo midway through the second quarter.

The Ladycats began the second frame with a 10-2 run before officials issued a technical foul to the Lady Warrior bench. McKenzie Grau went to the charity stripe representing Aledo, where she knocked down both free throws to put her team up by a dozen with 4:36 remaining in the half.

The Ladycats continued to dominate as they increased their lead by 16 at the break before eventually winning the contest by 17.

Game 4 saw Princeton’s Lady Panthers put the lone blemish of the tournament on the Ladycats’ record. Aledo jumped out to the early lead in the contest as the first quarter came to a close with a score of 21-12. Princeton used the final three frames to inch their way back into the contest before finally taking the lead and ultimately the game as they pulled off the three-point victory, 58-55.

After a close first half of action in the final game of the tournament for the Ladycats, Aledo blew Frisco Centennial away in the second half en route to 24-point thrashing on Saturday morning.

Aledo went into the break leading the Lady Titans 23-20. When they returned to action in the third stanza, the Ladycats exploded on the offensive end of the floor, matching their total from the first half with 23 points in the third quarter. 

On the other end of the floor the Ladycats preyed on Centennial, only surrendering four points in eight minutes of action. From there, Aledo was able to coast to victory in the fourth securing their spot on the podium.

Burleson Tournament

Aledo scoring: Claire Byars 17, Presley Hull 14, Kinley Elms 11, Reagan Davis 8, Natalie Anderson 5, Caroline Browning 5, Kenzie Grau 3, Kandle Boggus 2, Ella Isbell 2, Taylor Paetzold 2, Haley Farmer 2.

Aledo scoring: Davis 14, Hull 14, Elms 14, Boggus 11, Grau 10, Browning 4, Farmer 2.

Aledo scoring: Davis 14, Elms 13, Hull 9, Grau 8, Boggus 5, Browning 5, Paetzold 4, Isbell 2, Farmer 2.

Aledo scoring: Byars 23, Davis 11, Hull 8, Grau 6, Boggus 5, Elms 2.

Aledo scoring: Byars 16, Browning 11, Davis 8, Hull 7, Elms 4, Anderson 2, Isbell 2, Grau 2, Farmer 2.