Claude puts up dominant performance in bi-district win over Fort Elliott

Hart Pisani, Amarillo Globe-News
·3 min read
Claude’s Bobbie Renee Fouquet (33) shoots a three pointer in a 1A bi-district playoff game against Fort Elliott, Monday night, February 13, 2023, at McNeely Fieldhouse at Pampa High School, Pampa, Texas. Claude won 69-18.
Claude’s Bobbie Renee Fouquet (33) shoots a three pointer in a 1A bi-district playoff game against Fort Elliott, Monday night, February 13, 2023, at McNeely Fieldhouse at Pampa High School, Pampa, Texas. Claude won 69-18.

PAMPA — There's dominant, and then there's what the Claude girls basketball team accomplished Monday night.

Dominant just doesn't seem like a strong enough word to describe the performance the Lady Mustangs put forth in their Class 1A bi-district playoff game against Fort Elliott. Claude didn't allow a point until a minute remained in the opening quarter and didn't surrender a field goal until 2:20 remained in the opening half.

All but one player on the roster scored, while Bobbie Renee Fouquet led a quartet of double-figure scorers with 15 points, as Claude won 69-18 inside the Pampa High School gymnasium.

With the victory, Claude (20-10) advanced to the area round of the playoffs to take on the winner of Hartley and Kress, while Fort Elliott had its season end with an 11-13 overall mark.

It was a true masterclass in basketball for Claude, which led 17-0 before giving up a free throw late in the first quarter and took a 36-8 advantage into halftime. The Lady Mustangs showed off their depth in the second half as they still put up 12 in the third quarter, while holding Fort Elliot to just four.

Claude's bench remained hot in the fourth even when the game was decided as it put up another 21 points. Four players eclipsed double figures in scoring, led by Fouquet and aided by Andi Holland (13 points), Alexis Eddleman (13 points) and Layla Godfrey (11 points).

"We're shining right now, and it's been good," Claude coach Tori Williams said. "We've seen a lot of improvement from the start of the season until now, so I'm feeling good with where we're at."

It also felt good for Claude to go so deep into the bench. Nine players scored points for the Lady Mustangs and everyone got meaningful playoff experience ahead of the next round.

"That's extremely important," Williams said. "Giving our younger players confidence (is key). If we were to get in foul trouble, we know we have the depth because we already put it out there in a playoff game. ... Getting everyone out here is super important. We talk about putting someone in and having them rise to the other team's intensity level. No matter what we have to offer skill wise, we're going to match that intensity and I think the girls did that."

Claude’s Andi Holland(10) shoots the ball in a 1A bi-district playoff game against Fort Elliott, Monday night, February 13, 2023, at McNeely Fieldhouse at Pampa High School, Pampa, Texas. Claude won 69-18.
Claude’s Andi Holland(10) shoots the ball in a 1A bi-district playoff game against Fort Elliott, Monday night, February 13, 2023, at McNeely Fieldhouse at Pampa High School, Pampa, Texas. Claude won 69-18.

Fort Elliot put together a strong season to get to the playoffs, but drew one of the top 1A teams in the Panhandle in the first round.

"They played really hard," Fort Elliott coach Ragan Dupont said. "They hustled and had a lot of good effort. They truly just played with a lot of heart all season long and never got down."

CLAUDE 69, FORT ELLIOTT 18

Fort Elliot 1 7 4 6 – 18

Claude 21 15 12 21 – 69

Claude

Layla Godfrey 11, Greyson Eddleman 2, Andi Holland 13, Ashlee Maddox 2, Shealee Brannon 3, Alison Stone 5, Alexis Eddleman 13, Kodi DuBose 3, Bobbie Renee Fouquet 15

Fort Elliot

Rylee Rose 3, Summer Miller 2, Ali Mahler 4, Jace Moffett 2, Brylie Hand 3, Jaylie Dickey 2, Paisley Archer 2

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Claude puts up dominant performance in bi-district win over Fort Elliott