Mecailin Marshall, Lubbock High girls better playoff odds with win over Abilene Cooper
LUBBOCK −Mecailin Marshall wants a different ending to the season this time around.
A year after the Lubbock High girls basketball team finished one game back of a playoff berth, the postseason is all Marshall can think about. The sophomore guard is certainly doing her part to write a different script for the Lady Westerners — and that continued Tuesday in what could be a critical result in the final standings.
Behind Marshall's 29-point, 13-rebound outing, LHS pulled away from Abilene Cooper for a 73-60 win at Westerner Arena. The Lady Westerners finished on a 12-2 run after the Lady Cougars pulled within one score with 3:19 left.
The teams entered in a three-way tie with Lubbock Coronado for third place in District 4-5A. The Lady Mustangs, who face Cooper at Cougar Gym on Friday, beat Abilene Wylie on Tuesday to stay tied with LHS near the midpoint of the league slate.
"Before the game we had to really focus on what our goals were," Marshall said, "and our main goal is to make the playoffs. Sadly, last year we weren't able to make the playoffs, so our one goal (Tuesday) was to come here so we could get a win."
Marshall converted four free throws during the final stretch to cap a 17-of-20 night. The charity stripe proved a boon for the Lady Westerners, who shot 28 of 34 overall. It was a big reason LHS built a 23-14 lead after one quarter.
The Lady Cougars clawed back to tie the game on Ashlynn French's three-point play with 1:57 left in the third quarter. But Cooper (18-9, 2-3) never led, trailing by three going into the final frame.
Marshall scored the Lady Westerners' first six points of the fourth quarter. When the defense focused on her, Faith Ford got in the act. The sophomore duo accounted for 23 points to put the game away. Ford totaled 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Then there was Kamille Reynolds, who scored all of her 18 points in the first half. Izzy Palmer notched seven points, four assists and four rebounds to add another dimension for the LHS offense.
"They have three or four girls that can really play," first-year Cooper coach Brandon Hudson said. "We came in, we game-planned, we knew who they were and knew what we had to do. But good players make shots. They made some shots, even contested."
Kyla Speights led the Lady Cougars with 15 points, followed by French's 11 and 10 apiece from Asjha Cherry and Karrigan Parrott. Cooper, which was winless in district last season, now faces an uphill battle for a playoff spot. The schedule includes two matchups with No. 25 Coronado (19-9, 3-2) and rematches against top-ranked Monterey and No. 5 Lubbock-Cooper.
"We've just got to keep fighting," Hudson said. "At this point, I told them, we had four games we had to win to get in. We've still got that, we still have a chance. It's gonna be a little bit harder now. We've got to make sure we beat some people, and we have to pull an upset."
LHS is far from locked in, though, and Lady Westerners coach Brent Palmer knows that. Still, it's a good position for LHS, which closes the first half of district Friday against the Lady Plainsmen (20-3, 4-1).
"They were really upset that we didn't finish as strong as we should have last year," Palmer said. "I remind them nearly every day to focus on what we've talked about and some of the goals that we've set for ourselves; go out there and play hard and give yourself a chance."
District 4-5A
Lubbock High 73, Abilene Cooper 60
Abilene Cooper 14 14 17 15 — 60
Lubbock High 23 14 11 25 — 73
Abilene Cooper (18-9, 2-3) — Jaedon Titus 5, Alliyah Ralston 9, Ashlynn French 11, Asjha Cherry 10, Karrigan Parrott 10, Kyla Speights 15.
Lubbock High (19-9, 3-2) — Izzy Palmer 7, Kamille Reynolds 18, Mecailin Marshall 29, Faith Ford 17, Pierce Scheppler 2.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Mecailin Marshall, Lubbock High girls basketball top Abilene Cooper
