No. 10 Stephenville rolls past Snyder in Region I-4A girls basketball playoff opener
TUSCOLA – Stephenville makes a living off its defense, and the No. 10 Honeybees had a good day at the office Monday at Bill Thornton Arena.
Stephenville allowed only four points in the first half, while turnovers fed the Honeybees offense en route to a 66-30 victory over Snyder in a Region I-4A bi-district girls basketball playoff game.
Stephenville led only 8-0 at the end of the first quarter, but the points came fast and easy in the second quarter as the Honeybees rolled to a 25-4 halftime lead.
Most of those points came off turnovers as Snyder struggled with Stephenville’s full-court press. The Lady Tigers didn’t score until Raelee Leatherwood hit two free throws at the 7:27 mark in the second quarter, and Avery Murray got the team’s first field goal with 3:48 before halftime.
It could have been worse, but it took Stephenville a quarter to get its offense going – even off the turnovers.
“I think everybody had jitters, our seniors included,” Stephenville coach Jason Hodges said. “Once we settled down, we started forcing them into things we wanted, things they thought were open, trying to throw that diagonal (pass) against our press, and we were able to pick it off a couple of times and we started finishing at the rim. … They started fouling, and we started getting to the free-throw line, kind of pulled away there in the first half.”
Snyder coach T’Leah Eicke said her young team got flustered at times.
“They had good ball pressure, but we just didn’t handle it,” Eicke said. “They probably out-size on the roster and the floor. We’re a small team. We try and pass the ball overhead, and that doesn’t work for us. We’ve got to learn to handle the pressure. They’re a well-coached team. They came in. They were ready to start the game, and they got after it.”
Lillie Skiles led Stephenville (30-4) with a game-high 23 points. Mya Wilson followed with 10. Kyla Ray and Vanessa Gonzalez had eight apiece.
Leatherwood led Snyder (16-18) with seven points, and Jayci Medrano had six.
Everybody plays
The Honeybees only outscored Snyder 17-16 in the third quarter, but the first half sealed the Lady Tigers’ fate.
“I think it got a little sloppy in the second half, kind of fouling and stuff,” Hodges said. “They continued to press up, so we continued to go score. It’s playoff basketball. It’s one of those deals where we’re not trying to run the score up, but at the same time, we’re going to get our young kids in, and we try to give them a chance to play.”
Hodges played all 12 girls on the roster, and he liked what he saw from them.
“They did a great job, too,” he said. “It’s one of those games you get ahead, we want to give people some rest. We’ve got a big game coming up this week. I thought we did a great job all the way around.”
Stephenville advances to play No. 11 Sanger (28-5) in an area playoff at 6 p.m. Thursday at Weatherford High School. Sanger beat Springtown 81-17.
“Sanger has been a really good ballclub this year,” Hodges said. “… We’ll be ready for the challenge. We’ve played a really tough non-conference schedule to get ready for district and playoffs. This is the time we’re hoping it pays off.”
Stephenville would like another shot at No. 1 Glen Rose, which beat the Honeybees twice in district play – 58-31 in Glen Rose and 45-23 in Stephenville.
They would meet in the region final in Lubbock Christian’s Rip Griffin Center, but Stephenville has No. 4 Canyon and No. 13 Seminole in its half of the bracket.
“They’ve got a great ballclub,” Hodges said of Glen Rose. “There’s no doubt about it. They’re 33-1 for a reason. I thought we played them way better the second time around at home. But they’re going to go their route, and we’re going to go our route. We’re going to take it one game at time. We tell our kids it’s 1-0 after every playoff game. … Because if we worry ahead, bad things can happen.”
Young Lady Tigers reload
Snyder, meanwhile, turns its thoughts to next season.
“I’ve only got four seniors out of this group of 15 that I brought to the playoffs with us,” Eicke said. “We’re young. We’re learning. We’ve got to learn to be more patient on the offensive end, get what we want instead of trying to force some shots, rush them early. Just be patience.”
Eicke hopes a taste of the postseason drives her to work work harder during the offseason.
“I hope it motivates them and drives them like every coach wants them to get in the gym during the summer and work and go further next year,” Eicke said.
REGION I-4A BI-DISTRICT PLAYOFF
Stephenville 66, Snyder 30
Snyder … 0 … 4 … 16 … 10 – 30
Stephenville … 8 … 17 … 20 … 21 – 66
SNYDER (16-18) – Jayci Medrano 1 4-5 6, Aaliyah Braziel 0 1-2 1, Bethany Avalos 0 0-0 0, Amy Martinez 1 0-0 3, Jalee Guerrero 0 2-3 2, Avery Murray 1 0-0 2, Jasmine Hernandez 1 2-2 5, Raelee Leatherwood 1 4-4 7, Peyten Garope 0 2-2 2 Arynne Vasquez 1 0-2 2. Totals 6 15-20 30.
STEPHENVILLE (30-4) – Marin Copeland 2 0-0 4, Madi Rust 1 0-0 2, Vanessa Gonzalez 3 2-2 8, Chandler Glasgow 0 1-2 1, Lillie Skiles 9 3-5 23, Caitlin Skiles 0 0-0 0, Brinley Hall 0 1-2 1, Mya Wilson 4 2-6 10, Lucy Espinoza 1 1-3 3, Audrey Brandon 0 0-0 0, Kyla Ray 4 0-0 8, Iza Vandalsem 2 2-2 6. Totals 26 12-22 66.
3-Point Goals – Snyder 3 (Martinez, Hernandez, Leatherwood), Stephenville 2 (L. Skiles 2). Total Fouls – Snyder 19, Stephenville 20. Fouled Out – None. Technical Fouls – None.
Girls playoff results
Monday's games
CLASS 4A
REGION I
Stephenville 66, Snyder 30
Glen Rose 90, Big Spring 4
CLASS 3A
REGION I
Merkel 54, Brady 33
Jim Ned 69, Llano 9
Breckenridge 46, Bowie 39
CLASS 2A
REGION I
Christoval 47, Coleman 29
REGION II
Windthorst 46, Anson 38
Nocona 70, Haskell 25
CLASS 1A
REGION 1
Jayton 53, Crosbyton 17
REGION II
Harrold 75, Knox City 50
Roby 64, Crowell 34
Eden 38, Robert Lee 35
Hermleigh 72, Rising Star 19
Aspermont 57, Electra 33
Eula 83, Ira 26
REGION III
Huckabay 67, Walnut Springs 19
Gorman 64, Iredell 21
Richland Springs 100, Blanket 34
Gordon 38, Meridian 13
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Stephenville races past Snyder in Region I-4A girls basketball playoff
