Whitesboro cruises past Newman
Feb. 14—AUBREY — Whitesboro cruised into the second round Tuesday after a strong first half allowed the Lady Cats to empty the bench in the second.
The Whitesboro girls' basketball team defeated Cedar Hill Newman International Academy 57-42 in a bi-district playoff game at Aubrey High School.
Whitesboro (26-9) took control late in the first quarter and built a dominant lead in the second.
Newman made the final score more respectable with 21 points in the fourth quarter against Whitesboro's reserves but never threatened the lead.
Whitesboro junior Olivia Hildebrand said the Lady Cats were ready to play from tipoff.
"We came out hustling," Hildebrand said. "Didn't think that we could just blow this off. We were mentally prepared, and I think it showed."
Newman led 6-2 early in the first before Hildebrand scored 7-straight points to put the Lady Cats in front. The Lady Warriors hit another 3 to make it 10-9.
Newman didn't score again until the final minute of the second quarter. Whitesboro went on a 26-0 run to turn a competitive game into a dominant performance.
Whitesboro coach Jared Messer said the Lady Cats made a few adjustments after getting a look at how Newman was playing.
"We started kind of figuring out what they were doing offensively," Messer said. "We started pressuring a little more, getting in the passing lanes, but in a playoff game, anything can happen. We kind of expected them to come out, they can shoot it a little bit. I thought we kind of turned up the pressure a little bit and got on that run."
The Lady Cats continued their momentum by scoring the first 9 points of the second half. Whitesboro led 45-12 when Newman called timeout with 4:41 remaining in the third quarter. The Lady Cats' starters had gotten a rest in the final minutes of the first half, but Whitesboro started pulling them for good at this point.
Against the Lady Cats' less-experienced players, Newman started to find some offense. Whitesboro led 49-21 after the third and played the entire fourth with the starters on the bench. Newman dominated the fourth, but the lead was far too great to overcome.
Messer said extended minutes in a playoff game is valuable experience for the substitutes and younger players.
"You never know how the game's going to get called down the road," Messer said. "They may have to step into a big spot. So, it was good for them to get that experience, especially getting everybody in in the first half, it was good."
Hildebrand scored a game-high 19 points despite sitting most of the second half. Whitesboro senior Allison Muntz followed with 8 points, and freshman Avery Howerton scored 7.
Messer said Hildebrand played well in her limited minutes.
"She's coming off an ankle injury she got last week at Callisburg," Messer said. "So, it was really good for her to come out and play, and 19 points in about a quarter-and-a-half of play is pretty good."
The Lady Cats will face a big test in the second round against No. 4 Pottsboro.
