Wilcox pushes Breckenridge past Bowie
Often, a coach with a freshman point guard can experience some trepidation entering the playoffs, unsure how the young floor leader will respond. Not Breckenridge coach Bryan Goehring. He already knew his freshman point guard was special.
Kaysi Wilcox provided a steadying presence in her first varsity playoff game, keeping the Lady Bucks close until opening up a close game with a big third quarter. Wilcox led Breckenridge to a 46-39 win over Bowie in the Class 3A Region I bi-district contest at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
The Lady Bucks (20-16) advance to meet No. 2 Jim Ned in the area round at 6 p.m. Thursday in Eula.
“I’m not surprised because I’ve seen it from her over the last three years,” Breckenridge coach Bryan Goehring said about Wilcox. “I ask a lot of her on the floor, but she responds every time.”
“I let the game come to me tonight, and my teammates did a great job,” Wilcox said.
Bowie (23-10) coach Matthew Miller wasn’t surprised to see Wilcox lead the Lady Bucks with 17 points while hitting four of her eight attempts from 3-point range. Miller had seen the freshman in junior high when the Lady Jackrabbits were in the same district as Breckenridge.
“I knew she was coming to varsity this year,” Miller said. “She’s a player, and she stepped up and shot it better tonight than I thought she would, with it being the playoffs.”
Wilcox was essential during the first half, scoring 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field while the rest of the Lady Bucks struggled from the field, shooting 23.8 percent. Wilcox received plenty of help from her teammates in the second half.
Breckenridge broke open a tight contest with an 8-0 run in the third quarter. Senior Camil Palacios started the rally with a 3-pointer, and junior Zaea Ragle finished the run with a jumper from the free throw line.
Ragle played a vital role in the Lady Bucks victory with nine points and 12 rebounds, including five offensive boards. Breckenridge dominated the glass throughout the contest registering 14 offensive rebounds.
“Zaea brings heart and hustle everyday,” Goehring said. “I know that’s what I’m going to get from her no matter the situation during the game. She’s going to play lockdown defense and rebound.”
“It makes my job easy because I know when they get the offensive rebound, they are going to look for me, and I just have to find the open spot on the floor,” Wilcox added.
Rebounding has been one consistent weakness for the Lady Rabbits this year, and Breckenridge took full advantage on Monday.
“We’re undersized at every position on the floor. We work on it in practice, but that was my biggest fear coming into the game,” Miller said. “I thought we had a good chance to win if we could rebound, and they made us pay when we didn’t get the rebound.
“We gave ourselves a chance in the second half but couldn’t get over the hump and take the lead again.”
Seven seniors played their final basketball game in a Bowie uniform, including starters Neely Price, Maddie Mandela and Haley Webb. This was a special team to Miller for many reasons, including the bond they developed after basketball season ended last year.
“I lost my dad right after basketball season last year. He was a coach and was really important to me,” Miller said. “After a game like tonight, I would call him, and we would talk about it for an hour.
“These girls were there for me in the worst moment of my life, and I just want to do it again with this group. They’re my family now, and I’m still in a bit of shock that we don’t get to play again. They’re a special group and will be excellent with whatever they do in life.”
REGION I-3A BI-DISTRICT
Breckenridge 46, Bowie 39
Bowie (23-10) – Maddie Mandela 20, Ziba Robbins 8, Neely Price 8, Emily Cueva 3.
Breckenridge (20-16) – Kaysi Wilcox 17, Zaea Ragle 9, Camil Palacios 8, Destiny Jamison 7, Avery Rodgers 5.
Bowie 14 6 7 12 -39
Breckenridge 12 10 14 10 -46
Free Throws – (Bo) 2-3, (Br) 10-19. 3-pointers – (Bo) 7 (Mandela 3, Price 2, Robbins, Cueva), (Br) 6 (Wilcox 4, Palacios 2).
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Breckenridge Lady Bucks vs. Bowie Lady Rabbits basketball score
