The last week of play for the Lady Tigers basketball team proved they could take care of business against those teams at their level, but the upper level teams seemed to be a notch above.
The Dripping Springs High School team was able to come home a winner with a 61-51 margin of victory over Austin’s Akins High School, but Westlake took them to task, 36-81.
The sixth place Lady Tigers (4-9) got the jump on Akins after one quarter, 19-14, and made a giant leap to make the score 3717 at the break. Dripping Springs extended the lead to 53-32 at the end of the third quarter before coasting in the fourth.
State-ranked Westlake showed early why they are 13-0 in district by playing a nearly perfect game. They displayed the skill of ball-handling and great shooting techniques which led to high accuracy. They also showed their ballhawking and footwork on defense. Still, this did not deter the Lady Tigers from giving their usual, full effort.
Rains Collins opened the scoring with a long three to give the Lady Tigers their only lead of the night. Westlake quickly matched that and then began dominating the paint with six baskets and two more threes to carve out a 22-10 lead after one quarter. Five threes in the second pushed their advantage to 3919 at the half. The Lady Tigers hung in to keep the third quarter close, while Westlake struggled to find the basket at 51-29. Westlake went berserk in the final stanza with a 22-0 run. Ainsley Coleman got the thrill of hitting a long three as the final seconds ticked away.
Vs. Akins: Collins 17, Kenlea Hardin 10, Newman 8, Ella Beatty 6. Jaedon Stankard 3, Gracie Embry 3, Coleman 3, Chloe Vaughn 3, Bailey Rogers 3, Caroline Shealy 2, Layne Fields 2, Abigail Robinson 1.
Vs. Westlake: Collins 17, Hardin 6, Coleman 4, Vaughn 3, Jocelyn Freemeyer 2, Stankard 2, Rogers 2.
