-
Ira’s Lexie Hanshew (10) guards Hermleigh’s Lillyan Digby during a regular season. The Lady Bulldogs will play Sierra Blanca in a Class 1A area round playoff game Friday in Kermit.
IRA — After a 55-18 win over Sierra Blanca at the Rankin tournament in December, Ira head coach Eric Simonds expects a tougher time in Friday’s Class 1A area round playoff basketball game at 7 p.m. Friday in Kermit.
Sierra Blanca (19-11) defeated Grandfalls-Royalty 39-36 in a bi-district playoff game Tuesday. The Lady Bulldogs (25-6) had a bi-district round bye after winning the District 12-1A championship.
“We got off to a quick start in that game,” Simonds said. “They played us tough and didn’t back down. Just because we won by a large margin last time doesn’t mean it’s going to happen again. We are excited to start the playoffs. Ira never had a bye in the playoff before, so we sat back and waited to see who we would play. The bye put us in good position. We have a chance to win a game and move forward.”
The Lady Bulldogs defeated Knox City 52-39 in a practice game Friday. Simonds said the team had time to recover from the regular season.
“It was good to have a break,” Simonds said. “We had minor injuries that needed nursing. We used the extra time to get back into good condition. We won’t change anything and still want to run up and down the floor as fast as we can.”
Sierra Blanca was second in District 9-1A behind Marfa.
“Brianna Marquez is a solid player at guard,” Simonds said. “She has speed and a good ball handler. Blaine Gray and Tori Sanchez are good players. Coach (Marcus) Ortega gets the most out of his players.”
Three Ira players scored in double figures in December’s game, led by Alyssa Goodwin with 17 points. Madison Peterson leads the Lady Bulldogs in scoring, followed by Goodwin and Sierra Welch.
“Alyssa stepped up her game during district play,” Simonds said. “She was averaging 12 points during non-district play and scored 17 points in district games. Alyssa shows up for big games. We had different players score in every game. We expect the three players (Goodwin, Peterson and Welch) to score, but other players help make up the difference in some games.”
Simonds said Karina Cowan and Abby Manning have been two of the top scorers off the bench during the second half of the season.
“Abby played well in the second Hermleigh game,” Simonds said. “Karina had some big offensive games. Every player on the team plays a different role.”
Simonds said the starting lineup have been productive, but depth has been one of the reasons for the team’s success.
“The bench had times when they played big roles, such as when we get into foul trouble,” Simonds said. “It’s nice to know you don’t have to depend on five players. We have other players ready to go. They have never complained about playing time and do what it is needed to win.”
Friday’s winner will play the Rankin-Klondike winner in the regional quarterfinals.