-
Hermleigh’s Aaliyah Sneed (20) and Kelsey Digby get in position for a rebound during Tuesday’s game. -
Ira’s Abby Manning joined her teammates in celebrating a district championship Monday night. Ira defeated Hermleigh 40-36 to win the District 12-1A title. The Lady Bulldogs will have a first round bye in the playoffs. Hermleigh will play Dawson in a bi-district playoff game.
HERMLEIGH — A third-quarter scoring run and late free throws helped the Ira Lady Bulldogs beat Hermleigh 40-36 to win the District 12-1A basketball championship Tuesday.
Ira trailed 22-18 early in the third quarter before going on a 14-0 run that switched the momentum. Alyssa Goodwin, who scored a game-high 20 points, made 3-of-6 free throws in the final seconds to preserve the lead.
The Lady Bulldogs (24-6, 8-0) earned a first-round bye in the Class 1A playoffs. Hermleigh (24-2, 6-2) will play Dawson in a bi-district playoff game. The coaches are expected to finalize game details today.
“We expected this kind of game, especially with it being senior night for Hermleigh,” Ira head coach Eric Simonds said. “We had the odds stacked against us and played well. Our shots were going down, especially 3-pointers, during the third quarter. We also got two great passes to set up field goals.”
Aaliyah Sneed led the Lady Cardinals with 18 points while Brishaya Sneed had eight points.
“Ira and Hermleigh are two exceptional teams and showed it all season,” Hermleigh head coach Grant Gooch said. “We responded well late in the game. These players have never been in this position before and could have shrugged their shoulders and gave up, but they didn’t. They played hard for the entire game and I’m so proud of their effort.”
The lead changed five times in the first quarter. Ira led 3-0, but Hermleigh took the lead on two Aaliyah Sneed field goals. Madison Peterson’s three-point play gave Ira its second lead of the game, but Lillyan Digby’s 3-pointer tied the game at 7-7. Hermleigh scored the next six points to take a 13-7 lead into the second quarter.
Hermleigh built a five-point lead late in the second quarter, but two 3-pointers by Goodwin gave Ira an 18-17 lead. Kiki Gonzales’ free throw tied the game at halftime, 18-18.
The Lady Cardinals regained the lead with back-to-back field goals early in the third quarter. But Ira took control with the 14-0 run, which included two 3-pointers by Lexie Hanshew and one by Goodwin.
Trailing 32-22, Hermleigh scored four straight points to cut the deficit to 32-26 heading into the fourth quarter.
Hermleigh pulled to within 37-34 late in the game and had a chance to tie the game when Brishaya Sneed scored on a layup and was fouled. She missed the free throw and Goodwin made three free throws down the stretch for Ira.
“We turned the ball over too much late in the game and Hermleigh capitalized,” Simonds said. “It gave Hermleigh a chance to win the game. Luckily, the ball bounced our way. Both teams played well. I’m happy to come away with the win. We made free throws and took care of the ball when it mattered in the fourth quarter.”
Gooch said the second straight loss hurt, but he expects his team will bounce back in the playoffs.
“The last two losses hurt, but I see determination in their eyes,” Gooch said. “We will come back and win. There is no question to me or the players about that.”
Simonds said the bye will benefit his team.
“We have never been in this position,” Simonds said. “The bye will give us a big advantage. It was exciting to win the district championship outright. We were given this opportunity after Borden County beat Hermleigh and made this game a winner-take-all.”
Ira 7 11 14 8—40
Hermleigh 13 5 8 10—36
Ira scorers — Alyssa Goodwin 20, Lexie Hanshew 7, Madison Peterson 6, Sierra Welch 5, Abby Manning 2.
Hermleigh scorers — Aaliyah Sneed 18, Brishaya Sneed 8, Lillyan Digby 3, Kiki Gonzales 3, Sandra Carr 2, Amanda Long 2.