Sandiettes Punch Playoff Ticket
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
<em><strong>Photo by line Davis (#32) goes up for an easy bucket in the paint, as the freshman post helped the Sandiettes surge past Latexo for the big district win.</strong></em>
LATEXO – The Grapeland Sandiettes are playoff bound again after earning a 78-42 win over the Latexo Lady Tigers on Friday night. This is the second big win over the Lady Tigers for the Sandiettes, who are averaging 81.5 points per game against Latexo this season. The win puts the Sandiettes back into the playoffs, where with a renewed energy, the team feels like they can make some noise once there.
The Sandiettes started the game off hot and stayed that way throughout the night. With the inside presence of freshman Simone Davis, and the perimeter play of Jalla Johnson and Mallory Johnson, the Sandiettes were able to stake an early lead on the hosting Lady Tigers.
The Sandiettes would roll out to a big halftime lead and maintain that lead throughout the second half. Latexo would make a strong charge in the second half behind the play of Brittani Brown and Paige Hardy. The Lady Tigers would cut into the Sandiettes lead late in the fourth quarter, narrowing the gap to 18 points, but the Sandiettes would pull away late for the win.
Davis, Johnson, and Johnson led the way for the Sandiettes, who also got strong outings from Shaterrika Campbell and Jayde Westbrook. The win improves the Sandiettes to 3-2 in district play with three games remaining.
For the Lady Tigers, they were led by Brown and Hardy with strong showings from Hannah Jackson, Ariann Kazmierczak, and Ashlee Frizzell. The loss drops the Lady Tigers to 1-4 in district play and on ther verge of being eliminated from the playoff race.
The Sandiettes returned home to host the Alto Lady ‘Jackets on Tuesday night. Grapeland cruised past the Lady ‘Jackets in their first meeting and will be looking to complete the season sweep over Alto.
On Saturday, February 4 the Sandiettes will head to Slocum for a showdown against the Lady Mustangs. Both teams sport identical 3-2 records in district, and a win by the Sandiettes would give them a one-game advantage over the Lady Mustangs for second place in district play.
Grapeland will wrap up their season on Tuesday, February 7 when they welcome the Lovelady Lady Lions to town.
Latexo traveled to Slocum on Tuesday night, looking to avenge a tough loss in the first half of district play. The Lady Tigers will be off on Friday, but will return to action on Tuesday, February 7 when they close the season against the Alto Lady ‘Jackets. Latexo cruised past Alto in the first meeting and will look to complete the season sweep over the Lady ‘Jackets.
For pictures and a complete recap of the Sandiettes and Lady Tigers district action, as well as other area basketball news, check back in The Messenger. Also follow The Messenger on Facebook and check out our website at www.messenger-news.com. Chris Boothe can be reached for comment at cboothe@messenger-news.com.
