Lady Dawgs finish second at own tourney
Manda Martin (12) and Brooke Rockafellow force the Austin High player to pass the ball out of the lane.
BURNET — It took eventual Bulldog Basketball Classic champion San Saba to oust a rumbling Burnet High School girls basketball team from winning its own tournament Dec. 5-6.
The Lady Armadillos defeated the Lady Dawgs in the final, 49-46. San Saba led, 12-8, after the first period and 21-18 at halftime. A third-period 17-11 run left Burnet behind by nine, but the Lady Dawgs matched the run with their own 17-11 outburst in the fourth quarter but failed to make up the deficit.
Mandi Lindley and Shanise Graeter were the big offensive guns for Burnet with nine points each.
This marked the second time the Lady Armadillos have bumped the Lady Dawgs out of tournament this season play. On Nov. 20-22, San Saba eliminated Burnet in the third round of their own tournament with a 52-34 victory.
“We’re going to be all right,” Burnet head coach Mike Cavender said. “The girls don’t like to lose, but we’ll be ready by the time district starts Dec. 19 at home against Wimberley.”
With the loss, the Lady Dawgs finished second. They downed Austin High, 58-38, in their opening round and then bumped Houston Second Baptist, 45-39, which finished third, in the semifinals.
In the latter contest, Manda Martin and McKinsey Cozart led the attack with 10 points apiece.
San Saba edged a physical Austin LBJ squad 62-61, and hammered District 16-5A member Round Rock Westwood, 57-43, en route to the finals. LBJ won the consolation final.
“It was a very competitive tournament with most of the games being very close all the way to the final horn,” Cavender said.
Cozart, the 5-foot 8-inch junior rebounder and defender, and junior all-around guard Graeter were named to the All-Tournament Team.
“I am much more confident with my shot,” said Graeter, who topped the Lady Dawgs with an 11.3 point average during the tourney. “I jumped rope every other day and worked out all summer so I would be in much better condition. Hopefully, I can continue to step-up.”
Martin, an accurate outside shooting guard, finished with a 9.3 point average followed by Lindley with a 6.0 average.
Other top scorers were Jessica Robinson, Eden Sultemeir, Brooke Rockafellow and Kerstyn Towslee. Also scoring were Callie Smith, Cozart, Tara Canty, Stormie Wilfong, Christina Henderson and Allison McClennen.
The Lady Dawgs compete in the Salado Tournament Friday and Saturday and then host Lampasas Tuesday at 7:45 p.m.
Photo by Jennifer Fierro