BOUNCING BACK TO VICTORY

Coming off hard-fought loss at Grandview, Clifton Lady Cubs move into three-way tie for second in District 17-3A with win over Whitney; face 17th-ranked West & Maypearl this week

Despite a hard-fought and heartbreaking loss on the road to Grandview last Tuesday, the Clifton Cubs bounced back with a vengeance by totally dismantling the Whitney Lady Wildcats Friday night in the Clifton High School Gymnasium. And in the process, the Lady Cubs surged into a three-way tie for third in District 17-3A.

Putting up 25 points in the first quarter, the Lady Cubs overwhelmed Whitney, 61-15, as senior Laylah Gaona led Clifton (2-1 in district, 15-9 overall) with 12 points, followed by junior Camy Barsh and sophomore Avary Woosley with 10 each. Barsh came up with a team-high six steals, while Woosley dished out three assists and grabbed four steals.

Wrapping up the first round in district play with two crucial matchups this week, the Lady Cubs will travel to West to take on the 17th-ranked and league-leading Lady Trojans (3-0, 22-1) at 6 p.m. Tuesday before returning home to the Maypearl Lady Panthers (2-1, 15-3) at 6 p.m. Friday.

Suffering only one loss this season, West carries a 14-game winning streak into its Tuesday clash with Clifton after knocking off Maypearl, 53-40, while Grandview (2-1, 21-15) handed Keene (0-3, 16-10) its third straight loss, 43-34, last Friday.

“I was proud of the way the team bounced back after a tough road loss earlier in the week,” Clifton girls basketball first-year head coach Mario Villalpando said. “It was also nice to finally get to play a district game in front of a home crowd.

“The team played one of their most complete games of the season, which is what we want to be doing now that we are in district play. Offensively, the team had its highest scoring night, which was started with a 25-point first quarter.”

Also contributing against the Lady Wildcats (0-3, 7-14), sophomore Addison Martin tossed in nine points with two blocks, junior Delilah Martinez scored eight points, grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and four steals, while senior Meagan Henderson added five points, and junior Kyndall Hunt contributed four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

With the convincing victory over Whitney, the Lady Cubs put the disappointing 41-35 loss to Grandview last Tuesday behind them. Despite Clifton enjoying a 16-14 halftime lead, Grandview surged ahead in the third period before securing the win in the fourth.

“The team defense set the tone early again, limiting Grandview to 14 points in the first half,” Villalpando said. “They are a good, experienced team, and they hit a few big shots in the second half to get back in the game.

“The Lady Cubs did a great job of responding to adversity, and went into the fourth quarter only down by two. We missed some shots in the fourth that usually fall for us. That is the tough part of playing on the road.”

Woosley led Clifton with 14 points and four steals, followed by Gaona and Martinez with eight points each as Gaona grabbed seven rebounds, dished out three assists and came up with four steals. Senior Reagan Thomas pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds along with three assists and two steals, while Henderson scored five points, grabbed three rebounds and two blocks.