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EC misses playoffs with Foster defeat
The Lady 'Birds fell to Foster in a tie-breaking game for the third and final playoff spot in District 24-4A. The Lady Falcons clinched the post-season with a 51-43 win. For a program that has struggled in recent years to bond, let alone win games, the Lady 'Birds' latest season is one giant step forward. This team answered questions of chemistry and desire early in the season with a great start. The girls played as a team and with intensity throughout the year. El Campo finished the season 22-9, which Head Coach Noma Kremlin said is a great achievement. "It's extremely important," Kremling said. "I think all three teams showed a lot of intensity and hard work this year and all sported good records, but we've got to be able to have a good record and get ourselves into the playoffs. "That's why they're so devastated. That's why they're so upset. Twentytwo wins - that's great. We haven't done that in a long time, but we wanted to be in the playoffs. We didn't want to just play for the playoffs to get in, we wanted to be in." The loss to Foster seemed to come as a shock to the team, the coach and many Lady 'Bird fans in attendance. On Jan. 18, El Campo defeated the Lady Falcons 62-29 in Ricebird Gym. The girls fell at Foster 41-38 in a Feb. 5 game that was just as surprising. "We felt like when we beat Foster the first time, that we ought to be able to beat them down there," Kremling said. "I felt like we just had a bad game down there, but we couldn't beat them here tonight either. "It's just real disappointing. The kids work so hard all year long and then we come up short like this. It's not lack of effort. They gave it everything they had. It just didn't work out for us tonight." Foster started the game with a layup to take a 2-0 lead in the game's first seconds. The Lady Falcons stayed ahead throughout the night. Their lead grew to 7-0 before El Campo came alive. Ashley Thomas hit the first two baskets for the Lady 'Birds, both on long jump shots. Ashley Brooks helped in scoring with 4 points and cut Foster's lead to 1712 at the end of the first quarter. Both teams traded scores in the second quarter while El Campo chipped away at Foster's lead. Led by four more Brooks points, the Lady 'Birds outscored Foster 10-9 to cut the lead to 26-22. El Campo cut Foster's lead by 1 point again in the third quarter. The Lady 'Birds took the third 9-8 to make the score 34-31 with one quarter left to play. The fourth was El Campo's most successful and most heartbreaking quarter. The Lady 'Birds went on an 8-5 run to tie the game through the first half of the fourth. Shae Solomon, Brooks and Kela Johnson all came through with much-needed baskets to bring the score close. With 3:27 remaining, Ebonee Spencer grabbed a rebound and quickly put the ball back in, to tie the game 39-39. El Campo came up with a turnover on the next possession and had a chance to take the lead, but a missed layup turned into Foster free throws. Both shots were good for the Lady Falcons and Foster's lead grew from there. The Lady Falcons connected with four more free throws to take a 45-39 lead before El Campo could score again. Thomas nabbed a rebound and put back with 1:18 left to cut the score to 45-41, but Foster answered with another pair of free throws. Foster moved ahead 51-41 through the game's final seconds on four free throws. With 8.89 seconds left to play, Brooks stepped up to the free-throw line, the game already in hand, and in front of a loud Foster crowd, showed poise in nailing the final two shots of the night. El Campo lost and ended its most successful season in years, one win shy of the playoffs. LADY 'BIRD STATS Foster 51, El Campo 43
EC Leaders POINTS - Ashley Brooks 18, Shae Solomon 8, Kela Johnson 4, Ashley Thomas 4, Angel Brooks 4, Chelsi Robinson 3, Ebonee Spencer 2REBOUNDS - As. Brooks 11, Johnson 7, Angel Brooks 7, Spencer 5, Thomas 3, Robinson 2 STEALS - Robinson 4 ASSISTS - Robinson 3 |
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