Lufkin Crushes Waxahachie In Class 5A Girls Area Round
ATHENS -- The District of Doom is down to three teams.
Lufkin expelled Waxahachie from the Class 5A girls basketball playoffs Friday with a 63-36 area round victory at Trinity Valley Community College and kept East Texas in the running for a state championship.
"We just wanted to keep them in front," Lady Panthers head coach Harold Scroggins said. "Their offense is, penetrate and kick it out for the wide open 3. I think the girls did a good job stopping penetration and closing down on the shooters."
If the score doesn't say enough, check out some of the other numbers.
Lufkin (30-1) -- ranked seventh in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches' Class 5A poll -- held Waxahachie (22-8) to 11 of 51 from the field. That's 21.5 percent.
The Lady Panthers also won the rebound battle on both ends of the floor and forced 11 of Waxahachie's 21 turnovers.
Lufkin never trailed against Waxahachie, the third seed from District 14-5A. It opened the area round on a 5-0 run, allowed Waxahachie to within 7-6 and then responded with a 7-0 run to establish a permanent multi-possession lead.
The lead expanded to double digits at the 5:31 mark of the second quarter on Ivey Massie's successful 3-point shot.
Senior forward NaTasha Mack scored a game-best 19 points for the Lady Panthers. She also recorded five defensive rebounds, three offensive rebounds and four blocks during the meeting.
Like Mack, Alexis Hood won eight total rebounds in the contest.
Mycah McDonald's 13 points placed her second on Lufkin's score sheet to round out the team's double-digit scorers.
Destinee Pointer put up a team-best 13 points for Waxahachie.
The Lady Panthers' reward is a date with Waxahachie's district mate, Mansfield Summit, 7:30 p.m. Monday at Buffalo High School in the regional quarterfinal round. Summit is one of three teams from that league still running around the Region II bracket.
Sulphur Springs fell to Summit, 67-32, Thursday in the area round. Mansfield Legacy from the same league simultaneously edged John Tyler while undefeated Mansfield Timberview doubled up Corsicana.
Summit finished second in the strong district with only two losses. Both came against Timberview.
The road is getting steeper.
State is a bit closer.
"Summit is a lot like us," Scroggins said. "They've got bigs inside, their guards are quick, they like to run, they're going to press. It's going to be a game. They're very athletic. It's going to be an up-and-down, fast paced game. But I'll take my girls over anybody right now."
No. 7 Lufkin 63, Waxahachie 36
Girls Class 5A Area Round Playoff Game
At Trinity Valley Community College, Athens
Waxahachie 10 5 8 13 -- 36
Lufkin 16 13 20 14 -- 63
WAXAHACHIE (22-8) -- Destinee Pointer 13, Aarion Copeland 9, Diamond Atchinson 7, Destiny Bobb 5, Jordan McGee 2.
LUFKIN (30-1) -- NaTasha Mack 19, Mycah McDonald 13, KeKe Cleveland 7, Ivey Massie 7, Ridajia Miller 7, Alexis Hood 4, JaKayla Suell 4, CeCe Hodge 2.
THREE-POINT GOALS -- Waxahachie: Atchinson, Pointer Lufkin: Mack, Massie.