No. 14 Lindale Fights Back to Beat Nacogdoches 64-60 in District 14-4A Battle for First Place

LINDALE -- Lindale overcame an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit and used its depth to knock off Nacogdoches 64-60 in Tuesday's battle for first place in District 16-4A.

Lindale (20-4, 4-0), ranked No. 14 in Texas Association of Basketball Coaches poll, used a 18-6 run in the fourth to top the Lady Dragons (18-9, 3-1).

Lindale's Natasha Malone had a team-high 17 points and nine rebounds, while Zhanelle Geathers had in eight points, six boards, and four assists. The pair of 6-foot-2 juniors combined for nine blocks. Teammate MaKenna Allen added 10 points, including 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Hannah Malone had eight points and four steals, and Neeley Doss scored eight points.

Nacogdoches' Justice Lockett had a game-high 20 points and six boards, while Charity Page had 17 points and seven rebounds. Christy Whitaker chipped in nine points and a game-high eight steals, including hitting a half-court three-pointer to end the first half.

Nacogdoches led by two to start the fourth quarter and staged a 9-3 run. Lockett grabbed an offensive rebound and putback, followed by a backdoor assist from Ki'Audra Hayter to Page for two more. After Page sank two free throws, the Lady Dragons' lead swelled to eight, 54-46.

Then Lindale turned it on.

Doss drained a three-pointer to start the aforementioned 18-6 run. Allen then scored four in a row -- a layup and two free throws -- after which Natasha Malone made two free throws as Lindale recaptured the lead, 55-54, with 2:18 remaining. Lindale sank five free throws, while Allen and Paige Murphy had two layups breaking the Nacogdoches press, to finish it.

"We keep rotating kids in and out and I think that's a big part of our closing," said Lindale coach Brandon Walters. "I don't have a player that plays over four minutes at a time. So that way I have fresh players come the fourth quarter. We had a great effort there late in the game, and I was really proud of the girls for closing the way they did. (Nacogdoches) is a good team. They see the floor well, and run their half-court offense well."

With the Lady Dragons up 14-10 to begin the second quarter, Lindale went on an 11-4 run highlighted by a nice pass from Hannah Malone to Doss to finish a fastbreak. Doss knocked down a long-distance trey, and Geathers had a nice touch pass to Hannah Malone, who laid it in, and Lindale was up 21-18.

Nacogdoches answered when Lockett got a putback followed by Whitaker's nice dish to Page for a bucket. When Whitaker hit a three at the buzzer, the Lady Dragons jogged into the locker room up 30-29.

District 16-4A play continues Friday when Nacogdoches hosts Jacksonville. Lindale travels to Whitehouse.

Nacogdoches Builds Big Lead, Holds Off Lindale for First District Win

Nacogdoches built a 24-point lead thanks to a barrage of three-pointers and defeated Lindale 54-43 on Tuesday for the Dragons' first District 16-4A victory of the season.

Nacogdoches (12-8, 1-1), which led 33-14 at halftime, didn't allow Lindale (9-11, 0-2) to get any closer than nine points in the second half. The Dragons nailed nine triples from behind the arc to preserve the win.

"After the big halftime lead, the first thing I told the kids was, 'The first three minutes of the third quarter will be the most crucial of the ballgame,'" said Nacogdoches coach Patrick Okruhlik. "We let them right back in and that's a credit to Scott's (Lindale coach Scott Albritton) kids, and how hard they battle. Willeford has been key for us all year. He doesn't mind taking the big shot, so it's a luxury to have a kid like Austin."

Nacogdoches guard Austin Willeford led all scorers with 18 points, including four three-pointers, four rebounds, and three steals. Kwa' Jones and De'ante Riggins combined for 17 points, and Mason Proctor had a game-high nine boards. Kyle Whitfield tallied four blocks to lead the defense.

Mason Terry's 11 points, three assists, and two steals led Lindale. Court Brown had eight points and two steals, while Jacob Capo added six points, three rebounds, and a block.

Nacogdoches started separating in the second quarter, outscoring the Eagles 21-6 while sinking five three-pointers in the process. Willeford and Whitfield hit treys, followed by Willeford's steal and dish to Jones for another three-pointer and a 23-12 advantage. After Willeford connected from downtown on back-to-back possesions, Jones made a nice up-and-under move at the basket for two more and a 33-14 lead heading to halftime.

Lindale came out in the third with a spark as Capo started with a putback. Teammate Garrett Sir Louis then snatched a steal and layup, followed by Capo going strong to the hole, and Lindale had got within eighteen, 38-20. Terry found Capo for the assist and bank shot, then Kolton Pierce drove to the bucket, drawing the and-1, and Lindale was back in the game. After a Terry scoop layup, the Eagles whittled the Dragons' lead to twelve, 42-30, heading into the fourth.

Lindale cut Nacogdoches lead to eight points soon after Brown's fourth quarter-opening three-pointer, but Proctor hit two free throws to push the Dragons' lead back to 10 points.

District 16-4A play continues Friday when Nacogdoches hosts Jacksonville. Lindale travels to Whitehouse.