Archives > Sports
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
Midseason Progress Report: District 10-5A Girls Basketball
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
After two months of non-district play, it has taken all of two weeks for the District 10-5A girls basketball schedule to reach its midpoint.
Such is life in a six-team district and with five games in the books, here's a look at where things stand in 10-5A girls hoops and what lies ahead as the playoffs draw near:
1. Plano Senior (5-0, originally projected to finish No. 2)
It was natural to assume the Lady Wildcats would be firmly cemented into the district's playoff picture, but to be the lone unbeaten in a district that includes one of the state's top programs?
While Tuesday's 72-62 shocker over West legitimized the Lady Wildcats, the win was no different from the rest of Plano's first-half bull rush of 10-5A. Plano's won all but one of its first five games by double digits and has a district-best 17.6-point margin of victory.
The Lady Wildcats are averaging 62 points per district game and holding opponents to 44.4 points -- the latter being far and away the lowest mark in 10-5A. Plano has imposed its will with size, smothering defense and a nice offensive balance with seniors Wilma Afunugo, Grace Mitchell and Haley Wray.
Not only is Plano sitting pretty in first place, it's looked every bit the part as the district's top team so far.
2. Plano West (4-1, originally projected to finish No. 1)
The Lady Wolves entered 10-5A as a prohibitive favorite and for the state's No. 3 team, anything other than a zero in the loss column goes against expectations.
West now finds itself playing catch-up to the Lady Wildcats after losing its first district game since January 2011. That upset could have come sooner, as West's previous road game featured a nail-biting 65-60 win over Allen.
Beyond those two games, the Lady Wolves have played to their paper in dispatching of McKinney Boyd, McKinney and Plano East by an average of 25.3 points. Offensively, West still sits atop the district at 66.6 points per 10-5A matchup with senior Devri Owens (14.4 points in district) and junior Tyara Warren-Cox (12) leading the charge.
West will enjoy the benefit of three of its final five games being at home, with none bigger than the Feb. 1 rematch against Plano.
3. McKinney Boyd (2-3, originally projected to finish No. 6)
Despite looking potentially overmatched at the start of district play, Boyd finds itself in the thick of things for a playoff spot midway through.
That's nothing to scoff at for a team getting acclimated under first-time head coach Rochelle Vaughn. The Lady Broncos' first two losses came as anticipated in lopsided decisions to West and Plano, and the next two featured a stunning 15-point win over Allen and a narrow loss to an emotionally-charged East squad before rounding out things by toppling rival McKinney.
Senior Julia Hendrieth (17 points per district contest) and junior Haley Carruthers (12) have carried the load for Boyd, although the road ahead gets noticeably tougher with senior Micaela Gonzalez sidelined due to an arm injury.
Crucial games remaining include Jan. 29 at Allen and home to East on Feb. 1.
4. McKinney (2-3, originally projected to finish No. 4)
There hasn't been much middle ground to the Lady Lions' season thus far.
In victory, McKinney is winning by an average of 3.5 points and in defeat, teams are pummeling the Lady Lions by 16.
For a team making its Class 5A debut, McKinney will take any win it can get and fortunately, they're still just one win under .500 and vying for a playoff spot.
A large part of that is a testament to junior Mariah Mitchell, who's making a strong case for the district's Offensive Player of the Year award by averaging a 10-5A-high 20.3 points per game. By comparison, McKinney as a team is sitting at 44.8 points in 10-5A play so far.
There's room for upside though, with four of the Lady Lions' final five games at home.
5. Allen (1-4, originally projected to finish No. 3)
Not exactly the start to district Allen had envisioned when beginning 10-5A play at 17-6.
A 54-44 win at East has served as the Lady Eagles' lone win so far, with the team mired in a four-game slump in which they've surrendered 57.8 points per game -- well off the 45.7 points allowed during non-district.
Offensively, Allen is the lone team without a double-digit scorer in district, although that's balanced out with an even-keeled five players averaging at least seven points.
That scoring has been balanced between the perimeter-centric unit of juniors Anna Horowitz and Ericka May, plus seniors Tammara Turner, Kelsey Paul and Kaitlyn Packett, although the team's ability to rebound and protect the rim had taken a hit with an injury that kept senior Rachel Piles out of the first four district games.
The good fortune for Allen is that three of its final five games are at home -- all of which verge on must-win territory with road outings against West and Plano to be played.
6. Plano East (1-4, originally projected to finish No. 5)
Tuesday's 52-47 win over Boyd was important for East.
Not only did the Lady Panthers capture their first 10-5A win, they did so with as close to a full complement of players as they've had all season.
East soldiered through its first three 10-5A games (and the majority of the season, for that matter) with a roster chalk-full of varsity newcomers and JV call-ups as illness and injury have ravaged the Lady Panthers thus far.
The result was an 0-3 start and 14.3-point margin of defeat, with senior Jordan Welch and freshman Daria McCutcheon anchoring the workload. That will now change, with Tuesday's win over Boyd marking the return of senior Jasmine Caston, who had been sidelined by an ankle injury.
With the team's leading scorer and veteran back in tow, East can move forward in seizing what potential 2013 may hold, but with four consecutive road games ahead the uphill climb for a playoff spot gets no easier.
Projections for the rest of the season
1. Plano Senior (9-1)
2. Plano West (9-1)
3. Allen (4-6)
4. McKinney Boyd (3-7)
5. McKinney (3-7)
6. Plano East (2-8)
For continued news and coverage on the local sports scene, follow @MWelchSCN on Twitter.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: Sports «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
