Sports > Schools
11-5A GIRLS BASKETBALL: Rowlett, Naaman Forest win to maintain seed pecking order going into playoffs
By DEVIN HASSON, dhasson@starlocalnews.com
The four 11-5A playoff-bound girls basketball teams entered the final day of the regular season on Tuesday knowing that there were a number of potential tiebreaker situations that could still occur.
District races can often get complicated at this time of the year, but for one of the rare times, simplicity won out.
Rowlett held off a late charge by Lakeview to post a 58-56 victory and Naaman Forest outlasted Sachse in overtime, 42-39.
That means the district seedings stayed the same as they were when the night began and all four teams can now turn their attention to the playoffs.
The Eagles (22-8) improved to 11-1 in 11-5A to capture the outright district championship. Rowlett meant business coming out of the gates, outscoring Lakeview 22-8 to start the game.
But the Patriots quickly let it be known that they were not going away. They chipped seven points off the deficit before halftime and were down 44-37 through three quarters.
It got even tighter in the fourth, with Lakeview actuallly having a shot to tie it, but it came up empty.
The game within the game was the scoring battle between Rowlett's Dominique Oliver and Lakeview's Daja Chase. Both finished the game with 25 points, but it was Oliver's teammates who were able to provide just a little more support.
With the Patriots' loss, Sachse could have moved into a tie for third place and it nearly did just that before falling short in overtime.
The Mustangs dug themselves an early nine-point hole but held Naaman Forest to just two points in the second quarter to claw back to within 17-12.
Sachse continued to chip away, getting the deficit down to two through three quarters and then tying it at 36-36 at the end of regulation.
However, the Mustangs' offense dried up again in the extra frame, as the Rangers outscored them 6-3 in the final four minutes.
Lorian Benjamin scored eight points for Sachse, with Monica Dorsey and Alexis Rene each adding seven.
Naaman Forest was led by Kaitlyn Holly with 18 points and Micayla Buckner with 13.
Looking ahead to the playoffs, top-seeded Rowlett will play Longview, the fourth-place team from 12-5A, in a Class 5A bi-district playoff game on Monday at 7 p.m. at Lindale High School.
Sachse draws 12-5A champion Horn on Monday at 7 p.m. at Poteet. Naaman Forest will face Rockwall at a time and place to be determined, while Lakeview squares off with 12-5A runner-up Mesquite on Monday at 7 p.m. at Royse City.
FRIDAY
A team should never celebrate until the final buzzer, but Rowlett could be excused for doing so a little early on Friday night.
The Eagles clinched a share of the 11-5A championship for the first time in more than a decade with a 68-9 rout of North Garland.
This game was never in doubt, as the Eagles used first-half runs of 18-1 and 25-5 to take a 43-6 lead into halftime. Rowlett's second string did the job, as well, holding North Garland scoreless in the third quarter and closing with a 12-3 run.
Sarah Salamah had 12 points, Taylee Alexander scored 11 and Lydia Williams chipped in with nine for the Eagles.
Sachse kept its hopes for third place alive on Friday with a 65-32 win over South Garland. Led by 22 points from Alexis Rene and 10 from Courtney Blankenship, the Mustangs came up big in the third quarter, using a 20-6 run to turn an 11-point lead into a 50-25 blowout.
Alexis Hill led the Colonels with 22 points.
STANDINGS
xy-Rowlett 11-1 22-8
x-Naaman Forest 10-2 18-14
x-Lakeview 8-4 16-15
x-Sachse 7-5 15-14
Garland 4-8 6-23
South Garland 2-10 7-22
North Garland 0-12 2-18
x-clinched playoff berth
y-clinched share of district title
Tuesday's Results
Rowlett 58, Lakeview 56
Naaman Forest 42, Sachse 39 (OT)
Garland 63, North Garland 42
South Garland, bye
Friday's Results
Rowlett 68, North Garland 9
Sachse 65, South Garland 32
Naaman Forest 56, Garland 36
Lakeview, bye
Class 5A Bi-District Playoffs
Rowlett vs. Longview
Monday, 7 p.m. at Lindale High School
Sachse vs. Horn
Monday, 7 p.m. at Poteet High School
Lakeview vs. Mesquite
Monday, 7 p.m. at Royse City High School
Naaman Forest vs. Rockwall
TBD
District races can often get complicated at this time of the year, but for one of the rare times, simplicity won out.
Rowlett held off a late charge by Lakeview to post a 58-56 victory and Naaman Forest outlasted Sachse in overtime, 42-39.
That means the district seedings stayed the same as they were when the night began and all four teams can now turn their attention to the playoffs.
The Eagles (22-8) improved to 11-1 in 11-5A to capture the outright district championship. Rowlett meant business coming out of the gates, outscoring Lakeview 22-8 to start the game.
But the Patriots quickly let it be known that they were not going away. They chipped seven points off the deficit before halftime and were down 44-37 through three quarters.
It got even tighter in the fourth, with Lakeview actuallly having a shot to tie it, but it came up empty.
The game within the game was the scoring battle between Rowlett's Dominique Oliver and Lakeview's Daja Chase. Both finished the game with 25 points, but it was Oliver's teammates who were able to provide just a little more support.
With the Patriots' loss, Sachse could have moved into a tie for third place and it nearly did just that before falling short in overtime.
The Mustangs dug themselves an early nine-point hole but held Naaman Forest to just two points in the second quarter to claw back to within 17-12.
Sachse continued to chip away, getting the deficit down to two through three quarters and then tying it at 36-36 at the end of regulation.
However, the Mustangs' offense dried up again in the extra frame, as the Rangers outscored them 6-3 in the final four minutes.
Lorian Benjamin scored eight points for Sachse, with Monica Dorsey and Alexis Rene each adding seven.
Naaman Forest was led by Kaitlyn Holly with 18 points and Micayla Buckner with 13.
Looking ahead to the playoffs, top-seeded Rowlett will play Longview, the fourth-place team from 12-5A, in a Class 5A bi-district playoff game on Monday at 7 p.m. at Lindale High School.
Sachse draws 12-5A champion Horn on Monday at 7 p.m. at Poteet. Naaman Forest will face Rockwall at a time and place to be determined, while Lakeview squares off with 12-5A runner-up Mesquite on Monday at 7 p.m. at Royse City.
FRIDAY
A team should never celebrate until the final buzzer, but Rowlett could be excused for doing so a little early on Friday night.
The Eagles clinched a share of the 11-5A championship for the first time in more than a decade with a 68-9 rout of North Garland.
This game was never in doubt, as the Eagles used first-half runs of 18-1 and 25-5 to take a 43-6 lead into halftime. Rowlett's second string did the job, as well, holding North Garland scoreless in the third quarter and closing with a 12-3 run.
Sarah Salamah had 12 points, Taylee Alexander scored 11 and Lydia Williams chipped in with nine for the Eagles.
Sachse kept its hopes for third place alive on Friday with a 65-32 win over South Garland. Led by 22 points from Alexis Rene and 10 from Courtney Blankenship, the Mustangs came up big in the third quarter, using a 20-6 run to turn an 11-point lead into a 50-25 blowout.
Alexis Hill led the Colonels with 22 points.
STANDINGS
xy-Rowlett 11-1 22-8
x-Naaman Forest 10-2 18-14
x-Lakeview 8-4 16-15
x-Sachse 7-5 15-14
Garland 4-8 6-23
South Garland 2-10 7-22
North Garland 0-12 2-18
x-clinched playoff berth
y-clinched share of district title
Tuesday's Results
Rowlett 58, Lakeview 56
Naaman Forest 42, Sachse 39 (OT)
Garland 63, North Garland 42
South Garland, bye
Friday's Results
Rowlett 68, North Garland 9
Sachse 65, South Garland 32
Naaman Forest 56, Garland 36
Lakeview, bye
Class 5A Bi-District Playoffs
Rowlett vs. Longview
Monday, 7 p.m. at Lindale High School
Sachse vs. Horn
Monday, 7 p.m. at Poteet High School
Lakeview vs. Mesquite
Monday, 7 p.m. at Royse City High School
Naaman Forest vs. Rockwall
TBD
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