The Anton Lady Dawgs hosted the #8 ranked Whitharral Lady Panthers for a district basketball matchup, resulting in the Lady Panthers winning 6428 and securing the district title.
After a close matchup in the first meeting of the two teams where the Lady Panthers won by seven points, there was no room for doubt in the rematch as Whitharral dominated.
"We are finally overall healthier than we have been in over a month,” Lady Panthers Head Basketball Coach Madison Ortega said. “We knew we could’ve played better in the first round, so we worked really hard to get back to a point where we could perform at a higher level. It was personal for us. We wanted to be undefeated district champions, and we knew we would have to play hard to accomplish that.”
They certainly did perform at a higher level led by a killer 36-point performance from Paige Smith, which was powered by three threepointers made and 11/12 free throws made.
Other Lady Panthers scorers included Valeria Frias with 10 points, Aerieana Rodriguez and Sheridan Neal both with seven points, and Kalyn Bates with four points. Their offensive efforts paired with a suffocating defensive effort that kept Anton from scoring 30 points, contributed to the blowout win to secure the undisputed district title.
Coach Ortega credited that district title to the commitment to hard work and improvement from her girls, also praising their perseverance through injuries along the way this season.
The Lady Panthers conclude the regular season at 25-7 overall and 10-0 in district play following the win, while the loss drops the Lady Dawgs to 17-8 overall and 8-2 in district play.
Scorers for the Lady Dawgs included Miliana Castillo and Alisiah Alafa both with 10 points, Naliyah Cooper with four points, Alyssa Mancias with three points and Liberty Peek with one point.
It’s a disappointing result to fall a game short of the district title, but they can still hold their heads high with a district runner-up finish and a playoff ticket punched.
Both teams will be back in action on Monday night for their first-round playoff matchups with the Lady Dawgs facing Klondike at Post High School at 6 p.m. and the Lady Panthers facing Sands at Tahoka High School at 6:30 p.m.