The Smyer Lady Cats faced off against Sterling City in the Area Round of the 2A Division 2 girls basketball playoffs this past Friday at Sands High School, losing to them, 50-43.
The Lady Cats trailed 16-7 after the first quarter and 26-15 at halftime, and they responded by mounting a second-half comeback effort that fell just short.
“We had a slow start and couldn’t get much going offensively,” Lady Cats Head Basketball Coach Todd Nichols said. “However, our defensive effort and relentless pressure gave us a chance in the end. In true Smyer fashion, our girls fought with all they had until the end.”
Standouts for the Lady Cats in the loss included Jada Hernandez with 13 points behind 8/14 free throws made, Rylee Riedel with eight points behind two three-pointers made, Ellie Nelson with seven points, Kaia Brandon with six points and Kira Posadas with four points.
The loss eliminates the Lady Cats from the playoffs and finalizes their 2025-26 record at 21-11 overall.
“I’m so proud of the season we put together,” Coach Nichols said. “The girls came together throughout the season to perform at a high level and give our team a lot of success. Not the end goal we had in mind, but we still have so much to be proud of with another 20-plus win season and a gold ball to add to the trophy case.”
They can walk away from this season pleased with the fact that they won a playoff game for the second consecutive season.