The Ropes Lady Eagles faced off against Reagan County in the Area Round of the 2A Division 1 girls basketball playoffs this past Thursday, edging them out, 39-36, to win the Area Championship.
These two teams played in a thriller back in December, resulting in Reagan County winning 44-41, and the rematch was just as good.
The game was a defensive war that was full of momentum swings, with the Lady Eagles getting the final say.
Ropes trailed by two at halftime but would outscore Reagan County by five in the second half and suffocate them with defensive pressure to secure the win.
“It was gritty, not pretty. These kids have not given up all year. They’re going to put up a fight no matter what, and we did that,” Lady Eagles Head Basketball Coach Marianne Wolfe said. “There were times we could have folded. They made a couple of runs there in the first half. But at halftime, we talked about how we weren’t doing what we had talked about defensively. We made those adjustments.”
Coach Wolfe would go on to credit Rylie Lester and Annabelle Falls specifically, who were assigned defensive duties on Reagan County’s star player, who scored 21 points on them in the first matchup. Lester and Falls held her to 10 points with six of those being from the free throw line, which was crucial in the win.
Offensively, Brooklyn Hogg led the way with 17 points behind three threepointers made, followed by Macie Lehnen with nine points behind three threepointers made, Ella Lehnen and Zailyn Wylie both with four points, Kamdyn Matus with three points and Annabelle Falls with two points.
The win improves the Lady Eagles to 23-11 overall and advances them to the Regional Semifinals Round of the playoffs.
They’ll face #1 ranked Panhandle early in the week, who’s 34-1 overall on a 33game win streak and the undefeated 2A District 2 Champions.
Coach Wolfe acknowledged the challenge of playing the best team in the state but expressed her excitement for the opportunity for the Lady Eagles, and belief that if they take care of the small details, they’ll give Panhandle a run for their money.