Lady Cardinals and Lady Bears do well in tournaments

Girls basketball action locally was very limited leading up to the New Year. Only the Bridge City Lady Cardinals and the Little Cypress Mauriceville Lady Bears played in tournaments the week after Christmas.

Bridge City went to Wimberley for the three day tournament there. The Lady Cardinals started great winning their first four games.

The Lady Cardinals defeated Austin Navarro 49-45 on Thursday in their first game. Whitney Cunningham led Bridge City with 13 points followed by Nicole Sasser who had 10 points. Rylynn Thornton had a strong game for the Lady Cardinals with 7 rebounds.

Later on Thursday Bridge City blasted Lehman 62-45. Leading the Lady Cardinals in scoring was Kennedy Campbell with 20 points, and she had 8 rebounds. Kaylee Britten scored 12 points and made 5 steals as did Nicole Sasser.

The first game on Friday, December 29, for the Lady Cardinals was a 35-29 victory over Austin LASA (Liberal Arts & Science Academy). Whitney Cunningham scored 12 points, Nicole Sasser had 10 points with 6 steals, and Rylynn Thornton tacked on 8 points while grabbing 9 rebounds.

Bridge City won again later on Friday 42-29 over a team from Australia. Kaylee Britten tied Whitney Cunningham as the leading scoring Lady Cardinals with 10 points apiece. Britten also made 9 steals and Cunningham handed out 5 assists. Kennedy Campbell collected 9 points, and Nicole Sasser scored 8 points and made 6 rebounds.

The opponents got tougher on Saturday for Bridge City. The host team Wimberley jumped to a 20-3 lead after the first quarter, and the Lady Cardinals lost 41-31 in their first game on Saturday. Whitney Cunningham and Nicole Sasser scored 7 points each while Kaylee Britten and Kennedy Campbell both had 6 points.

The game for third place pitted the Lady Cardinals against Anderson Shiro and this game really was the pits for Bridge City. Thirty-five turnovers by the Lady Cardinals prevented them from making much of a challenge to Anderson Shiro which captured third place with a 59-29 triumph.

The LCM Lady Bears fared better at the East Chambers Tournament played on Wednesday through Friday, December 27-29 in Winnie. The Lady Bears finished second in the Gold Bracket.

The first game for Little Cypress Mauriceville on Wednesday was a preview of the championship game played on Friday. The Lady Bears edged a very good team from Hallettsville 38-33. Keylie Washburn scored 16 points and Maya Meadows got 10 points to help secure the victory.

Later that day LCM had a little easier time with Kirbyville winning 43-30. Washburn notched 19 points with Mallory Russell tallying 11 points for the Lady Bears.

On the second day of the tournament Little Cypress Mauriceville spanked Splendora 49-38. Keylie had her highest scoring game of the tournament with 24 points. Meadows was the second Lady Bear in double figures with 14 points.

Later on Thursday LCM earned a spot in the Gold Bracket championship game with a resounding 48-17 triumph over Goose Creek Memorial. The Lady Bears had a balanced scoring attack with everyone getting in the scorebook topped by Washburn's 20 points.

The Lady Bears' rematch with Hallettsville on Friday was another defensive battle which Hallettsville won 39-25 resulting in a second place finish for LCM. Keylie was held to 9 points her lowest total of the tournament and about half of what she averaged scoring in the other four games.

Coache Eddie Michalko analyzed the Lady Bears performance in the final game. "We struggled scoring and were fortunate to beat them on the first day. The championship was a very physical game, but Hallettsville just took it to us," Michalko concluded.

District games resumed for local Orange County girls teams on Tuesday. Bridge City (2-1) travelled to Little Cypress Mauriceville (1-1). West Orange-Stark (0-3) played at home against Lumberton. Orangefield (2-1) took on Hardin in Orangefield.

The Bridge City Lady Cardinals have a bye this Friday and play their next game on Tuesday, January 9, at home against the Vidor Lady Pirates. The Little Cypress Mauriceville Lady Bears play at Vidor on Friday and are at home next Tuesday, January 9, against Lumberton. The West Orange-Stark Lady Mustangs play at Jasper on Friday before having their bye on January 9. The Orangefield Lady Bobcats have two more district home games coming up against Warren on Friday and with East Chambers next Tuesday, January 9.