Cubettes Win First Hoops District Title Since 2013

For the first time since 2013, the Round Top-Carmine girls are district basketball champs.

With Tuesday’s 53-49 victory over Fayetteville in the season finale, the Cubettes clinched the crown. The RTC girls have an 11-4 overall record and an 11-1 mark in district.

“We’re known for volleyball, but for basketball it’s been a while,” said RT-C interim head coach Bayley Gold, who stepped in to take over the team a month ago when Caitie Carney went on maternity leave.

Gold has gone 8-0 since taking charge. A 2020 graduate of RT-C herself, Gold played for Carney.

“I look up to her. I have learned so much from her,” Gold said of Carney. “She just had her second little baby girl. My first game as (head) coach, I found out when she texted me about two hours before the game and said ‘good luck.’” Gold said her Cubettes have shown “amazing grit” on their way to this district title.

“They work hard. They scrimmage against our boys,” Gold said. “They know how to play when the pressure gets tough.”

And the pressure certainly got tough Tuesday night as Fayetteville rallied from a 10-point deficit to pull within three points in the closing seconds before RT-C was able to hold on.

The Lady Lions (12-17 overall and 9-3 in district) could have pulled into a threeway tie for the district title with a win, but instead fell into third place. Fayetteville will now face Pettus in the opening round of the playoffs, a team they lost to by one point last postseason.

“The girls came along nicely this season,” Fayetteville head coach Marcus Sodek said. “We switched some things up midway through district. Round Top was just really athletic. They play hard. They deserve it. They shot the ball really well against us tonight.”

Kayme Schley led the way for Fayetteville with 18 points. Cambree Denham added 10 and Rylie Dyer had seven.

RT-C was led by Tess Eilers, who scored 16. Jill Eilers scored 12 and Kim Rohde had seven.

“This means a lot to us,” Tess Eilers said of the district title. “We worked really hard to get here ... in the playoffs we just need to stay confident with each other and keep pushing through.”

“I’m excited for the playoffs,” Gold said. “I think we can make a run.”

The Cubettes are tentatively set to open the playoffs Monday, February 12, at 8 p.m. in Schulenburg against Prairie Lea.

February 6

RTC girls 53, Fayetteville 49 RTC 16 18 8 11 – 53 Fayetteville 12 18 3 16 – 49 RTC scoring: Tess Eilers 16, Jaylen Bage 2, Mallory Krause 12, Jill Eilers 12, Kennedy Flinn 4, Kim Rohde 7.

Fayetteville scoring: Lainey Gromaski 2, Cambree Denham 10, Harper Mau 2, Kayme Schley 18, Devynn Moeckel 6, Rylie Dyer 7.