Lady Leps Season Ends in Third Round of Playoffs
The La Grange girls went to Georgetown Thursday trying to become the first girls basketball team in school history to win a third round playoff game.
But Waco La Vega had other ideas.
The fast, physical Lady Pirates took control of the game early and beat La Grange 65-36.
The Lady Leps end their season with a 13-6 record and district, bidistrict and area titles to their credit
“I’m so proud of what they did this year,” said La Grange head coach Heath Golan. “I told them they overcame so much this year. I went home the day before the season started and was in quarantine for four weeks. They started their season without a head coach, and Coach Williams did a great job while I was gone. They persevered through that, and the ice storm.”
But the regional quarterfinals remain a round the Lady Leps still have never passed. The last La Grange girls hoops team to make it this far was the 2010 team.
“They were pretty tough. We knew what we were coming into, but it was worse when you actually play them,” said La Grange junior Aysia Grant, who scored a team-high 12 points.
“When you are physical like La Vega was, and quick and fast, it throws you out of sorts,” Golan said. “I don’t think we ever really gained our composure.
We were frustrated with the physicality and you have to deal with the speed and quickness they had, we were just outmatched athletically. I could see the frustration setting in.”
The Lady Leps were in foul trouble early Thursday, and three different starters ended up fouling out.
La Vega improved their record to 20-7 overall and play Lumberton in the Sweet 16 round. Nine different La Vega players scored Thursday with freshman Kiyleyah Parr and junior Adri’nae West leading the way with 10 each.
Thursday’s game marked the final high school basketball game for five La Grange seniors: Megan Brothers, Kailee Jones, Ariel Thompson, Ashlynn Golan and Kalyn Hernandez.
“We came a long way with each other,” Thompson said.
“Watching this team grow up from little dribblers — I have a daughter involved in it — it hurts watching this group leave,” Golan said.
The future remains bright, however, as five of the Lady Leps who scored Thursday return next season, including three starters.
2/26/21
Waco La Vega girls 65, La Grange 36
La Grange 6 10 10 10 - 36
La Vega 13 14 18 20 - 65
La Grange scoring: Aysia Grant 12, Kailee Jones 1, Camille Gonzalez 4, Lyric Sampson 5, Maddi Fritz 2, Ashlynn Golan 2, Mel Thompson 7, Keslyn Davis 2, Megan Brothers 1.