Girls basketball: Vernon, Crowell in playoffs
Early 43, Vernon 37
The Vernon Lady Lions basketball season came to an end with a bi-district loss to Early 43-37 on Monday. Vernon ends its season with a 21-10 record.
The Lady Lions came out strong, taking a 14-10 lead after one quarter. Vernon lead 24-23 at halftime.
A cold shooting third quarter saw Early take a 1-point lead into the fourth, 33-32. And the Lady Lions fell behind by seven 39-32 with five minutes left in the game.
Vernon made a run, Key’maria McBride hit two free throws, then Mari Johnson stole a pass and raced in for a layup and drew a foul. With her free throw, the lead was cut to 39-37 with 2:35 left. But the Lady Lions ended up stuck at 37. Vernon forced five turnovers in the next 90 seconds, but couldn’t buy a bucket, missing their final seven shots, as Early hit four free throws to seal the win.
Early 10 13 10 11 –43
Vernon 14 10 8 5 – 37
Vernon: Key’Maria McBride 15, Mari Johnson 8, Mija Johnson 6, Lily Beam 6, Nadia Gaines 2.
Aspermont 57, Crowell 31
The Lady Wildcats were shorthanded with three starters out with injuries, but still put up a strong fight in Region II-A Division II bi-district game Monday, falling 57-31 to Aspermont.
Aspermont used a 15-0 run to start the game and lead 21-7 after one quarter. The Lady Wildcats got seven points from Jaylee Rodriguez to whittle into the lead and trail 29-17 at half. Crowell opened the third with a three-pointer to get the lead to single digits, but the Wildcats couldn’t keep up to the hot-shooting Hornets who responded with a 13-0 run to take a 46-23 lead after three quarters
Vernon 51, Iowa Park 42
The Vernon Lions ended the regular season with a 51-42 win over Iowa Park on Tuesday. With the win the Lady Lions advanced into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed out of District 7-3A Division1 to face Early in the playoffs.
The Lady Lions led at halftime 25-23, But Iowa Park rallied in the third and the Lady Lions trailed by 8 to start the fourth quarter. Vernon kicked their press into high gear, and senior Key’Maria McBride took the team on her shoulders as she scored 10 points in the quarter. The Lady Lions outscored the Lady Hawks 22-5 in the final frame to claim the win. McBride had 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals in the win. Mijah Johnson had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Lily Beam scored 11 points with six steals and 4 rebounds.
Iowa Park was outscored by 10 at the charity stripe. The Lady Hawks went 8 of 17 from the free throw line, including just 3 for 11 in the second half, while Vernon went 9 of 10 in the fourth quarter and was 18 for 28 in the game.
Vernon 17 8 4 22 – 51
Iowa Park 7 16 14 5 — 42
Leading scorers: (V) Mijah Johnson 14, Key’Maria McBride 13, Lily Beam 11, Mara Johnson 7, Gaines 2, Waggoner 2, Maxwell 2; (IP) Raylee Huse 20, Ingersoll 7, Fallon 6, Berrett 2, Bodkin 2, Coombes 2, Hinton 1, Shierry 1.
