Lady Bears beat Jasper

A scheduling conflict caused the game between the Little Cypress Mauriceville Lady Bears and the Jasper Lady Bulldogs to be postponed one day. The Lady Bears beat Jasper 55-46 on Saturday, January 14, at the Dr. Pauline Colburn Hargrove Gymnasium.

The game marked the halfway point of district action for both teams. LCM and Jasper entered the game with 4-1 records in district thus the win by the Lady Bears gives them a one game lead over the Lady Bulldogs and sole possession of second place in the District 19-4A standings behind the only undefeated team in district the Silsbee Lady Tigers.

Three of the Lady Bears were unable to play in Saturday's game including Chrissy Joseph who was out because of concussion protocol. Deniah Sibley was called up from the junior varsity and played well for Little Cypress Mauriceville.

Freshman Eden Frenzel got the scoring started for the Lady Bears. After the Lady Bulldogs got a three point basket Frenzel sank two free throws to regain the lead 4-3 for LCM.

The free throws by Eden sparked the Lady Bears on a 15-point run that included eight points by Keylie Washburn, two free throws by Aubrey Smith, and culminated with a three point basket by Annabelle Fisher. Haelee Fitzhugh canned the last two baskets of the first quarter to give Little Cypress Mauriceville a 21-7 lead.

Somebody put a lid on the Lady Bears basket in the second quarter as they went scoreless until the 2:53 mark when Washburn made a bucket to go into double figures. Frenzel managed to sink two shots which were the only other points for LCM in the period. Little Cypress Mauriceville went to the half leading 27-16 over Jasper.

The second half started like a repeat of the first quarter. The Lady Bears got an opening layup from Fisher. Washburn sank two field goals, one of them for three points, Frenzel added another basket, and Mallory Russell scored to give LCM a 16-point lead at 39-23 with about three minutes left in the third quarter.

After Washburn nailed her fourth three of the game the victory looked pretty secure for Little Cypress Mauriceville. Keylie then took her fourth foul followed shortly thereafter by Fisher committing her fourth personal forcing both to sit on the bench.

Then the Lady Bulldogs began showing their athleticism in the latter portion of the third quarter and were beating the Lady Bears down the court with the basketball. Jasper scored 17 points in the third to cut the LCM lead to nine points with one quarter to play.

The momentum stayed with Jasper at the start of the final period. Mackenzie Clark and Deniah Sibley of LCM scored their lone baskets of the game to stem the tide momentarily before the Lady Bulldogs went on a seven point run to eventually cut the lead to just three points 47-44 in favor of the Lady Bears.

Washburn and Fisher returned to the court and that proved the stopping point for the Jasper rally. Fisher sank three free throws the last two in a clutch one-and-one situation. Washburn rebounded a missed free throw by a Lady Bear and put it back in the hoop for two points. Keylie closed out the scoring with four free throws in the final minute to secure the 55-46 triumph.

The leading scorer for the Lady Bears was Washburn with 25 points. Frenzel finished in double figures with 10 points. Fisher scored 8 in the game.

Lady Bear Coach Eddie Michalko evaluated the big win for his girls. "We knew it was going to be a battle coming in. I'm so proud of the Lady Bears, whether they play good or bad they always play hard," Michalko responded.

The win by Little Cypress Mauriceville came on the heels of another solid victory on Tuesday, January 10, at Lumberton 53-37 against the Lady Raiders. Keylie Washburn was the high scorer for LCM with 20 points followed by 10 points from Eden Frenzel and 8 by Haelee Fitzhugh.

The second half of district began on Tuesday, January 17, when the Lady Bears traveled to play the West Orange Stark Lady Mustangs. Little Cypress Mauriceville won 44-40 in the first meeting with the Lady Mustangs back in December.

West Orange Stark won its next two district games after the loss to LCM, but have fallen on hard times since then. The Lady Mustangs completed the first half with a record of 2-4 in district. The Bridge City Lady Cardinals have struggled and were still looking for their first win in district when they played Jasper on Tuesday, January 17, to open the second half of the district schedule.

Games this Friday will find the Little Cypress Mauriceville Lady Bears playing first place Silsbee in the Dr. Pauline Colburn Hargrove Gymnasium. The West Orange Stark Lady Mustangs and Bridge City Lady Cardinals play in the Competition Gym at Bridge City High School.