Sometimes, basketball boils down to the game James Naismith invented in that clapboard gym in Massachusetts.

Good shooting can help a team overcome many obstacles, and such old-fashioned marksmanship propelled Connally to an impressive 57-45 win at Westlake Tuesday.

Led by former Chap coach Laura Zouzalik, the Cougars (18-6 overall, 4-0 in district) shot 51 percent from the floor and made six of their 11 three-points in a strong statement early in the District 25-5A race. In comparison, Westlake (17-6, 2-2) shot 16-of-49 from the field while getting trigger-happy from behind the three-point line.

“That was the whole game right there,” Westlake coach Keith Smith said. “I don’t know what we shot, but I know it wasn’t good. And they shot the ball real well.”

In particular, the Cougars shot the ball well during a pivotal 13-1 run in the heart of the third period. Seniors Jasmine Dukes (20 points) and Brittany Roberts (14 points) combined for all of Connally’s points in that span, while the Chaps errantly fired away from behind the three-point line.

That Connally spurt broke a 26-26 halftime draw, and it proved too much for the Chaps to overcome.

“We came back to tie it at half, and I felt pretty good about our chances,” Smith said. “Then, in that third quarter, we just played God-awful.”

With Connally nestled into a zone, the Chaps took the defensive dare and fired off 24 three-point shots. They made only four, however, and apparently played into the hands of the Cougar defense.

Westlake shot 12-of-25 from two-point range, and Chap post Courtney Duever dominated in the paint with 20 points and 16 rebounds.

“We had been shooting the ball really well [from three-point range], but it’s about knocking them down, and we didn’t do that tonight,” Smith said.

News and notes

Westlake outrebounded Connally 38-23. In addition to 16 boards by Courtney Duever, forward Kayla Ball had nine rebounds, and guard Cherrell Mays pulled down five rebounds. … Duever and Ball combined for 30 points and all nine of the Chaps’ assists. … All nine of guard Hannah Coley’s shots came from behind the three-point line. She made two treys.

Box score

Jan. 5
Connally 57, Westlake 45

Connally 19 7 18 13 – 57
Westlake 14 12 9 10 – 45

Connally (18-6, 4-0) – Roberts 5-9 2-2 14, Rucker 1-4 0-0 3, Jerrell 5-9 1-2 12, Dukes 7-13 4-5 20, Shead 3-6 0-0 6, Berry 0-0 0-0 0, Franklin 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 22-43 7-9 57.
Westlake (17-6, 2-2) – Mays 2-12 0-0 5, Coley 2-9 0-0 6, Ball 3-8 3-4 10, Manzano 1-1 0-0 2, Duever 7-14 6-10 20, Grace 0-0 0-0 0, Minutaglio 1-3 0-0 2, Ambrose 0-2 0-0 0, Davis 0-0 0-0 0, Bell 0-1 0-0 0, Roberts 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-49 9-14 45.

3-Point goals: Connally 6-11 (Roberts 2-3, Dukes 2-5, Jerrell 1-1, Rucker 1-2), Westlake 4-24 (Coley 2-9, Ball 1-1, Mays 1-7, Minutaglio 0-2, Ambrose 0-2). Rebounds: Connally 23 (Roberts 5, Shead 5), Westlake 38 (Duever 16). Assists: Connally 11 (Roberts 3), Westlake 9 (Ball 5). Steals: Connally 3 (Jerrell 2), Westlake 2 (Duever 1, Minutaglio 1). Blocks: Connally 1 (Dukes), Westlake 2 (Coley 1, Duever 1). Turnovers: Connally 8, Westlake 15. Total fouls: Connally 13, Westlake 15.