Westlake didn’t exactly steal a pivotal District 25-5A win Friday at Connally, but Chap senior Kayla Ball wouldn’t argue with that description.

Ball stole an inbounds pass with 10 seconds remaining in the game and sunk one of two free throws, and the Chaps survived a desperation three-point shot from the Cougars in a wild 48-46 win. The victory propelled Westlake (24-6 overall, 9-2 in District 25-5A) into a second-place tie with Connally (23-8, 9-2), and it avenged an earlier home loss to the Cougars.

“Oh my gosh, it’s a big win,” Ball said. “This game and last week [a win over first-place Pflugerville] shows that we can beat these teams and contend for district.”

Chap coach Keith Smith couldn’t argue with his co-captain.

“We probably played our worst game of the year when we lost to Connally earlier,” he said. “It’s huge for us to come in here and get this win.”

The victory came with plenty of anxiety. Connally took a 43-42 lead with 3 minutes, 20 seconds left in the game and appeared ready to build on that slight advantage when Autumn Shead slipped inside for an apparent layup.

However, Chap post Courtney Duever swatted her second shot of the game, which triggered a fast break that resulted in a game-tying free throw from Ball.

Connally then took possession and milked the game clock down to 42 seconds, but the plan to hold for a last shot ended with a travel. Moments later, Hannah Coley launched a three-point shot from the right wing and drew a foul call from the official. She calmly sank all three foul shots, but Connally’s Brittany Roberts nailed a fall-away trey with 13 seconds left to tie the game.

“That’s clutch, right there,” Smith said. “To step up and knock ‘em down in that situation tells you something about Hannah.”

On the ensuing inbounds pass, Cherrell Mays drew a foul and made one of two free throws for the Chaps. As Connally rushed to get the inbounds pass and beat the clock, Ball beat a Cougar to the ball for the steal.

“I just saw the ball coming in and got there first,” she said. “We played really good defense all game, and I thought we all did a good job at the end, too.”

Neither team could get much of a cushion in a give-and-take affair. The largest lead for Connally came at 29-24 midway through the third period, but a 14-1 run gave the Chaps their biggest advantage at 38-31 a minute into the final period.

That lead lasted as long as a 7-0 Cougar run that evened the game, setting up the tense ending.

Coley scored 13 points for the Chaps, including a trio of treys. Duever had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Ball capped the balanced scoring with 13 points and seven boards.

Ball cited Westlake’s posts for their scoring and rebounding, which helped the Chaps secure a 34-24 edge on the glass. Reserve centers Jackie Manzano and Jamie Grace each scored four points and combined for seven rebounds.

“I thought we really took advantage of our size,” she said. “We knew that was definitely an advantage that we had.”

Pflugerville beat Austin High Friday to keep a one-game lead over Westlake and Connally.

News and notes
Connally shot 52 percent in its 57-45 win over Westlake earlier this month, including 6-for-11 from three-point range; Friday, the Cougars shot 36.7 percent from the field and made five of 18 treys. … Westlake turned it over 13 times, compared to 14 for Connally. … Brittany Roberts led Connally with 14 points.

Box score
Jan. 29

Westlake 48, Connally 46

Westlake 15 6 16 11 – 48
Connally 13 9 9 15 – 46

Westlake (24-6, 9-2) – Ambrose 0-3 0-0 0, Minutaglio 0-0 0-0 0, Coley 3-12 4-5 13, Ball 3-6 3-6 10, Duever 5-12 3-5 13, Grace 1-2 2-2 4, Davis 0-0 0-0 0, Mays 1-7 2-4 4, Manzano 2-3 0-0 4 . Totals 15-45 14-22 48.

Connally (23-8, 9-2) – Roberts 5-11 2-5 14, Rucker 3-8 0-1 6, Jerrell 4-11 0-0 9, Dukes 4-11 1-1 9, Franklin 1-4 0-0 2, Babola 1-2 0-0 2, Shead 0-2 2-2 2, Hardin 0-0 0-0 0, Berry 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-49 5-9 46.

3-Point goals: Westlake 4-18 (Coley 3-10, Ball 1-2, Mays 0-3, Ambrose 0-3), Connally 5-18 (Roberts 2-5, Dukes 2-4, Jerrell 1-5, Rucker 0-3). Rebounds: Westlake 34 (Duever 10), Connally 24 (Roberts 4). Assists: Westlake 7 (Coley 2), Connally 9 (Jerrell 4). Steals: Westlake 7 (Duever 3), Connally 4 (Jerrell 2). Blocks: Westlake 1 (Duever 1), Connally 2 (Dukes 1, Shead 1). Turnovers: Westlake 13, Connally 14. Total fouls: Westlake 13, Connally 15.