Jamie Grace and Liz Carter combined for 47 points and 23 rebounds Friday night as the Westlake girls basketball team took another step closer to the playoffs by defeating the visiting Akins Lady Eagles 62-57.
With a berth secured, Westlake is one game ahead of Bowie (6-3 in district) for second place with one game to play, the regular-season finale Tuesday which has the Chaps (22-9, 7-2 District) visiting Bowie.
With Westlake leading by seven points going into the fourth quarter, Chaps coach Allison Wooley knew that to win the game, her team would have to change their focus.
“I told them that, offensively, we could score at will, but defensively we had to get stops,” Wooley said. “I wouldn’t say we locked them down, but once defense became our focus it really helped us get the win.”
Wooley’s words made an impact, as Westlake — using a full-court press — was able to hold Akins (9-22, 2-7) to 15 points in the final period en route to their seventh win in eight contests.
After a lackluster first quarter, which resulted in a 10-7 Westlake lead, the teams turned up the pressure as the Lady Eagles and Lady Chaps both utilized early presses to create turnovers. However, Westlake took advantage of the weak Akins pressure, quickly jumping 24-15 lead behind multiple fast break layups from Grace.
Grace, a 6-2 Texas State University-commit, was able to run the floor with ease against the smaller Lady Eagle defenders, resulting in 13 second quarter points for the all-district star. Not only being extremely effective in the paint, but also being able to knock down the mid-range jumpers, Grace proved that her versatility helps propel the team to victory.
Grace finished the evening with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
“I love playing in the paint,” Grace said of her roles, “but I love getting the opportunities, like tonight, where I can step out and hit some jumpers.”
Also helping the Lady Chaps to the 28-22 first-half lead was Liz Carter, who contributed seven of her 22 total points in the second quarter.
“There isn’t a better person to go up against every day in practice than Jamie,” Carter said of her teammate. “She’s such a mentor to me and I love grinding it out on the court alongside her, especially when we get wins.”
However, the Lady Eagles were not willing to go down without a fight in the second half, as guard Kelli Miles dropped in two of five three pointers as she fought for 22 points on the night.
The fourth quarter proved to be strikingly similar to the second quarter. After allowing the Lady Eagles to get within two points of the lead with six minutes remaining, Grace and Carter got to work again, creating havoc on defense and working together for success on offense.
“They compliment each other so much,” Wooley said. “We come into every game with the opponent knowing who Jamie is — they know that she’s a big presence inside. Liz is the trashcan. She will pick up anything and put it back in.”
Lady Eagles forward Sarah Hemmitt also added 17 points, but it wasn’t enough as Westlake got the best of the faulty Lady Eagles 62-57.
Anderson will win the district title, sitting at 9-0 after Friday night. Akins and Austin High are both 2-7 while Del Valle is 1-8.

Although Akins is winless in District 15-5A, Westlake went down to the wire with the Eagles for the second time this season to pull out a win.
The Chaps (21-8, 6-1) needed a last-second miss by Akins (12-17, 0-7) to secure a 66-64 win on the road Friday night, overcoming foul trouble to stay tied atop the district. Earlier this season Westlake needed an overtime frame to topple Akins and its furious, frantic attacking offense.
“In our district it’s really competitive, everyone sees Westlake and think it’s their shot,” senior forward Drew Wikelius said. “This whole season we’ve been doing really well. We’ve had some close games, we beat them in overtime at Westlake, but we’ve been able to come back and take big hits and still win them.”
It seemed every quarter had a different hero for the Chaps along the way, with Will Morse, Wikelius, Chase Carlton and RJ Rowan each taking turns. Wikelius had 10 in the first quarter, Morse scored nine in the second, Carlton posted 10 points in the third quarter and the fourth featured just nine points by the Chaps.
“Our bench really came through today and helped us a lot, we had some foul issues,” coach Tres Ellis said. “That’s the great thing about the team that we have, we can go to some other guys when we need them.”
Morse finished with an impressive line of 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists while sinking 8 of 12 free throws. Wikelius was in and out of the game with foul trouble but still managed to post a team-high 17 points and six boards.
Carlton added 12 points, 10 of which came in the third quarter as he aggressively attacked the basket and put Westlake back in front, while Rowan had eight of his 11 points in the second half.
“We played a lot of tight games but the fact we can hold them out and win them is good,” Carlton said. “The first half (shots) weren’t falling so I figured in the second half, they would. I kept shooting, kept trusting my shot.”
At 6-1 in district, the Chaps have not won a game by more than eight points as they are now tied with Bowie for the district lead. Furthermore, Westlake hasn’t had a lot of games decided by a wide margin, win or loss.
“We were just talking about that actually,” Morse said. “If we get in any tight games, we’ve got a really good record in those tight games and we’ll be prepared for those tight ones when playoffs come around.”

Down to the wire
The Chaps had a 13-5 lead at one point but it was down to 20-17 at the end of the first quarter. In the second frame, Akins kept firing and went to the break with a 41-34 edge as Westlake stopped crashing to the basket and started to try and answer every Eagles make.
“Their shots started falling and I think we started to panic a little bit,” Wikelius said. “Then we got away from what we were doing and that’s what got them back in it. “
After the break, Westlake came out and regained the lead thanks to Carlton and Rowan, but the Chaps couldn’t create any separation to put the Eagles away.
In the pivotal fourth quarter, Akins was able to pull even at 57-57 with 6:27 left to play, but a 3-pointer from the left wing by Rowan gave the Chaps a lead they would not relinquish again.
“They tried to spread us out, and it’s a good strategy obviously,” said Ellis of Akins one-on-one approach. “And obviously what we want to do is go into our big guys because we have a size advantage. When we got away from that for a little bit that’s when they got ahead.”
With the game at 62-61 Chaps, Wikelius made a nice move in the post and pushed the lead back to three, but a layup on the other end made it a one-point margin yet again.
After finally getting into the bonus, Morse knocked down two freebies with 26 seconds left to make it a 66-63 game.
Instead of going for the tie Akins attacked the hoop and got a foul, but made just one to give the ball back to the Chaps still trailing by two. However, just moments after making the clutch free throws, Morse threw the ball away amidst full-court pressure and Akins had one last shot at it.
Again, the home team tried to go for two instead of three and a long 2-pointer rimmed out to seal the win for Westlake.
“They came and gave us their best shot,” Carlton said. “We didn’t have the best first half, but we came back and took it to them and busted out of it.”
The Chaps looked like they would run away with the game early.
In the beginning, the Chaps were cutting hard to the hoop and finding open teammates with crisp passes for easy buckets. Then the Eagles simply caught fire in the second quarter and drained nearly every shot they put up, propelling Akins to a seven-point halftime lead.
The Westlake defense was noticeably different after halftime. Fredd Richardson had 18 points and the break and the Eagles had shot 6-for-8 on 3’s. After the break, Richardson had just two more points and Akins went 0-for-3 from outside, not getting many open looks.
“When they would try to take one of our guys one-on-one we would go back down and feel like we would have to do the same thing, which isn’t our game,” Morse said. “We broke down on defense and they were unconscious shooting, we just didn’t play very good defense but we picked it up in the second half.”

Key plays, key game
Some key plays kept the Chaps in control. Heading into halftime senior guard Holden Penn made a big 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut Akins lead down from 10 to seven. Just before the third quarter buzzer sounded, Rowan faked a shot and leaned to the right for an open angle over a defender, launched and swished through a trey to take Westlake’s lead from one point up to 57-53, six crucial points in a two-point win.
“Somebody different will come up, like Holden tonight,” Ellis said. “He hit the 3 right before halftime, which was big, and he hasn’t seen the floor in a couple of games. But he stepped right in did what we needed to when we needed it, and I’m really proud of him for that.”
Jordan Severt banged in the paint on both sides of the ball and finished with six points, eight rebounds and three assists. Blake Box added four boards and two steals to go with four points, and Rowan nailed all three of his 3’s.
The Chaps went 14 of 20 from the line while Akins shot a woeful 4-for-13 from the charity stripe.
Now the Chaps will play Bowie (22-6, 6-1) Tuesday for the sole rights to first place in District 15-5A. Westlake won the first meeting, 67-60, and the tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Westlake.
After losing to Bowie Friday night, Anderson is now 4-3 in district. Austin High sits in fourth place at 3-4 after beating Del Valle, which is now 2-5 in district.
“We played a lot of tight games but the fact we can hold them out and win them is good,” Carlton said. “We’re first in district right now and we’re happy about that.”

AUSTIN— It took a defensive stop, and a little good fortune, in the final seconds for Westlake to secure a 55-54 win Friday night on the road against Austin High.

With the Chaps (19-8, 4-1 District 15-5A) clinging to a one-point lead with 2.4 seconds remaining in the game, the Maroons’ Matt Jones missed an open baseline 3-pointer to seal the district win for Westlake.

“(The Maroons) ran a great play and got the shot off,” Westlake coach Tres Ellis said of the final play, “but we took away their key player, and forced (Jones) to take the shot. It paid off.”

After winning the opening tip, the Chaps quickly got off to the type of start their accustomed to— utilizing effective half-court offense and perimeter ball movement. Led by junior Will Morse and senior post Drew Wikelius, Westlake was able to jump out to an early 12-0 run that consumed the first six minutes of the game, a needed early spark after the start against Anderson the game before.

However, Austin High (16-0, 2-3) was able to steadily chop the lead, largely in part to Maroons forward Patrick Strake. Strake showed poise from beyond the arc and grit in the paint, drawing many fouls early and, in turn, headed to the free-throw line where he was 5-for-8 on the night.

Wikelius, who, despite having 14 points for the Chaps, made his biggest contribution came on the defensive end, was assigned the task of guarding the 6-6 Strake

“He’s a tough player, they go to him every time,” Wikelius said. “You’ve got to play him straight up but have to make a note to play with good principles and not let him get the best of you.”

Strake led the game’s scorers with 21 points.

Holding onto a 30-25 advantage at the half, Westlake needed another interior presence to help slow Strake, who was wearing on Wikelius’ sole effort.

That’s when Jordan Severt stepped up.

Though being an offensive non-factor through the first half, Severt, a sophomore, increased his scoring production in the third quarter. After guard RJ Rowan missed an early-half layup attempt, Severt bullied through the lane and controlled the rebound, putting it back up (and in) for two of his five points in the quarter.

“I had heard about the competiveness of this game from the older guys, and I know to get my points, I would have to be physical down there,” he said. “It’s always different, you’ve just got to get big (in the paint).”

With the score knotted at 37-37 in the third quarter, Severt and Wikelius used their familiarity with each other to hold off a reenergized Austin attack. After receiving the ball in the post, Wikelius spun towards to hoop to and found a wide-open Severt for an easy layup.

“When I feel that double-team coming, I know exactly where to look,” Wikelius said of his teammate, Severt. “He is always in the right spot when I need him the most.”

Severt would finish with five points, all in the third quarter.

Though leading by as much as 12 in the game, Westlake took only a two-point lead into the fourth quarter, and the Maroons were determined to make the Chaps fight for the ‘W’.

Fight, they did.

Westlake’s guard play proved vital during the final period, as Morse, Chase Carlton, and Cole Norton all contributed in the back-and-forth quarter. Norton, a senior who has missed games recently due to injury, provided four of his 11 points in the quarter but effectively allowed the Chaps to rotate guards with ease in crunch time.

Morse, who tallied 11 points on the night, sparked the Chaps with a hard drive for two following a controversial charge taken by Norton with just under two minutes remaining.

With the ball and 20 seconds remaining, Strake was fouled hard by Wikelius, resulting in two made free throws and a one-point margin, 55-54. With the gymnasium electrified, Morse was immediately fouled, missing the front-end of a 1-and-1 situation, giving Austin a final chance to score.

The Maroons, eager, yet unable, to get the ball to Strake, had to settle with a long inbound pass to sophomore guard Matt Jones in the corner for a three-point attempt. Unlike his other 12 points, however, this one didn’t go in the goal.

The Chaps look to continue winning as they host Del Valle Tuesday night.

In other 15-5A games Friday night:

Bowie (4-1) beat Akins (0-5) 65-52

Anderson (3-2) defeated Del Valle (2-3) 52-41

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Some goals were met while one big goal still stayed out of the Westlake girls basketball team’s grasp in a 56-38 win over visiting Austin High Friday night.

Coming off a three-point loss to Anderson and a one-point win over Bowie in which the Chaps were outplayed and outscored in the first quarter, Westlake came out intent on putting pressure on the Lady Maroons from the tip.

That much was accomplished as Westlake (21-9, 5-2 in District 15-5A) held a 9-0 lead in the first and was up 31-11 at halftime.

After the break, though, the team misfired on the larger goal of playing four solid quarters, as Austin High (1-6 in district) snuck back into the game with a 16-6 advantage in the third frame before the Chaps closed out the win.

“It was a real priority that we go out there and execute our plays,” said senior post Jamie Grace. “We were a little frustrated they closed the lead, but I wasn’t too worried. I knew we were going to come out and have a strong fourth quarter.”

To start the game, four quick points from Liz Carter (on her birthday), three from Angelica Martinez and two points by Christine Northington put the Chaps ahead 9-0 in less than two minutes of play.

While Austin High would close the gap to end the quarter, Westlake came out scorching the nets and swarming on defense in the second quarter to outscore Austin High 15-1.

“Our goal was to get them to call a timeout within the first two minutes of the game, that’s the goal we always have but we stressed it tonight and they did a good job of stepping up early,” coach Allison Wooley said. “Then we kind of dropped off.”

For as dominant as the Chaps looked in the second quarter, they were equally as sloppy to start the second half.

Mason nailed a 3-pointer to put Westlake up 34-11, but Austin High scored the next eight points to make it 34-19. By the quarter’s end the Lady Maroons had pulled within 37-27, and got within eight points at 44-36 with just 4:27 left to play.

“I said now’s the time to turn it up, they’re trying to creep into this game and if we don’t take care of business they’ll find a way,” she said. “Tonight was  little bit more scary than id like it to be.”

Kamri Ball provided a spark and finished with a game-high 14 points, Martinez scored 11, Sarah Mason added 10 points and Grace finished with nine.

“I think we just need to trust ourselves,” Grace said. “We need to go out and play our game but so far we play good three quarters. If we can put a full four quarters together we’ll be unstoppable. I definitely think we’re reaching that goal and learning every time we come out on the court, we’ll be looking real good  going into playoffs.”

With just three district games remaining, the Chaps are running out of time to work out that last kink, though the team hopes the letdown in the second half is the last one.

“Honestly, even though Anderson was a loss I saw some great things coming out of that game,” Wooley said. “Bowie the same thing, we won that one but as far as getting it done together we’ve done a good job.”

Seeing the team pull back together when the game got tight was a big key, Wooley said.
“Tonight I think we lost our cool a little bit,” she said. “I don’t think it’s anything we can’t come back from, but letting it happen now, getting that negative energy out a little bit now is much better compared to later.”

Westlake takes to the road after a stretch of home games, playing at Del Valle 7 p.m. Tuesday.

In other 15-5A games Friday:

Anderson (6-0) topped Del Valle (1-5) 52-14

Bowie (5-2) beat Akins (2-5) 61-42

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AUSTIN – As the shots clanged it was clear the Westlake boys basketball team was going to have to overcome a cold shooting night to take down host Anderson Tuesday night.

Despite a quick burst in the third quarter, the Chaparrals (18-8, 3-1) could not get past a poor start in a 67-47 loss at Anderson (2-2).

Will Morse put in eight of his 10 points in the first half and RJ Rowan had 10 points as well for Westlake. Drew Wikelius added nine points, but both Rowan and Wikelius were held scoreless in the first half.

“We didn’t make many shots and played really poor,” coach Tres Ellis said. “They are very good. We just came out and they hit shots early, and we didn’t, that was the difference. We never got over the hump.”

Westlake trailed early and fell behind 12-4 after one, and just as the Chaps started to put up a few more points, the Trojans were right with them and took a 30-18 lead to the break.

Headed into the half the Chaps were confident they were on the verge of seeing shots go down.

“We should win the game, at halftime (that’s what we talked about) because we shot 23 percent in the first half, and we were fine,” Ellis said. “But the stats didn’t work out for us.”

In the third, Anderson’s John Gramlich, who scored a game-high 23 points, swished through a 3-pointer to make it 35-22.

That’s when the Chaps caught a spark and scored the next six points on an inside score by Wikelius, followed by consecutive buckets by Rowan on a nice layup, then a nifty spin move and lay-in to pull within single-digits, 35-26 with 4:38 left in the third.

Westlake would pull within nine twice more, but no closer.

A three-point play by Vincent DeBlasio made it a nine-point game again at 38-29 with 2:29 to go. Then, after another bucket by Hayden Graham (15 points), Rowan answered with a layup to make it  40-31, but the Trojans relentless pursuit on the offensive glass kept the lead padded.

“They kept rebounding well. We just didn’t get enough rebounds on the defensive side and gave them too many shots still,” Ellis said.

As for the district standings quickly becoming bunched at the top, with Bowie beating Del Valle and Austin High topping Akins, Ellis expects that trend to continue. “No doubt,” he said.

Blake Box had six points for the Chaps, and both DeBlasio and Chase Carlton finished with five points.

Westlake and Bowie are now 3-1, while Del Valle, Austin High and Anderson are 2-2 with Akins at 0-4 in district.

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AUSTIN — The Westlake boys basketball team came into Bowie Friday night with a goal in mind — stand alone atop District 15-5A.

It took four quarters of back-and-forth lead changes until the Chaparrals were able to hold on in the final minutes to oust the host Bulldogs, 67-60, claiming the current title of sole District 15-5A leaders.

Led by senior guard RJ Rowan’s 24 points, the Chaps tested Bowie’s loose zone by unleashing an early bombardment of 3-pointers from junior Will Morse and sophomore Chase Carlton.

Carlton, the team’s youngest player, gained supreme praise from the travelling Westlake student-section for his relentless shooting and tough defense, often prompting chant’s declaring, “He’s — a — sophomore (clap, clap, clap clap clap)!”

Carlton finished with nine points, while Morse tallied up 13.

“It’s a lot of fun. We all know when to pass and shoot,” Rowan said of his fellow guards, Carlton and Morse. “We mesh so perfectly together, even though we’re all different ages.”

After winning the opening tip, the Bulldogs (19-6, 3-1) made an effort to get their main weapon — 6-6 swing-forward Mariek Isom — involved immediately, nailing a quick strike within five seconds to set the tempo of the game.

However, the Chaps’ (18-7, 3-0 district) arsenal of tanks in the post and shot-launching guards proved more than capable of keeping up with Bowie.

The Chaps were striving to gain a lead by halftime to set the tone for the second half, but they went to the break with the score in Bowie’s favor at the half, 28-26,

In the second half, the Chaps’ offensive opened up, allowing the team to fluidly get good looks at the bucket. Still trailing headed to the third, Westlake coach Tres Elli, knew that his team would have to use its experience and toughness to come back in the fourth quarter — and that’s just what they did in a hostile environment.

“We absolutely wanted to finish the first half with the lead,” coach Tres Ellis said. “It’s just a great thing for our guys to come in here and beat a great team, mentally, on their own floor.”

Senior Drew Wikelius, who had been quiet all game, gained a second-wind in the final period of play and provided lock-down defense in the paint. Wikelius, who finished the night with 10 points, displayed an impressive repertoire of post-moves on back-to-back plays to put the Chaps up for the first time all evening, 51-49.

Also filling in big down the stretch for Westlake was the second of two sophomores on the roster, Jordan Severt. The 6-5 post outrebounded Isom and the Bulldogs all game, and he drilled a pair of clutch free throws in the final minute to put the Chaps up 63-60 with 20 seconds remaining, helping secure the victory.

“Huge on the rebounds,” Ellis said of his sophomore post. “Severt was a monster on the boards. We were playing a little short-handed, and (stepping up) says a lot about our team’s ability to dig in like this.”

Though complimentary guard play has always been crucial to the Chaps’ offense, Bowie quickly realized Friday that Rowan was the key to Westlake’s overall success. Rowan finished the night with 24 points and key foul shooting, but the senior quietly and effectively demonstrated why he belongs in the mix for district MVP, splitting the Bowie defense for acrobatic layups on Westlake’s opening two possessions.

He was also assigned the task of defending Bowie’s stellar guard Paul Baxter, and had no problem overcoming the hype behind his Sam Houston-bound opponent. Baxter, who shined brightest in the first half, used his strength and quickness to propel himself to a game-high 25 points; however, Rowan’s 24 proved more valuable.

“It was tough. He’s a little bit more physical than me,” Rowan said. “I knew he was going to get his points, so I just tried to contain him as best as I could.”

The Chaps topped Akins 89-79 on Jan. 17 behind a game-high 28 points from Wikelius. Rowan added 23 points in the win, while Carlton pitched in with 14 points and Blake Box finished with eight.

Westlake jumped to a 23-14 lead after the first quarter and held a 43-29 advantage at the half. However, Akins battled back after the break, outscoring the Chaps 25-14 in the fourth quarter to force overtime. In the extra frame Westlake put Akins away with a 13-4 edge.

The Chaps, who are riding a six-game win streak, play at Anderson Tuesday night and will be at Austin High Friday.

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The Westlake girls basketball team dedicated their game against Bowie to a group of hand-picked teachers to show their appreciation for all they have done for the team through the season.

They couldn’t have picked a better game for the event.

Going down to the wire, the Chaparrals (21-8, 4-1 in district) emerged victorious by a narrow margin of 51-50 in the District 15-5A game Friday night in which they trailed by 11 at the half.

“I am very proud of this win,” Westlake coach Allison Wooley said. “Our girls played smart down the stretch and did what they needed to do to get the win.”

Both teams came into the game as contenders for the, with four 15-5A games to their credit and just one loss each.

For the Chaparrals, Liz Carter had a team-high 20 points while Jamie Grace and Angelica Martinez had seven points each.

“This was definitely a heart attack game,” Carter said. “We knew we were the more athletic team overall and that we’d have to use that to pull out the win.

Westlake led 36-33 headed to the fourth quarter. In the fourth Sarah Mason really set the tone as she hustled all over the court.

Martinez stripped the ball and made her way down court for a score in the fourth and with five minutes to play, Christine Northington nailed a fade away shot for three points and Carter added two points of her own after an offensive rebound. Yet two free throws by Bowie stretched the lead back and it 49-46.

Carter then answered back with her own set of free throws and an layup under heavy duress.

With 1:30 left in the game, Naijah Taylor notched another score for the Bulldogs. Grace played the ball intelligently and let the clock drain away before she was fouled, and she calmly sank two clutch free throws to solidify the win.

A streaking last second drive by Taylor (18 points) drew the game to within just one point just as the buzzer went off, and the Chaps had the one-point district win.

“Going in at halftime 11 points down,” Wooley said. “I knew we had our work cut out for us. It came down to the team, there wasn’t anything I could do to get them back in the game.”

Bowie came out in the first quarter with a flurry of scores and soon held a tough lead thanks to the work of Taylor and Kendra King (18 points). Carter answered back with an authoritative drive up the lane for a layup. Grace also took command of the ball in the paint for the Chaparrals, grabbing a rebound and adding a score of her own.

At the end of the first eight minutes of play the Bulldogs were up 15-7 and looked to have the game in hand.

In the second quarter Taylor and the rest of the Bowie team cranked up the intensity improved on their lead. King grabbed several very physical rebounds while Shelby Dixon used her impressive height to lock down the Westlake inside game.

Mason worked around that by draining a 3-pointer from way outside. Northington also entered the fray for Westlake by stealing the ball and finding Carter open with a quick pass, and Carter finished the play with another nice shot for two points. Despite those efforts, at the end of the first half Bowie led by a score of 28-17.

“At the half my assistant coach and I told them there was nothing we could say to get back in this game,” Wooley said. “It was up to them to get it done. They knew exactly what they needed to do to make the come back, and they did.”

Westlake came back in the second half like a different team. Carter, Mason and Martinez sparked the offense with a string of 3’s.

The Chaparrals grabbed the momentum and drew their home crowd into the game. Carter drained a set from the line, and Mason put in a layup to give Westlake its first lead of the game right as the third quarter drew to a close.

After taking the game right down to the final buzzer Westlake prevailed 51-50.

“Once we came out after halftime I knew I had to be on my game, and I thought I was in a good spot,” Carter said. “Thanks to my guards I was able to get some great passes and get the points we needed.”

Westlake will host Anderson 7 p.m. Tuesday night.

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That position now belongs to the Trojans (19-4 overall, 1-0), who leaned on a swarming zone defense in a 56-36 triumph over Westlake (17-8, 0-1). Anderson forced 27 turnovers while imposing its will on a Chap squad that made just 11 shots from the field. Although Westlake coach Allison Wooley credited the Trojans’ defense, she also lamented her team’s “carelessness” with the ball.

“We were in panic mode way too much of the time,” she said. “This is a good gym, and they definitely have a homecourt advantage. But we have to be able to handle this pressure, and we have to be able to handle the ball. I tell [the girls] all the time to take care of their ball. That obviously didn’t happen tonight.”

Despite their problems holding onto the ball, the Chaps rallied from a double-digit halftime deficit to pull within 32-26 with 4 minutes, 28 seconds left in the third quarter. Haley Brown, a senior guard and team captain, then steadied the Trojans with nine of her 18 points in a 13-4 Anderson run that ended the quarter.

Liz Carter scored 16 points for the Chaps on 5-of-8 shooting and pulled down six rebounds, but no other Westlake player scored more than five points.

Anderson, one of the few teams in the district that can match Westlake’s size, boasts a pair of 6-foot sophomore starters in Mary Grace Bilby (five rebounds, two blocks) and Saundra Guillory (eight rebounds, four blocks). Those varsity neophytes helped negate the Chaps’ potent high-low game, limiting Westlake post Jaimie Grace to six points on 3-of-6 shooting.

“We weren’t looking to the posts early, but then our posts started disappearing when we did look at them,” Wooley said. “Things did not go our way. I know this team has a lot more than it showed tonight.”

But the Chaps may not have enough to challenge Anderson, which rolled to the best nondistrict record of any 15-5A club despite the departure of the program’s all-time Class 5A leading scorer Kelly Gramlich. Eighth-year Anderson coach Katrina Hall, a longtime Westlake assistant who coached Wooley at Westlake in the late 1990s, said Gramlich’s graduation has given her current group a hefty chip on their collective shoulder.

“They hear all the time ‘That Kelly girl is gone, and they don’t have anything,’ ” she said. “Our girls played in Kelly’s shadow, and now they have things they want to prove. We have more pieces now, and it sure is fun to see it come together.”

The program has come together for Hall, who endured some rough years before leading the Trojans to their first Class 5A playoff berth last season. However, the future looks bright even beyond this season: In addition to the two sophomore starters in the paint, freshman Kennedy Harris came off the bench for 11 points against the Chaps.

“This program is on the rise,” Hall said. “It’s gotten better every year. The neat thing is seeing the younger kids coming up and expecting to win. It’s exciting to see the growth, but this just didn’t start in the past year or two. There’s been a lot of hard work and extra practice time in the gym, and a lot of sleepless nights for me. The payoff is the promise of a season like this, but this is just one game. We have a lot of work to do.”

Those sentiments also apply to Westlake, according to Wooley.

“Things just did not go our way,” she said. “I don’t think it was a 20-point game, and I don’t think it’ll be a 20-point game again [when the teams meet Jan. 23]. I know this team has a lot more than it showed tonight.”

Westlake will attempt to even its district record against defending 15-5A champion Austin High Tuesday at Austin High. The Maroons edged Akins in their district opener Friday.

News and notes

Westlake made 14 of 16 free throws against Anderson, including seven of eight by Liz Carter. … Sarah Mason made the Chaps’ only three-pointer. … Sophomore forward Jordyn Holmes, who has missed the entire season after playing on varsity as a freshman, will not be eligible to play until late January, according to Coach Allison Wooley. … Jaimie Grace led Westlake with eight points.

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With the split in its final two nondistrict games, Westlake enters this week’s District 15-5A slate with a 16-8 record and cautious optimism. The Chaps already have more wins than they tallied all of last season, including triumphs over likely Class 5A playoff participants such as Copperas Cove and Killeen Shoemaker.

However, the Chaps still have plenty of room for improvement, said Coach Allison Wooley. They have suffered lopsided setbacks against a trio of District 16-5A opponents Pflugerville, Stony Point and, most recently, Round Rock. Along with powerhouse Georgetown, one of those schools will likely face Westlake in the first round of the playoffs.

But reaching the playoffs remains the primary concern for Westlake, which opened district play Tuesday at Anderson. The Trojans have enjoyed a stellar nondistrict slate, racing to a 17-4 record despite replacing last season’s district scoring leader Kelly Gramlich. Defending district champion Austin High has struggled to a 10-7 record entering this week, while perennial playoff participants Akins and Del Valle both enter district with losing records.

The Chaps struggled to score in a 42-27 loss to visiting Round Rock Dec. 29. Westlake shot just 24.3 percent from the field, and leading scorer Liz Carter had just eight points.

The team rediscovered its shooting touch the next day in New Braunfels. After trailing by one point at the end of the third period, Westlake outscored the Unicorns 14-7 in the final stanza to secure the road win. Carter had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and post Jaimie Grace added 10 points and eight boards.

A pilfering defense accounted for 15 steals, including three apiece from Grace, Sarah Mason and Angelica Martinez.

News and notes

With her performance against New Braunfels, junior forward Liz Carter now has three double-doubles this season and leads the Chaps in scoring (14.3 points per game) and ranks second on the team in rebounding (6.5). … Macie Cohen provided a bright spot for the squad against Round Rock with seven rebounds off the bench.

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But in Thursday’s third-place contest between the Chaps (12-7) and San Antonio Wagner (10-8) at the Westlake Holiday Classic, those little things helped Westlake nab a 55-53 win.

“We’ve played so well against so many good teams [without winning], so we’ve talked about doing the little things,” Chap coach Tres Ellis said. “Those things made a big difference tonight. I’m very glad the kids were rewarded for making that extra effort and pulling out a close one.”

Chap forward Vince DeBlasio scored just four points, but no player had a bigger impact on the outcome. With Westlake trailing 53-51 with 1 minute, 38 seconds left in the game, the 6-foot-2-inch swingman leaped into the lane and swatted a shot attempt by Rakim Sharkey. On their next possession, the Chaps pulled within a point after Drew Wikelius sank one of his two free throws.

On Wagner’s next possession, DeBlasio shut off a drive by Rashad Coleman, which led to an errant shot by the Thunderbirds. Wikelius then made the first of his two free throws following a loose-ball foul to tie the game at 53-53. His second shot careened off the rim, but DeBlasio snuck in for the offensive rebound and drew a foul. He calmly sank both free throws to give the Chaps a 55-53 lead with 39 seconds left.

“I don’t even care about scoring,” said DeBlasio, who led all players with 10 rebounds. “I guess I was the X-factor tonight, doing the things we needed to do to get the win. It’s great to finally beat a team like this and show we can get over the hump against these good teams.”

Wagner couldn’t create a quality shot against the Chaps’ defense on its final possession, and Westlake grabbed a missed shot and ran out the clock.

The ending provided a salve for Westlake’s 74-70 overtime loss to Houston Clear Lake in Wednesday’s semifinal. In that game, Clear Lake took advantage of Westlake’s failure to block out on a late foul shot to secure the win.

“I think we learned a lesson about doing the little things last night,” Ellis said. “And best of all, we learned some more lessons tonight while winning.”

Will Morse led Westlake with 21 points, including 12 from behind the three-point arc. R.J. Rowan added 16 points, and Wikelius had 12 points.

Consol edges Clear Lake to claim tournament title

As the thrilling championship game of the Westlake Holiday Classic ticked down toward its finale, the best player in the tournament could only watch from the bench.

But that didn’t bother A&M Consolidated’s Alex Caruso, whose faith in his teammates is only matched by his prodigious talent.

With Caruso cheering from the bench after fouling out with 13 seconds left in the game, Consol forward Jimmie Gilbert capped a perfect game from the foul line to lift the Tigers to a 66-64 win over Houston Clear Lake. Gilbert ended the contest with 21 points, which matched Caruso for team-high honors. Eleven of those points came on 11 free throws, including the two with four seconds left.

“I knew he’d make them,” said Caruso, a gifted 6-6 senior committed to Texas A&M University. “We’re an unselfish team, so I wasn’t worried about us getting a good shot at the end. We’ll make that extra pass to set it up. We’re a family: All for one, and one for all.”

Caruso had 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists while running the Tiger offense in a point-forward role. Three of his assists came in the fourth period as the Tigers (16-3) dissected the Clear Lake defense with a series of backdoor cuts.

Clear Lake (15-4), which trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half, stayed in the game by making 29 of 34 foul shots. The Falcons took their first lead of the second half with a thunderous offensive-rebound dunk by Colton Krenek with 1:22 left in the game, and they entered the final 45 seconds with a 63-62 advantage after a driving bucket by Paris Clayton.

However, it took state-ranked Clear Lake too long to find its rhythm, according to Coach Tommy Penders.

“We didn’t know much about [A&M Consolidated], except that Caruso was a stud,” said Penders, a 1990 Westlake graduate that played two seasons for the Chaps’ varsity team. “I think we came out too tentative.”

Clayton led Clear Lake with 17 points, and Rob Lewis led the Falcons’ rally by scoring 13 of his 15 points in the second half.

Consolidated claimed the tournament title despite a loss to Fort Bend Bush in pool play. After Bush fell to Cedar Hill in pool play, the Tigers advanced to the gold championship bracket because of point differential.