By Terry Carter
The Katy Lady Tigers played elite basketball all season, amassing a 32-3 record and a District 19-6A championship.
Katy survived dramatic challenges from local powers Tompkins and Seven Lakes, as well as Hightower on Tuesday. Their strengths all season have been teamwork, balance and a solid, fundamental defense. Solid shooting, but no dominant inside play.
That recipe has worked extremely well for Katy this year, and Katy head coach Shanna Marhofer and assists Colton English and Kelley Becker have brought this team to great success with teamwork as the greatest advantage.
But Pearland plays another type of basketball, inspired by the Oilers’ regional final run in 2022. Pearland entered Friday’s Region III-6A semifinal with an oppressive defense and powerful play in the post. And the Pearland defense causes other teams to foul their way into trouble.
When Katy and Pearland collided on Friday at 6 p.m., the Lady Tigers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after Ella Robinson converted the game’s first 3-point shot.
But Pearland’s aggressive style of play yielded three early fouls on Katy’s Ashlynn Alexander. The Katy fouls added up quickly in the game and required adjustments.
Pearland led 12-9 at the end of the first quarter, and then the Oilers ran off a 13-0 second-quarter blitz that left Katy reeling and trailing 25-9 at halftime. Both Lady Tiger leading scorers Lyric Barr and Nyla Wold were heavily defended by a hungry Pearland defense.
In the third quarter, Katy again came out shooting and clawing its way back into contention, scoring a game-high 13 points in that quarter. Brianna Nelson converted a field goal, and Wold scored a basket and added the free throw after a foul to make it 27-14.
Pearland continued to pull away, however, even as Alexander continued to hit 3-pointers. Two fouls on Wold and one on Nelson in the third quarter made it 39-19 Pearland. Then Barr shook the Oilers’ defense and hit her first field goal of the game, a 3-pointer to make 39-22, near the end of the third quarter.
Pearland maintained the pressure and several Katy players struggled with foul trouble throughout the game. The 57-30 final revealed a Pearland team that is capable of winning the 6A girls’ state title, and the Oilers are focused on reaching the state championship game.
On Saturday Pearland did humble Summer Creek in the Region III-6A final, 39-26. Pearland (35-3) will face DeSoto (27-5) on Friday at 8:30 p.m. at the Alamodome in San Antonio in the second 6A state semifinal. Coppell (38-3) will face Northside Clark (32-3) in the 7 p.m. semifinal. The girls’ 6A state championship game will begin on Saturday, March 4, at 8:30 p.m.
Katy players gave their best effort on Friday and should be enormously proud of their 32-win season. It is one of Katy’s best season records in school history for girls’ basketball. And it is possible the Lady Tigers lost to an eventual state champion. Pearland certainly played at that level this weekend.
Katy guard Ashlynn Alexander (5) was one of several Lady Tigers limited by fouls when Katy played Pearland on Friday. (Photo by Terry Carter/UDPhotos)
Katy’s Lyric Barr (30) scored only a pair of free throws in the first half against Pearland as the Oilers aggressively limited Katy’s scoring options. The Lady Tigers responded with solid 3-point shooting, but Pearland won the regional semifinal. (Photo by Terry Carter/UDPhotos)
