By BRAD KEITH
STEPHENVILLE (January 19, 2016) — Seven straight points is hardly a huge run by basketball standards, but in a low scoring battle between proven defensive stalwarts, it was just enough for No. 7 Abilene Wylie (21-4, 3-0) to gain some necessary breathing room in a 43-31 6-4A district win at Stephenville (13-14, 2-1) Tuesday.
A 7-0 push by Wylie made it 25-18 late in the third quarter, and even when all-state left-handed 6-5 center Brittany Brewer suffered a lower leg injury [she did not return], Stephenville could not catch up. She scored 16 points, 10 of those in the third quarter including six in the determining run.
The Honeybees closed the Wylie lead to four on a 3-pointer by Mikayla Hobbs, and it was the same margin, 27-23, at the end of the third, but Wylie wasn’t done.
The Bulldogs scored the first five of the fourth quarter, extending the lead to 32-23 on their first successful 3-point attempt of the night.
Another 3-pointer flowed moments later for a 35-24 advantage, but Bayleigh Chaviers answered that long ball with one for Stephenville.
But eight was as close as Stephenville would get the rest of the way, with Wylie stretching the lead to as large as 14 with two minutes remaining. Julia Lovelace came off the bench to score all of her seven in the fourth. Shannon Seale and Makaela Moseley each scored eight on the night for the Bulldogs.
Chaviers racked up 13 to lead Stephenville, but no other Honeybees scored more than four. Skylar Chipman and Jaycee Morton each had four, Kali Smith and Mikayla Hobbs each added three and Payton Wall and Ali Thorpe added two apiece.
It was 16-15 Wylie at halftime after Stephenville stormed back from a 12-4 deficit with a 11-2 run, actually taking a left corner 3-pointer by KALI Smith. That followed a 3-ball by Chaviers after Chipman scored four straight to begin the the run.
Wylie finished the first half scoring to take the narrow lead into intermission. Wylie grabbed much of the early lead in the first quarter, that ended with the Bulldogs ahead 10-4.
The Bees, who had a three-game win streak snapped, travel to Graham on Friday. Tipoff is about 6:30 p.m.
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