Lady Hawks win last two, forcing playoff with Decatur
Iowa Park’s Lady Hawk basketball team took care of business this past week to keep their hopes of a playoff spot alive.

Friday night at home, Coach Jacinda Langen’s girls overwhelmed Vernon 61-27, then won Tuesday in overtime against Decatur 38-31 to force a one-game playoff Saturday at 2 p.m. in Henrietta with the Lady Eagles to decide who takes the third playoff spot in District 5-3A.

“It was a big win for us,” Langen said of Tuesday night’s win over Decatur. “”We really didn’t play well the second half, especially offensively. It was a good win, though.”

In the first matchup between the two teams, Iowa Park started out slow in the first half, then closed the gap in the second half but came up short in the end by three points.

In Tuesday night’s rematch, the Lady Hawks set the tone early, outscoring Decatur 10-8 in the first period, and extending the lead by six more at intermission, 20-12.

Decatur closed the gap by one point in the third, 23-17, then went on a 10-3 run in the fourth, at one point taking a two-point lead with less than 30 seconds remaining.

Presley Gann’s layup with nine seconds left tied the game and forced overtime.

Decatur’s Candace Clayton, who scored 13 points to lead the Lady Eagles, missed the first attempt in overtime, and Gann put the Lady Hawks up by two with a layup. Megan Walls added another layup to build the lead, then free throws amounted to the final eight points for Iowa Park in a 12-5 overtime and 38-31 win.

Walls hit two of two free throws in overtime, Gann one of one, and Whitney James five of six.

For the game, the Lady Hawks hit 14-for-19 from the charity line.

Gann led all scorers with 15 points, while Walls added nine, James eight, and Savanna Braziel six.

Walls was knocked out of the game in the second half after absorbing a charge, but soon returned and helped defend Clayton – Decatur’s standout offensive player, for much of the final period and all of overtime.

It was similar to the first meeting with Decatur, when Walls took a head shot going for a loose ball, but despite being in obvious pain remained in the game.

“Megan is very tough,” said Langen of her junior point guard. “If we were all as tough as she is ... she is a very physical player for as little as she is. I definitely like her for her toughness and fiestiness. She gives us an energy boost. It’s like drinking a monster drink when she is in there.”

Gann was called on early to defend on Clayton, holding her to two points in the first half.

Asked what her team could improve on in the rubber match with Decatur Saturday, Langen said, “They sag in and clog the paint with their post players. They also cover the perimeter well and don’t let off easyshots. We’ve got to figure a way to counter that, do something to score from the perimeter and not relay so much on stuff from the paint.

“We have to generate some more scoring.”

Friday night’s 61-27 win over Vernon saw little problem in the Lady Hawks scoring. Braziel led with 16 points, followed by Amanda Fuhrman with 14, with seven points each from Gann, Walls, and Alex Newman. Freshman Shalee Schaffner added five.

Saturday afternoon’s matchup with Decatur in Henrietta’s new gym ... according to Langen ... “is going to be a battle.”

“It won’t be easy, by any means,” she added.

The winner will receive a first-round bye in the state playoffs, and likely face state-ranked China Springs in the area round.

JV AND FRESHMAN
The JV Lady Hawks defeated Vernon Friday 45-14, led by Blaire Untalon with 15, 10 from Shaylin Pugh, and nine from Candace McFadden.

Tuesday night, the JV Lady Hawks fell to Decatur 39-23, with McFadden scoring 10, and four points each from Shelbye Boren and Shae Sanders.

The Frosh Lady Hawks lost to Vernon Friday 33-17, with Lilah Gilmore scoring nine.
The freshman girls were edged 34-30 by Decatur Tuesday, with Sadie Fulton scoring 12, and Gilmore 10.