Bray-Doyle and Marlow each advanced to the semifinals, taking first-round tilts Monday night in the 81st Stephens County Tournament in Comanche.Central High was on the wrong side of the Marlow decision in the third game of the night at the Tommy Weast Gymnasium, moving to the consolation bracket for the second straight year.
Lady Donkeys 69, Frederick 31
Bray-Doyle had three in double figures, cruising past Frederick (2-10) in the opening game.
The Lady Donkeys, the top seed in the bracket, took advantage of eight Lady Bomber turnovers in the first quarter, opening a 22-7 lead at the end of the frame, never trailing in the contest.
“They worked together tonight about as well as they have in the past couple weeks,” said head coach Jaicee Powers. “We just have to continue to play defense with our feet and watch our foul trouble. That’s something we have to overcome.”
Two Lady Donkeys fouled out, another reached four fouls, but the game was rarely in doubt.
Sarah Justus paced Bray-Doyle with 23, while Erica Hatfield and Morgan Kovar each added 13.
Bray-Doyle extended its halftime lead of 38-12 to 55-21 by the end of the third quarter, while hitting 10-of-13 free throws down the stretch.
Bray-Doyle (12-3) will face Ryan (12-4, No. 17 B) in the semifinals Thursday (tonight) at 5 p.m. The Cowgirls downed Velma-Alma, 52-36, in the first round.
Lady Outlaws 43, Lady Bronchos 33
Marlow made good on 41-percent of its shots from the floor to win its 14th consecutive Stephens County tournament tilt Monday night.
“We played good enough to win tonight,” said Marlow head coach Kirk Harris. “If we want to move on in this tournament, we are going to have to come out with more intensity.
“We had it for a while, but it seemed to come and go at times,” he added.
The Lady Outlaws (8-5) scored nine straight in the first quarter, holding an 11-8 lead at its conclusion.
Central High (11-4) committed six miscues in the second quarter, trailing Marlow, 25-16, at the half.
The Lady Bronchos, which had a five-game winning streak snapped, was 11-of-39 from the floor (28-percent), missing all nine attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. Central High only scored four points in the third quarter, widening the deficit, 34-20.
Avery Walker led the Lady Outlaws with 16, with Ashley O’Dell adding 13.
Central High got 13 from Nikole Repp, and 12 from Austyn Taylor.
Central High, finishing fifth last year in the tournament, moves into the consolation bracket for the second year in a row, and will face Empire (6-9), which lost to Comanche, 62-40, Monday.
Marlow faces the Lady Indians, now 9-5, for the third time this season. CHS plays Friday at 7:40, while Marlow plays Thursday (tonight) at 7:40.