Lady Scots Stay Cold in Playoff Loss
McKINNEY – Highland Park picked the wrong time to suffer a shooting slump.
Offensive inconsistency was a primary culprit for the Lady Scots during a 55-43 loss to The Colony on Tuesday in a Class 4A Region II bi-district playoff game.
HP fell behind in the first half against a bigger and faster opponent, then saw its comeback attempt fall short when the Lady Scots made just one field goal in the third quarter.
The Lady Scots (17-10) were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Meanwhile, the Lady Cougars (19-9) won their seventh straight game overall.
“We just didn’t score,” said HP head coach Amy Matlock. “We had plenty of opportunities. We got their big girls in foul trouble like we wanted, but we still couldn’t execute on offense.”
Indeed, the situation seemed to set up well for HP once The Colony’s top scorer, freshman post Jade Williams, picked up her fourth foul with 1:23 remaining in the first half. Versatile guard Taylor Holley drew her fourth foul late in the third quarter and fouled out with more than three minutes left in the game. But HP couldn’t take advantage.
The Lady Scots surged ahead early in the game before a 13-1 run by The Colony to close the first quarter, and the Lady Cougars never looked back.
Alex Reynolds scored a game-high 16 points for HP, including four 3-pointers. Caroline McDaniel was 7-of-8 from the free-throw line as part of a 13-point effort.
Despite her limited time on the floor, Williams led The Colony with 14 points, while Holley added 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Libby Waddell contributed 12 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. All of the points for the Lady Cougars came from the starting lineup.
Matlock said once the disappointment subsides, her players will be able to reflect fondly on their accomplishments this season.
“I’m very proud of where we started and where we finished,” Matlock said. “We really came together as a team.”
