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(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Camren Mallory attempts a shot near the basket to put points on the board for the Ladycats and close the scoring gap between the two teams. Newcastle fell to Neches in the regional final matchup Friday, Feb. 21. -
(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Mattie Dollar faces a defensive front from Neches during the regional final matchup Friday, Feb. 21. Dollar led in scoring for the team and was one of their key players all season. -
(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Kenna Mahan attempts to break past the Neches defense to make a shot during the regional final game Friday, Feb. 21. Mahan helped to bring the team within four points near the end of the game. -
(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Head coach Ryan Dollar and the Ladycats watch the team play defense at the opposite side of the court Friday, Feb. 21. Despite the team falling to Neches, it closed out a successful season.
It was a hard-fought season for the Ladycats who pushed for another state championship, but those dreams ended Friday when the team fell 40-31 to Neches in the regional finals.
While Newcastle dominated most of their games from the start this season, things took a different direction during the game Friday, Feb. 21.
“We did a good job early, but then couldn’t get into any kind of flow,” head coach Ryan Dollar said. “I felt like we did compete well late and cut it to 4-5 points, but it was just too much to overcome.”
The Lady Tigers and Ladycats both made moves across the court with 3-point shots from Kenna Mahan and Kenzie King and 2-point shots from Emma Hawkins and Mattie Dollar bringing 10 points in the first quarter.
The Ladycats were down by two points moving into the next quarter in which both teams brought their defensive force. The Ladycats held the Lady Tigers to only three points for most of the quarter.
Following a 2-point shot from Dollar with 3:50 left on the clock, Newcastle would only get one more point on a free throw from Camren Mallory the entire quarter.
At the half the score was only a 10-point difference at 23-13, with Newcastle down as they continued to face a tight defense, missed shots and issues with passing and possession.
The third quarter brought the Ladycats six more points, all made on free throws by Catherine Youngblood and Dollar. The team also held Neches to only eight points during the quarter.
It was in the fourth quarter where the team fought its hardest to reach the Lady Tigers and attempt to surpass them.
The Ladycats were down by 12 points moving into the quarter but that did not stop from scoring nine points in the first five minutes of the quarter and holding Neches to two points.
After two big 3-point shots from Dollar and Youngblood, Newcastle was only five points away at 33-28 with 3:14 left on the clock.
Despite allowing another 2-point shot from the Lady Tigers, Mahan answered back with a 3-point shot to bring Newcastle within four points of Neches with 35.4 seconds left.
The crowd was on the edge of their seats to see what happened next.
Despite the Ladycats attempting to draw out their time with penalties to stop the clock at the end, the made free throws from Neches only made victory further away and the team ultimately fell.
Leading in scoring for the Ladycats was Dollar with 11 points, followed by Mahan and Youngblood with six points, King and Mallory with three points and Hawkins with two points.
The head coach said the team has shown growth throughout the season.
“We went from the early struggles of trying to defend without a big behind us to being one of the best defensive teams in the shape,” coach Dollar said. “These girls are competitive and worked each day to become better and I believe they did that throughout the year.”
Next year, coach Dollar said the team will focus on improving their skills.
“We just have to get in the gym and continue to work on our game,” he said. “We need to become better shooters and scorers and if we can do that individually then we can help our teams continue success.”
The head coach said he is blessed to have the opportunity to coach the team and be a part of their lives.
“These girls have come a long way since the first game back in November,” he said. “Again, I am proud to be their coach and to be part of what they accomplished.”
