Ladycats win big over Rams before break

While the start of this season has been a bit more challenging than last year’s for the Newcastle Ladycats basketball team, the squad headed into the winter break with a big 51-34 win over the Mineral Wells Lady Rams.

Newcastle’s non-district schedule has included a variety of schools ranging from Class 1A to 4A, and one of the final games before the team opens district play included a match-up with 4A Mineral Wells last Friday, Dec. 20.

The Ladycats started out fast and they started out strong on their way to the road win. Newcastle jumped out to an early lead after the first quarter of play with a strong offensive attack while limiting Mineral Wells to just four points in the opening period.
From there, the Ladycats never looked back.

To open the game, Mattie Dollar drove into the lane and found Emma Hawkins open underneath the basket for two points. The next possession saw Camren Mallory drive into the lane and knock down a floater from just inside the free throw line for a quick 4-1 lead.

Hawkins did all her scoring in the game in the first quarter as she tallied 8 points in the frame. She did most of her scoring inside with her teammates finding ways to make accurate passes to get her easy looks at the basket.

Newcastle opened up a 12-1 lead before senior Mattie Dollar scored her first points of the game on a baseline floater followed shortly after by a deep 3-pointer to make it 17-1. 

It wasn’t until the final moments of the first quarter that Mineral Wells scored a 3-pointer of their own to make it 17-4 after one.

The Lady Rams found a bit more offense in the second quarter, but it didn’t matter because Dollar went off, scoring 12 of the team’s 18 points in the frame. Catherine Youngblood contributed four points while Kenzie King got on the board with two of her own.

The Ladycats pushed their lead to 24-4 before Mineral Wells ended their scoring drought with a basket and a foul to make it 24-7. But by the time the teams went into halftime, Newcastle held a comfortable 35-17 lead.

Both sides came out a bit slow offensively to start the second half. It wasn’t until nearly three minutes into the third quarter that Dollar found her way to the rim for a layup to begin the scoring for either side.

Mineral Wells brought a more determined defense that forced Newcastle out of their offensive rhythm and led to a few more turnovers. However, the Lady Rams couldn’t capitalize on those opportunities through the first half of the third period.

But eventually, the home team broke through and converted a few baskets. Most of Newcastle’s scoring came from Dollar as she recorded seven of the team’s eight points in the frame. But the Lady Rams outscored the Ladycats 12-8 in the third quarter to make it a 43-29 Newcastle lead heading into the fourth.

In the final eight minutes of play, the Ladycats rediscovered their defensive presence and limited the Lady Rams throughout the last frame. Newcastle focused more on ball control and keeping Mineral Wells from getting many offensive opportunities.

Kenna Mahan got on the board with her first points of the game on a layup thanks to a long pass from outside the arc by Dollar.

It wasn’t until midway through the fourth quarter that the Lady Rams scored their first points of the period. Newcastle’s defense didn’t allow many open looks at the basket from inside or outside.

Youngblood later scored another two points on a baseline mid-range jump shot to make it 47-31. Dollar went on to score the Ladycats’ final four points of the game, and the outcome was never in doubt as time expired on the clock.

It was a dominant win for this Newcastle squad led by Dollar who finished the game with 28 points. Hawkins added 8 points, Youngblood had 6 points, Mallory ended with 5 points and Mahan and King each added 2 points.

Following the break, Newcastle will participate in the Anson tournament Dec. 27-28 and the Ladycats will open district play Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 at home against Throckmorton.