The Littlefield Lady Cats fell to the Shallowater Fillies in their home-district opener on Tuesday, 79-55, at Wildcat Gym.
With the loss, the Lady Cats fall to 0-1 in district play.
Carli Buckley opened the game with a put-back for Shallowater, but the Lady Cats answered, as Amoni Jefferson hit Cobi Saldana in transition for a lay-up to tie the game, 2-2. Madison Williams followed it up with a three from the left wing, off of an assist from Zalise Davis and Nia Cleveland kept it going with a put-back off of a miss by Davis, stretching their lead to, 7-2, with 5:52 to play in the opening quarter.
Saldana buried a three from the top of the key, off of an assist from Madison Williams to make it a 10-0, scoring run for Littlefield. Buckley ended the drought for Shallowater, as she split a double team in the lane, finishing with a lay-up to trim the lead to, 10-4. The Lady Cats came right back down the floor, as Davis went up and under for a layup, but Linley Wright answered with a lay-up, drawing an and- one foul on Cleveland with 3:52 remaining in the quarter. The free throw was good from Wright, cutting the lead to, 12-7.
Jefferson picked up a steal and tossed it ahead to Madison Williams, who dropped in the lay-up on the fast-break, but on the other end, Emma Kate Foster knocked down a jumper on the right side, drawing an and-one foul on Cleveland. She converted the free throw, cutting the lead to, 14-10, with just over three minutes to play in the first quarter.
Emma Clawson was fouled on a put-back attempt by Davis. She made one-of-two shots from the line for the Fillies, and on the other end, Jefferson was able to draw a shooting foul on Emie Lusk, earning a trip to the line. Jefferson converted both attempts at the line, pushing their lead to, 16-11.
Clawson dropped in a put-back for the Fillies, but Madison Williams answered with a three from the right elbow, off of an assist from Davis, extending the lead back out to, 1913. In the closing seconds of the quarter, Faith Bass drained a three from the right elbow, slicing the Littlefield lead to, 19-16, as the first quarter came to a close.
Kamry Ledbetter opened the second frame with a layup, but Jefferson quickly answered with a put-back off of a miss by Saldana, making the score, 21-18. Ledbetter knocked down a jumper in the lane for Shallowater, but Jeferson was able to drive and dump the ball off to Abbie Rodriguez, who finished the play with a lay-up, making the score, 23-20, with 6:40 to play in the first half.
Jefferson grabbed an offensive rebound off of a missed free throw and was fouled on the putback attempt by Keelie Williams. She made one-of-two shots at the line, pushing their lead to, 24-20. With 5:20 to play in the half, Jefferson turned the ball over on Shallowater’s end of the floor, but she was able to take a charge on Keelie Williams, who picked up her second foul of the game.
On the other end, Jefferson was fouled on the floor by Wright and converted both shots at the line, stretching the lead to, 2620. On their next possession, Jefferson had a shot blocked by Clawson, but Jefferson was able to gather the loose ball and drop it in for a lay-up, making the score, 28-20, as Shallowater took a time out with 4:10 to play in the half. Out of the break, Jefferson was fouled on a put-back attempt by Kambell Morris, earning a trip to the line. She made both attempts at the line to push their lead back out to double-digits, 30-20.
With under three minutes to go in the half, Madison Williams was fouled on an attempt by Morris, her second of the game. Madison Williams converted both shots at the line, but on the other end, Lusk was fouled on attempt by Madison Williams, putting her on the line for two shots. Lusk made one-of-two shots from the line and Wright hit Bass in transition on their next pos-session for a lay-up, making the score, 32-23, with under a minute to go in the half.
Madison Williams drained a three from the left elbow off of the assist from Jefferson, but in the closing seconds of the half, Wright buried a three from the left elbow to make the score, 35-26, going into the locker room at halftime.
Ledbetter dropped in a lay-up to open the second half, but Cleveland answered with a put-back off of a miss by Saldana, making the score, 37-28, with 7:51 to play in the third quarter. Madison Williams knocked down a pull-up jumper from the left elbow, off of an assist from Jefferson, but on the other end, Buckley was fouled on an attempt by Jefferson, her third of the game. Buckley split the attempts at the line, trimming the score to, 3929.
Shallowater would proceed to go on a, 20-0, scoring run to take a, 49-39, lead, before Jefferson was fouled on an attempt by Buckley, her third of the game. Jefferson made oneof- two shots at the line, making the score, 49-40, with 2:17 to play in the third quarter. Clawson dropped in a lay-up, off of an assist from Valeigh Salyer, but Jasmine Almance answered with a lay-up off of the inbound pass from Saldana under the basket, trimming the lead to, 51-42.
Almance was fouled on an attempt by Morris, her third of the game. She split the attempts at the line to make the score, 51-43, with 1:13 to play in the quarter. Ledbetter dropped in a layup and Littlefield took a time out to prevent a turnover with 49.5 seconds to play in the quarter. Out of the break, Wright hit Williams in transition for a lay-up and Foster split a pair of free throws to close out the third quarter with the Fillies in front, 56-43.
Ledbetter dropped in a lay-up off of the inbound pass from Lusk on the baseline and Williams followed it up with a put-back on their next possession to stretch their lead to, 60-43. Williams dropped in a putback off of a miss by Jefferson off of a turnover by Clawson on Littlefield’s end of the floor, but Wright answered with a lay-up in transition to push the lead to, 62-45, with 6:42 left to play.
Saldana drove the lane for a lay-up, drawing an and-one foul on Lusk, her second of the game. She missed the free throw, leaving the score, 62-47. Lusk and Saldana each split a pair of free throws and Bass knocked a mid- range jumper from the elbow, extending Shallowater’s lead to, 65-48, with 5:22 to play. Almance was fouled on an attempt by Ledbetter and made one- of- two shots from the line, but the Fillies would respond by going on a, 7-0, scoring run, before Davis was fouled on the floor by Foster, her second of the game. Davis made both shots at the line, trimming the lead to, 72-51.
Shallowater would close out the game on a, 7-4, scoring run, as Littlefield fell at home to the Fillies, 79-55.
The Lady Cats were led by Williams, who netted 17 points and Jefferson, who added 16 points.
Saldana chipped in eight points, while Davis, Cleveland and Almance each contributed four points and Rodriguez finished with two points in the contest.
The Lady Cats were at Muleshoe on Friday for their first meeting with the Lady Mules. Results were not available at press time. They will continue their season with a home game against Talkington.
Tip-off is scheduled for 6:15 p.m.