The Shepherd Lady Pirates hosted the Hardin Lady Hawks on Jan. 20 in a hard-fought district matchup that showcased effort, resilience, and experience on both sides of the hardwood.
In the end, though, Shepherd fell 67-37.
Shepherd came out strong and matched the Lady Hawks stride for stride in the opening quarter, holding Hardin to a 14-14 tie as the Lady Pirates executed well on both ends of the floor. However, the momentum shifted in the second quarter as Hardin made several key substitutions that added fresh energy and depth. The adjustment proved effective, allowing the Lady Hawks to pull ahead and take a 32-21 lead into halftime.
Hardin continued to build on that advantage in the third quarter, using experience and consistent scoring to extend the lead to 51-31. Despite the widening gap, the Lady Pirates continued to compete and showed determination throughout the second half.
Senior guard Kiona King led Shepherd in scoring with 10 points and was efficient at the free-throw line, converting 4 of 5 attempts. Jazz Richardson followed with 8 points, going 2-for-3 from the line, while Dakiyah Clark added 6 points and was perfect at the foul line, finishing 2-for-2.
On Friday night, just ahead of a fast-approaching Texas winter freeze, the Coldspring High School gym was packed wall-to-wall as the Lady Trojans delivered one of their most impressive performances of the season, toppling the heavily favored Trinity Lady Tigers 63-54 in a pivotal district showdown.
Entering the night, Trinity, Anderson, and Coldspring were locked in a three-way tie atop the district standings at 3-1. Despite Trinity arriving as the favorite, the Lady Trojans made it clear early that this would be a battle from start to finish.
The opening quarter saw both teams trading baskets in a tightly contested back-and-forth affair. Momentum shifted dramatically in the second quarter when Coldspring head coach Bullock called a crucial timeout and adjusted the game plan. The change paid immediate dividends. The Lady Trojans went on a 9-0 unanswered run late in the quarter, seizing control and completely altering the pace of the game heading into halftime.
Trinity responded in the third quarter with a strong push, cutting into the deficit, but Coldspring refused to fold. The fourth quarter belonged entirely to the Lady Trojans, who poured in 25 points while holding Trinity to just 10, sealing an emotional and hard-earned district victory.
Junior post Akiah Harwig led all scorers with an outstanding 20-point performance, going 5-for-7 from the free-throw line. Fellow junior Camiyah Hines added 16 points, while Payje Jackson was perfect at the line (2-for-2) and finished with 6 points.
Alayia Goffney contributed seven points, including a deep three-pointer, and sophomore Ciara Phillips added five points, highlighted by a clutch shot from beyond the arc.
After proving his team’s resilience, Coach Trey Bullock praised both squads following the game.
“Trinity is a very disciplined team. They crash the boards, they execute, and they never stop fighting,” Bullock said. “At halftime, even with a small lead, I told our girls to act like the score was 0-0. Trinity will capitalize on mistakes if you let them, so you can’t ever get comfortable.”
Harwig, who stepped to the free-throw line late in the fourth quarter with just over a minute remaining and the lead hanging in the balance, kept her composure.
“I knew I had to make the shots and keep the lead in our favor,” Harwig said. “We all have to keep getting better as a team and keep working hard.”
Sophomore shooting guard Alayla Goffney echoed the team’s mindset.
“The second quarter felt completely different,” Goffney said. “We wanted to take the game into our own hands, and we did. Coach told us we could do this — we just had to execute and believe in what we practice.”
On Jan. 20, the Lady Trojans lost to the New Waverly Bulldogs 56-33.
