Saturday, February 8, 1997

Wylie girls defeat Clyde, 59-49

TED DUNNAM /Assistant Sports Editor

Wylie's critical girls basketball win over Clyde Friday night turned quickly into a three-for-all.

The Lady Bulldogs scored more than half of their points from 3-point range, crippling Clyde's zone defense for a 59-49 win in a District 6-3A game that sends Wylie into the postseason.

Head coach Randy Courtney's team will play Merkel at 6:30 p.m. Monday at McMurry University's Kimbrell Arena to determine the district's second-half champion.

The winner of that game will have to do a quick about-face and play first-half champion Ballinger on Tuesday at a time and site to be determined.

In Friday's contest, Clyde had no answer for Wylie's outside shooting. Of the Lady Bulldogs' 11 first-half field goals, eight of those came from beyond the arc.

Wylie led 19-9 after one quarter and never relinquished the lead.

"We've been shooting the ball real well lately, and we did again tonight," Courtney said. "We knew we couldn't come out here and take Clyde lightly. They've really been playing well, especially in the second half of district.

"We're getting better on our press, and it helped us out tonight, too."

Wylie's first four baskets of the game came from 3-point range, and the Lady Bulldogs never trailed after Mandy Stark canned two consecutive treys for a 10-6 Wylie lead.

Clyde closed to 10-8, but Kendra DeBerry made one free throw and Kara Frazier sank a 3 for a 14-8 score at the 1:15 mark. Stark later scored on a steal and a layup, and Frazier buried Wylie's fifth 3-pointer of the first quarter for a 19-9 lead with 12 seconds left.

When Stephanie Anders made a 3-pointer at 5:14 of the second quarter, Wylie's lead was 24-9. Clyde tried trimming into the Wylie lead, but Stark and Anders hit consecutive 3-point bombs as Wylie kept a comfortable 30-16 advantage.

The Lady Bulldogs eventually owned a 32-20 lead at halftime.

Carrie Naylor scored four points in the third quarter, and Anders nailed two more 3-pointers as Wylie opened as much as a 24-point lead in the period. Wylie scored 14 of the first 16 points in the period to take complete control of the contest.

Clyde, though, refused to fold and scored 18 of the first 22 points in the final period to trim Wylie's lead to as few as eight points. However, time ran out on Clyde before it could put a serious scare into Wylie.

"Coach (Courtney) told us don't be afraid to shoot when we've got the open shot," Wylie guard Frazier said. "We're doing the little things right, and that's making a big difference. We're playing a lot more consistent now that at any time this year.

"Getting out to the big lead tonight took a lot of pressure off of us. God's given us the strength to be where we are, and we're just working as hard as we can."

Anders led Wylie with 22 points, Stark finished with 16 and Frazier added 10 as Wylie's guards accounted for 48 of its 59 points.

"Kara hit two back-to-back 3s there that really got us going," Courtney said. "We came out ready to play, and except for a little lull in the fourth quarter, I thought we did a good job of maintaining our intensity."

Clyde was led by Heather Stephenson's 21 points and Jackie Vinson added 10.

Girls

CLYDE (49) - Jackie Vinson 5 0-0 10, Krissy Nigar 3 1-2 7, Amie Franke 1 0-0 2, Heather Stephenson 7 7-8 21, Jenny Womack 1 1-1 3, Trisha Varner 1 0-0 2, Ashley Stallings 0 1-2 1, Jenny Womack 0 3-4 3. Totals 18 13-17 49.

WYLIE (59) - Meredith Ripley 0 3-5 3, Stephanie Anders 6 5-6 22, Mandy Stark 6 0-0 16, Kendra DeBerry 0 1-2 1, Kara Frazier 4 0-0 10, Carrie Naylor 3 0-0 6, Jessica Carnes 2 0-2 4. Totals 20 9-14 59.

3-point goals - Clyde none; Wylie 10 (Anders 5, Stark 3, Frazier 2). Fouls - Clyde 13, Wylie 22. Fouled out - Stark. Technicals - none.

Records - Wylie 17-15, 6-1; Clyde 7-23, 2-5.

JV score - Wylie 35, Clyde 24.

Wylie boys defeat Clyde, 72-65

By TED DUNNAM / Assistant Sports Editor

Scoring nine unanswered points in overtime, Wylie completed a second-half rally from seven points down to take a 72-65 win over Clyde in a District 6-3A boys basketball game Friday at the Wylie gym.

Clyde's Heath Watts canned a 3-pointer eight seconds into overtime to give Clyde a 62-59 lead before Wylie went on the scoring spree to put the game out of reach.

Mark Powell made two free throws at the 3:37 mark before Grant Gregg scored inside to put Wylie ahead to stay, 63-62, with 2:44 showing.

Wylie then scored its next seven points from the free throw line, accumulating those points on eight attempts. For the game, Wylie made 20 of 23 tries from the charity stripe.

Gregg and Jacob Pruitt combined to go 4-for-4 as Wylie's lead swelled to 67-62 with 1:27 left in overtime. Powell then hit the second of two shots for a 68-62 Wylie lead with just 41 seconds remaining.

Clyde finally got on the scoreboard again when Josh Brewer sank a 3-pointer to pull his team within 68-65 with 32 seconds showing. Gregg then made two free throws for a 70-65 lead before Clyde had a chance to cut into the lead with 14 seconds showing.

However, Clyde's Brewer missed each attempt on a 3-shot foul that could have pulled Clyde within two with 14 seconds left.

That effectively ended Clyde's chances of winning.

"That whole game seems like a blur," Wylie head coach Kirby Chandler said. "There were so many peaks and valleys out there.

"We changed up our press a little bit, and that seemed to help create some turnovers. I was really proud of the way we made our free throws. I think we've finally learned how to finish a game."

But Wylie might not have been in a position to win had not Clyde post Clint Watts injured himself. Watt scored 16 first-half points and scored Clyde's first two points of the second half before leaving the game with a leg injury.

Without Watts in the middle, Clyde had no go-to person. However, Clyde still managed to build a 52-45 lead with 4:24 left in the fourth quarter.

Clyde was sparked by the 3-point shooting of Heath Watts and the play of guard Brandon Hawk.

Hawk scored eight of his 10 points in the second half, including twisting layups that gave Clyde a 57-56 lead with 53 seconds left, and the second of which tied the game at 59 with 10 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Wylie managed to get off a last-second shot, but it misfired and the ensuing tip-in went through the hoop after the final buzzer had sounded.

The outcome left each team with 3-2 records in the second half of district play.

Gregg paced Wylie with 18 points, Powell scored 14 and Williams and Pruitt each finished with 13. Heath Watts led Clyde with 20 oints and Clint Watts finished with 18.

Boys

CLYDE (65) - Josh Brewer 2 0-3 6, Clint Watts 9 0-0 18, Heath Watts 7 0-0 20, Brandon Hawk 5 0-0 10, John Sadler 1 1-1 3. Totals 26 4-10 65.

WYLIE (72) - David Dixon 4 2-2 10, Grant Gregg 5 8-9 18, Dustin Williams 5 1-2 13, Mark Powell 3 5-6 14, Ricky Beard 0 0-0 0, Jacob Pruitt 4 4-4 13, Scott Bull 1 0-0 2, Scott Schweikard 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 20-23 72.

3-point goals - Clyde 9 (H. Watts 6, Brewer 2, Cauthen 1), Wylie 6 (Williams 2, Powell 3, Pruitt 1). Fouls - Clyde 19, Wylie 13. Fouled out - none. Technicals - Beard, Hawk, Clyde bench.

Records - Clyde 19-10, 3-2; Wylie 14-17, 3-2.