Arlington Lamar's win makes Martin girls wait for call
By: By Kevin Casas
ARLINGTON -- Playing well enough to earn a playoff spot in District 4-5A is always a reward. Having to wait on a phone call to make it official is another feeling.
Such was the wait for the Arlington Martin girls basketball team after Arlington Lamar defeated the Warriors 61-35 in the regular-season finale Tuesday at Warrior Gym.
That phone call finally came after Arlington Bowie defeated Weatherford 82-12. That result put Martin (16-14, 7-7 District 4-5A) in the playoffs, where they will play Midland in a bi-district playoff at 6 p.m. Monday at Jim Ned High School.
"It was a little stressful, a little unnerving," said Martin coach Brooke Brittain of waiting for the call. "I knew how good Bowie was and that Weatherford would have a hard time, but you just never really know."
Martin had a chance to help its own cause Tuesday, but Lamar's Janay Keys proved too much to handle. The senior scored 16 points and dominated the glass for the Vikings (17-12, 12-2).
Keys helped engineer a 19-5 run midway through the first quarter that proved to be the deciding stretch. Aside from a small run in the third quarter, Martin couldn't claw its way back.
"We have to do better executing," said Martin guard Amanda Barnes. "We can get cutters easy baskets if we run the offense right, and because we don't get as many offensive rebounds, we have to make the shots from the good looks we get."
Keys said her team is peaking at the right time to do well in the playoffs.
"Our offense is about having patience and our guards try to slow things down so that we can get our offense set," Keys said. "For me, it's important to work hard for rebounds on both ends."