Duncanville girls cruise past L.D. Bell to advance to area playoffs
By: By Jarret Johnson
GRAND PRAIRIE -- The Duncanville Pantherettes overwhelmed Hurst L.D. Bell 68-33 in their Class 5A Region I bi-district playoff matchup Monday night at Grand Prairie High School.
Duncanville (34-1), the No. 3-ranked Class 5A team in the state, will play Flower Mound Marcus (23-12) in the second round at a time and place to be determined.
The Pantherettes never trailed and built a 19-7 lead after the first quarter on their way to a 31-13 lead by the half behind tremendous full-court pressure defense. After the Lady Blue Raiders (26-10) cut the lead to 13-7 midway through the first period, Duncanville held them without a field goal and to just six points for the rest of the half.
Duncanville closed the third quarter on a 9-2 run to push its lead to 49-24, ending Bell's chances of a comeback.
"It's the same as always, our defense and ability to share the ball is what carries us," Duncanville coach Cathy Self-Morgan said. "That's this group, they take a lot of pride in their defense and it turns into offense on the break."
Four Pantherettes scored in double figures, led by sophomore guard Tasia Foman, who finished with a game-high 19 points to go along with four steals and a block.
Foman provided the offense but Ariel Atkins stole the show with her all-around performance. Atkins finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, five steals and four blocks and was all over the court Monday night.
"She's been kind of flat lately, so it was good to see her break out of her funk a little bit," Self-Morgan said.
Junior forward Kiara Perry added 10 points, five steals, four rebounds and a block.
Senior point guard Morgan Bolton chipped in with 10 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a steal.
Cierra Johnson led the Lady Raiders with eight points, seven rebounds and a block. Leah Taylor and Bryson Thomas each added seven points.
Jarret Johnson, 817-390-7760