Brackets await basketball teams

By Randy Sachs

Special to The Keller Citizen

While Keller girls basketball waits to learn its bi-district pairing for next Tuesday’s first round of the playoffs, even bigger questions surrounded two other Keller ISD teams.

Timber Creek and Fossil Ridge were taking the battle for the final playoff spot down to the wire on Tuesday, the final day of regular season play.

As any good script would have it, the two teams were facing off against each other to settle the final team to represent District 5-5A in the playoffs.

Both teams had identical 7-6 district marks going into the Tuesday finale.

Tuesday’s results were unavailable at the print deadline.

Timber Creek had gotten the best of the Lady Panthers earlier in the season with a 38-29 win on Jan. 11.

Fossil Ridge seemed to pick up momentum, though, toward the final stretch, including a win over Keller.

Just over a week ago, Fossil Ridge head coach Stacy Henson said of the possible final game, a winner-take-all affair, “It could be very big.”

An understatement.

Even the season records are almost identical, with Timber Creek sporting a 19-12 mark and Fossil Ridge at 18-13.

This Friday will be a focused day of preparations for a playoff run for Keller and either Timber Creek or Fossil Ridge.

Carroll and Richland will also represent the district in the postseason for District 4-5A.

Leaders for Timber Creek have been Megan Owen, Emily Spector and Hillary Kelly, and for the Lady Falcons to repeat their winning ways over the Panthers, those players will again have to step up.

Fossil Ridge has its own firepower in Grayson Bright. Bright has been averaging 14.2 points per game, just behind Keller’s Rani Parkinson’s 14.3 ppg. The district’s leading scorer is Richland’s Destiny Nunley, at a 17.7 pace.

Allyson Te’o of Fossil Ridge is also a key playmaker.

Almost as big a game as Timber Creek versus Fossil Ridge, is Keller’s final showdown with Richland.

Both teams are secured a playoff spot, but seedings for the bi-district round are at stake.

Keller is coming off a big win over Timber Creek on Friday, with Alli Gribbin helping shoulder some of the scoring load for Parkinson, pouring in 14 for the Lady Indians.

Central was finishing the season against Northwest.

The Lady Chargers, just 3-10 in district play, already own a win over Northwest, which is still winless throughout the district schedule.

Looking for comments?