Arlington Martin girls eliminate Arlington Lamar, wins coin toss for second place

By Shawn Smajstrla

Special to the Star-Telegram

ARLINGTON -- Arlington Martin eliminated rival Arlington Lamar from the playoffs Tuesday and earned a second-place tie in District 3-5A with a 43-35 home victory.

The Warriors (17-13, 10-4) and North Crowley (15-16, 10-4) did a coin flip Wednesday. Martin won the flip and will take the second-place seeding.

"I'm beyond proud of what they've gone through this season," Martin girls basketball coach Brooke Brittain said. "We've had a lot of ups and downs and tons of injuries. We're a very young group and no matter what, they were determined and resilient through everything we faced. I'm just really proud of their resolve to get the job done."

After Lamar (14-18, 8-6) scored the opening basket, the Warriors went on an 8-0 run and led 12-6 after the first quarter. The Vikings tied the game at 14 late in the second quarter, but Rachel Hitt scored and Bailey Carpenter hit a 3-pointer with under 10 seconds remaining to give Martin a 19-14 halftime lead.

The Warriors scored the first four points of the third quarter before Kennedy Smith ended Martin's 9-0 run. Lexis Weber scored six of her team-high 12 in the third period.

"She's just really been getting to the boards and she's really developing a controlled offensive presence," Brittain said of Weber.

Christina Hedgepeth hit a 3-pointer with just over two minutes remaining to bring Lamar within 36-30, but Emily Slagle scored with 36 seconds left to extend Martin's lead to 41-33.

Martin plays Keller on Monday at 8 p.m. at Nolan Catholic High School.

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