Crowley girls benefit from FW Trimble Tech's error

By Travis L. Brown

Special to the Star-Telegram

The Crowley girls basketball team was told at midday Wednesday that its bi-district opponent, Fort Worth Trimble Tech, had played Tuesday's game with an ineligible player and, in turn, forfeited the contest.

The Tech player was ineligible under the no-pass, no-play rule, but officials did not realize it until Wednesday morning, Fort Worth schools athletic director Kevin Greene said. Tech won the game 52-32.

Naturally, Crowley coach Rhonda Jackson said her players were ecstatic with the news, especially her four seniors, who were given the gift of at least one more game for the Eagles (20-14).

Jackson said she wasn't even able to tell half of the team before the news spread across the school.

"They were coming running down the halls to me, crying their eyes out," Jackson said.

Jackson said she spent the rest of the day trying to negotiate a location for the game with Fort Worth Dunbar and schedule an after-school practice that wasn't on the docket that morning.

What excited Jackson the most was the opportunity for her team to prove how good it really is in at least one more game.

"We just didn't play really well last night, so just to get a second chance at this -- I just think we have a chance to go far if we play well," Jackson said.

Dominance dinged

District 7-5A, the girls district with a 20-win team that missed the playoffs and an overall .651 regular-season winning percentage, didn't quite display the same dominance in the bi-district round that ended Tuesday.

Duncanville (36-0) saved the district's point margin by defeating its first postseason foe, Killeen, 65-33, bringing the grand point total to 235-187 in favor of 7-5A.

Mansfield Timberview (28-6), the district's second seed, put up a 17-point margin over state-ranked Temple in the first round.

Third-place Cedar Hill (26-9) just edged Copperas Cove 69-68, and DeSoto (25-8) fell to Killeen Ellison 46-44.

Duncanville moves on to face Hurst L.D. Bell (30-4) in the area round at 7 p.m. Friday at Arlington. Timberview will face Lewisville, which knocked off Colleyville Heritage, and Cedar Hill will face Flower Mound.

Boys in tune-ups

Fort Worth Dunbar (20-9), Fort Worth Polytechnic (15-10) and Kennedale (30-2) will participate in a playoff preview Saturday at Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center.

Also Saturday, Richland (23-9) plays Dallas Carter at 2 p.m. in the McDonald's High School Basketball Classic at the American Airlines Center.

At Wilkerson-Greines, Dunbar plays Stephenville at 6 p.m., Kennedale meets Silsbee at 7:30 p.m., and Poly faces Wall at 9 p.m.

The games at Wilkerson-Greines begin at 10:30 a.m., with Water Valley vs. Trenton, followed by Mumford vs. Roxton (noon), Poolville vs. Calvert (1:30 p.m.), Ponder vs. Abilene Wylie (3 p.m.) and Argyle vs. Madisonville (4:30 p.m.).

Tickets are $10 all day or single-game for $6 adult and $5 student.

Richland is the only Tarrant County team among the four games at AAC. Tickets are available at the box office or through Ticketmaster at $15 general admission, $25 reserved floor and $50 VIP.

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