Lady Mustangs advance despite 2nd big injury

A team that loses not only its starting point guard but also its backup in a span of five weeks really should no longer be playing basketball. Superior point guard play usually means playing deep into February.

But Grapevine (32-2) played Wichita Falls Rider on Tuesday in the Class 5A Region I quarterfinals because of sheer will. The Lady Mustangs used the sharp shooting of Abby Sandy to grind out a 54-51 overtime win over Cleburne in the area round this past Friday. Sandy’s three-pointer inside the final minute completed a seven-point comeback in the latter stages of the fourth quarter.

In the bi-district win over Saginaw, Grapevine lost point guard Nicole Taake to a torn ACL. In early January, this team lost starting point guard Mandi Routon to a torn ACL.

“It’s a tough blow when you lose two,” Grapevine coach Lindy Lombard said. “We gathered as a team and just talked about how life is filled with tough situations and if we face them and deal with them, we can come through it. Basketball prepares us for that.”

Taake’s absence showed, because the Lady Mustangs really didn’t have a true ball handler against Cleburn. Duties were split between Sydney Bowers, Sandy and Tatum Tellin. And the lack of continuity showed with more than 20 turnovers. Many of those were unforced.

“We would dribble across half court and pick it up and then were a little late to grab loose balls,” Lombard said. “We got off to as ugly as start as you would have seen. But we did find a way to get it together in the second half. When we needed big plays we found a way to get them.”

Had the Lady Mustangs been fortunate to get through Tuesday’s game in Bowie, the ball handling duties would remain with Bowers, Sandy and Tellin.

“We really don’t have a choice,” Lombard said. “We have to stay this way.”

Taake’s injury

Taake suffered the injury in the early stages of the second half against Saginaw. Lombard said Taake was dribbling through some traffic and had some contact. There has been no timetable for Taake to have surgery.

“She felt it twist and just crumbled to the floor,” Lombard said. “But her attitude was great on Friday. She’s dealing with it and supporting us. That’s what Mandi has been doing as well.”

The dream/nightmare

If Grapevine won Tuesday and Canyon won its Region I quarterfinal game Tuesday against El Paso Burgess, it would summon a family reunion game.

Lombard would be coaching against her father, Joe, in the Region I tournament Friday at Western Texas College in Snyder. It’s something that the Lombard family would have never foreseen when the season started. Lombard played for her father at Canyon 1994-1998.

“It would be a dream and nightmare all rolled into one,” Lombard said. “But each of us had big games in front of us, so we weren’t going to think about that.”

Colleyville Heritage update

The Lady Panthers (19-14) had a great start but were eventually overwhelmed by Cedar Hill in the Class 6A Region I bi-district round, 61-36, on Feb. 17. It was a rough finish for freshman Bryn Gerlich. Coming off an ankle injury, she scored only two points before fouling out.

While there have been some bi-district frustrations in recent years, this was just a tough matchup for the Lady Panthers. However, this team should be back in the playoff hunt for 2014-2015. It returns Gerlich, guard McKinley Charles and forwards Angel Guyton and Seairra Ford.

This story was originally published February 23, 2015 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Lady Mustangs advance despite 2nd big injury."