Ladycats falter in playoffs

Photo/Jim Jackson Brittani Toole goes for a shot in the Ladycats victory over Lindale Thursday, Oct. 26.

The Whitehouse Ladycats found the height and athletic ability of the Highland Park Lady Scots too much to handle Monday, as they lost in three, 17-25, 16-25 adn 23-25.

The Cats were led in points by Lauren Schlattner with 15 and Joanna Blake's 12. Brittani Toole would finish the match with a team high of 10 kills and 2 blocks.

"They played with their heart," said Coach Cheryl Till. "I told them titles are great and our season ended too soon, but they had lots of accomplishments this year.

"The titles are nice, but when they look back years from now it will be the relationships they developed and the memories that will stand out."

The loss in Terrell to Highland Park ended the season for the Ladycats, who still claimed the bi-district championship following a thrilling five-game match over Lindale last Thursday at Wagstaff Gymnasium.

The Ladycats took the first two games by scores of 25-20 and 25-17. Jordan Knight led the charge for Whitehouse in the opening two games of the match with 12 points along with 7 digs.

Toole played her usual stellar performance at the net with 8 kills in the first two games while Melany Perez led the way with 13 assists.

The next two games would see the Lady Eagles find the momentum and pull the match even by taking game three 18- 25 and game four 19-25.

Toole picked up 8 more kills in games three and four, and Stephany Crawford came through with 5 kills of her own. Schlattner led the scoring in those two games with 11 points, while Blake ran the offense with 12 assists.

The decisive game five would be played to 15, and the Lady Cats found themselves in a big hole trailing 8-3, forcing them to dig deep and find something extra.

Knight found her big serve, and Toole led a defensive surge that helped the Cats claw their way back into the match and ultimately come out on top 15-13 to win the bi-district crown.

"These young ladies turned the corner tonight," said Coach Till. "We finally found a way to dig deep and come from behind to win a big game."

"I am so ver y proud of them," said Coach Till.