Columbus 45, Smithville 32
Columbus    13    16    3    13    -    45
Smithville    6    12    12    2    -    32
Smithville (11-22): Valerie Harmon 9, Taryn Leiferman 9, Maygan Washington 7, Macy Wilhelm 4, Audrei Rogers 3.
Columbus (21-8): Shea Marbaugh 18, Holly Melvin 11, Rebecca Allison 6, Molly Ballard 5, Holly Pflughaupt 2, Chloe Hill 1

Smithville’s Valerie Harmon, right puts up a shot while being defended by Columbus’ Abigail Baugh in the first quarter of Monday’s Region III-3A bi-district playoff game in Brenham. Columbus eliminated Smithville from the playoffs with a 45-32 win over the Lady Tigers. (Larry Overall/ For the Bastrop Advertiser)

However, it was a different story for their cross-county rivals Cedar Creek.

Bastrop defeated the Lady Eagles 41-36 Tuesday at Eagle Gym as the girls basketball season for both teams came to an end.

The Lady Bears (5-21, 4-12 District 16-4A) closed out the season with back-to-back wins, while Cedar Creek finished on a 21-game losing streak and winless in district play.

Brittany Reed led the Bastrop attack with 10 points while Taylor Seitz and Alexis Arevalo each scored six.

The Lady Bears took a 10-5 lead after the first quarter and led by six at halftime.

Cedar Creek (3-24, 0-16) never could get back into it as Bastrop held a 10-point lead going into the final quarter.

Hailey Wilson led the Lady Eagles with 10 points while freshman Kennedy Collins scored six.

Other scorers for Bastrop were Magen Cavazos (4), Addison Semer (4), Raven Anderson (4), Naiah Fowler (3), Dezi Litton (2) and Ronesha Wilson (2).

Other scorers for Cedar Creek were Jennifer Rick (5), Maria Acevado (4), Leslie Aziz (4), Takia Bunton (4) and Whitney Thurmond (3).

Hutto 59, Elgin 47
HUTTO – The Elgin Lady Cats cooled off in the second half, falling to Hutto 59-47 Tuesday in Hutto.

It was the final game for head coach Jackie Bowman as the seven-year coach resigned Thursday.

Elgin (8-17, 5-11) only trailed by three points at halftime, but the Lady Hippos picked up the tempo and outscored Elgin 19-6 in the third quarter.

Shaqualla Franklin led Elgin with 16 points while Lee Ann Nash scored 14.

Other scorers for Elgin were Cynthia Cowan (5), Monique Aguirre (4), Brooke Limbo (2) and Andrea Gonzales (2).

La Grange 37, Smithville 29
LA GRANGE – The Smithville Lady Tigers scored two points in the third quarter as La Grange defeated the Lady Tigers 37-29 Tuesday in La Grange.

Smithville (11-12, 5-5 District 23-3A) already had a playoff berth wrapped up before Tuesday’s season finale, so the loss meant very little.

The Lady Tigers led by one at halftime, but went cold in the third quarter as La Grange took a nine-point lead after outscoring Smithville 12-2.

Taryn Leiferman led Smithville with 16 points, but was the only Lady Tiger to score in double digits.

Other scorers for Smithville were Cadie Jones (4), Samantha Campos (2), Valerie Harmon (4) and Macy Wilhelm (1).

Smithville will take on Columbus Monday in the bi-district round of the Region III-3A girls basketball playoffs. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Brenham High School.

Bowman has been Elgin’s girls basketball coach for the last seven seasons and compiled a 83-108 record during his tenure.

The Lady Cats just finished the 2011-12 season and finished with an 8-17 overall record and a 5-11 record in District 16-4A.

Bowman coached Elgin to the playoffs in 2010, which was Elgin’s first playoff appearance for girls basketball in 18 years and the only one under Bowman.

In the last two seasons, Elgin was 16-34 and 7-21 in district play.

Elgin girls basketball coach Jackie Bowman watches on as the Lady Cats battled with Hays in 2010. Bowman resigned Thursday as the head girls basketball coach at Elgin. (Mike Andrick/ File photo)

What needs to happen…
Bastrop: Bastrop will likely get some help from Elgin, which plays two of the Bears’ final three opponents as the season winds down. If Bastrop can win remaining three and get some help from its rival, or a Connally loss, they are in. Bastrop holds tiebreaker over Connally, which will be a big help if the Bears can win out and Connally loses one of its remaining three games.
Connally: Cougars went 3-0 against remaining three opponents in first round of district play, if they win all three, they are in. A win over Rudder would give Connally the tiebreaker over Rangers.
Rudder: Rangers have least favorable schedule among playoff contenders and were 1-2 against those opponents in first round. Rudder will need to win remaining three games to get in.
Hutto: Hippos are a game out of playoff picture, but will need to win all three remaining games and have some help to get in the playoffs.

Remaining schedules
Elgin: Hutto, Hendrickson, Rudder
Manor: McNeil (ND), Cedar Ridge, Connally
Rudder: Cedar Ridge, Connally, Elgin
Bastrop: Cedar Creek, Hutto, Hendrickson
Connally: Hendrickson, Bryan-Rudder, Manor
Hutto: Elgin, Bastrop, Cedar Creek

District 16-4A girls
District championship: Rudder has clinched title
Already in: Rudder, Cedar Ridge, Connally
On the bubble: Hutto, Hendrickson

What needs to happen…
Hutto: Lady Hippos got in with a win Tuesday against Elgin
Hendrickson: Lady Hawks needed Hutto to lose Tuesday and defeat Connally

Potential playoff matchups:
Rudder vs. Lancaster/ Mesquite Poteet
Cedar Ridge vs. Ennis
Connally vs. Waxahachie
Hutto vs. West Mesquite

District 23-3A boys
District championship picture: Navasota can clinch a share of the district title with a win and will win it outright with a win over Rockdale or a Rockdale loss.
Already in: Navasota
In contention: Rockdale
On the bubble: Smithville, La Grange

What needs to happen…
Rockdale: Tigers are in with a win in final three games.
Smithville: If Smithville wins against La Grange, they are in.
La Grange: La Grange needs to win remaining three games and hope Smithville loses one of its remaining games.

Remaining schedules
Navasota: Giddings,  Rockdale, La Grange
Rockdale: Caldwell, Navasota, Smithville
Smithville: La Grange, Caldwell, Rockdale
La Grange: Smithville, Giddings, Navasota

District 23-3A girls
District championship picture: Giddings has clinched title
Already in: Giddings, Navasota, Smithville
On the bubble: none

Potential playoff matchups:
Giddings vs. Columbus
Navasota vs. Brookshire-Royal
Smithville  vs. Sealy

The senior guard scored 16 points to lead the Lady Cats to a 62-29 win over visiting Cedar Creek.

The Lady Eagles kept the game close in the first half and held an 8-7 lead going into the second quarter.

Elgin, however, was able to retake the lead and took a 21-15 lead into the locker room.

The Lady Cats came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders and outscored Cedar Creek 41-14 in the second half to secure the win.

Other scorers for Elgin were Lee Ann Nash (12), Shaqualla Franklin (10), Monique Aguirre (8), Vernicia Robinson (4), Terra Shoop (3), Brook Limbo (2) and Ashley Kerlin (2).

Jennifer Rico led Cedar Creek with nine points.

Other scorers for the Lady Eagles were Leslie Aziz (4), Whitney Thurmond (2), Kennedy Collins (2), Takia Bunton (6) and Hailey Wilson (6).

Elgin 62, Cedar Creek 29
Cedar Creek    8    7    5    9    -    29
Elgin    7    14    19    22    -    62
Elgin (8-16, 5-10): Cynthia Cowan 16, Lee Ann Nash 12, Shaqualla Franklin 10, Monique Aguirre 8, Vernicia Robinson 4, Terra Shoop 3, Brooke Limbo 2, Ashley Kerlin 2
Cedar Creek (3-23, 0-15): Jennifer Rico 9, Lezlie Aziz 4, Whitney Thurmond 2, Kennedy Collins 2, Takia Bunton 6, Hailey Wilson 6.

Elgin’s Cynthia Cowan, left, dribbles past Cedar Creek’s Jennifer Rico Friday at Wildcat Gym in a District 16-4A girls basketball game. Cowan had a game-high 16 points to lead the Lady Cats past Cedar Creek 62-29. (Ken Daughtry/ For the Bastrop Advertiser)

They are in the playoffs and kept the playoff streak alive.

Smithville upset Navasota 43-39 Friday in overtime to wrap up the final playoff berth in District 23-3A.

At one point in the season, it looked like the Lady Tigers might have been in jeopardy of missing out.

However, Smithville’s win over the Lady Rattlers was the Lady Tigers’ fourth in five games and ended the stressful last couple of weeks.

Maygan Washington had a double double in the win with team-highs of 16 rebounds and 10 points while junior forward Taryn Leiferman had 10 points to go with six rebounds.

Smithville (11-20, 5-4 District 23-3A) fell behind in the first quarter by six and trailed by five at halftime.

The Lady Tigers chipped away at Navasota’s lead, forcing the game into overtime by outscoring the Lady Rattlers 8-5 in the final quarter.

Navasota’s struggles continued in the overtime period as Smithville completed the comeback.

Other scorers for Smithville were Trina Deyo (9), Julia Kubicek (4), Madison Hannusch (2) and Valerie Harmon (2).

Smithville 43, Navasota 39 OT
Navasota    12    6    12    5    4    -    39
Smithville    6    7    14    8    8    -    43
Smithville (11-20, 5-4): Maygan Washington 16, Taryn Leiferman 10, Trina Deyo 9, Julia Kubicek 4, Madison Hannusch 2, Valerie Harmon 2
Navasota (13-4, 7-2): Freeman 12, Ford 10, Latmore 7, Hays 4, Douglas 4, Maxey 2

There are banners hanging in Tiger Gym with her sisters Heather (Rogers) Davis and Megan (Rogers) Chavez’s names on them from the 2000 state finalist team and the two banners from 2001 and 2002 regional finalist teams. Her sisters’ pictures are in the lobby of Tiger Gym.

Davis and Chavez are also regularly in the stands watching Audrei’s every game.

For Audrei, it’s a lot of pressure to live up to, but it’s a legacy she fully understands.

“They made it to state, so when we lose I usually will get calls from my sisters,” Audrei said. “They left a legacy here.”

The Smithville Lady Tigers (9-19, 3-3 District 23-3A) picked up a big win Tuesday over Caldwell to move them to 3-3 in district play, before another big game Friday at home against Rockdale, a team that defeated Smithville by one-point in the first round.

The Lady Tigers needed to win Friday to keep the playoff hopes, and the Rogers legacy, alive.

Should Smithville have lost that game to Rockdale, the Lady Tigers’ chances of reaching the playoffs for the 19th consecutive year would be slim, if not gone completely.

“If we don’t make the playoffs, there will always be something left unaccomplished,” Audrei said. “We will all feel like we let the community and school down.”

Head coach Robin Ramsay is trying to keep things in perspective for Smithville, which is still has a decent chance to keep the playoff streak alive.

Ramsay said she recently talked to the team about letting go of the pressure and just have fun.

“It’s really hard on them,” she said. “Every one of these girls cares about the streak and understands the tradition. I had to tell them to just get that off their shoulders and be a team. It’s not going to kill me if the streak ends. I just want them to develop as a team and reach their potential, whatever that may be.”

It has been an up-and-down season for Smithville, which was coming off back-to-back wins going into Friday’s game with Rockdale.

The streak has never been in more jeopardy in the last 18 years, but there is still hope and work left to be done.

Rockdale only defeated Smithville 34-33 in their first meeting on Jan. 10 in Rockdale.

Should the Lady Tigers have defeated Rockdale Friday, they could go into their final game against La Grange on Feb. 7 needing only to win to keep the streak alive. Theycould also defeat one of the district powerhouses – Giddings and Navasota –in the next two games.

Smithville just defeated La Grange 46-39 on Jan. 20 at Tiger Gym.

“We have to be cautious with Rockdale,” Ramsay said. “It’s a big game.”

The Lady Tigers are coming off a trip to the regional semifinals in 2011, but the bulk of that team did graduate and this young group, which features mainly juniors and sophomores, has had a roller coaster of a season.

As for Audrei, who is the only player with siblings that have played on previous Smithville teams, the Rogers legacy will always sit in the back of her mind, and anything less than keeping the streak going will be a disappointment for her.

“We have to get there,” she said. “If we don’t, it’s going to be a huge let-down for this community. We want to keep that streak going.”

Smithville’s Audrei Rogers (21) defends a Caldwell player Tuesday during a basketball game at Tiger Gym. Rogers is the third of three siblings to play basketball for the Lady Tigers. Her sisters Heather and Megan were a part of the 2000 team that reached the Class 3A finals. (Larry Overall/ For the Bastrop Advertiser)

Smithville demolished Caldwell 64-28 in a game that was never in doubt at Tiger Gym.

The Lady Tigers (9-19, 3-3 District 23-3A) started a 12-0 run after Caldwell scored the first point of the game.

The run started with a pair of free throws from Maygan Washington and culminated with a layup from Valerie Harmon.

Free-throw shooting would be key for Smithville, as the Lady Tigers were 7-of-10 from the charity stripe for the night.

Six of Taryn Leiferman’s game-high 18 points came from put-backs by the junior post.

By the end of the first quarter, Caldwell found itself in an 11-point hole, one Smithville just kept making deeper.

The Lady Tigers extended the game on a three-point play from Harmon, who had seven points in the contest, before Leiferman kept addingsalt to the wounds of the Lady Hornets.

Leiferman made a three midway through the second quarter and helped extend the lead to nearly 20 points after earning three points the hard way.

Smithville called off the dogs toward the end of the first half as Caldwell trailed by 13 at halftime.

The Lady Tigers started firing on all cylinders in the third quarter as Trina Deyo rolled off six straight as part of a 8-0 run early in the period.

Shelby Davee, who scored all eight of her points in the second half, continued the run off a Caldwell turnover as Smithville led by 19 going into the fourth period.

The Lady Tigers kept rolling in the final quarter and outscored the Lady Hornets 22-5 by closing the period on a 17-0 run that featured a three from Audrei Rogers and Madison Hannusch’s back-to-back field goals to close the game.

“We needed a game like that to loosen up,” said head coach Robin Ramsay. “We have been so uptight about this streak it was nice to finally see them relaxed.”

Connally 55, Elgin 35
ELGIN – The Elgin Lady Cats were officially eliminated from playoff contention Tuesday after falling to Connally 55-35 at Wildcat Gym.

The Lady Cougars (19-12, 9-3) jumped out to a 14-5 lead by the end of the first quarter and Elgin struggled to get back in the game.

Connally led 30-15 at halftime, but Elgin did get to within nine before the start of the final quarter.

Cynthia Cowan led Elgin with 17 points while Shaqualla Franklin and Lee Ann Nash contributed seven points each.

Cedar Ridge 68, Bastrop 26
The Bastrop Lady Bears were held to seven points in the first half as Cedar Ridge built a 33-7 lead by halftime and cruised to a 68-26 win at Bear Gym Tuesday.

Alexis Arevalo led Bastrop with seven points as Addison Semer and Brittany Reed each added six.

Other scorers for Bastrop were Magen Cavazos (4) and Taylor Seitz (4).

Tuesday, Smithville suffered its third straight District 23-3A loss, falling to Navasota 61-34 at Tiger Gym.

The loss was Smithville’s third district loss and moves the Lady Tigers to 1-3.

Smithville concluded the first half of district play Friday at La Grange. A loss to the Lady Leopards would put the Lady Tigers in a position where they would need three of their remaining five district games to make the postseason for the 19^th straight year.

Smithville fell behind early in the first quarter Tuesday as Navasota jumped out to a 12-6 lead and led by 18 going into the locker room at halftime.

The Lady Tigers couldn’t get anything going offensively and were outscored 16-9 in the final quarter.

Maygan Washington led Smithville with 10 points while Valerie Harmon scored nine.

Other scorers for Smithville were Taryn Leiferman (5), Julia Kubicek (4), Trina Deyo (3), Macy Wilhelm (2) and Madison Hannusch (1).

Smithville opens the second half of district play Tuesday at home against Caldwell.

Bryan Rudder 68, Bastrop 29

The Bastrop Lady Bears were eliminated from postseason contention Tuesday, thanks to a 68-29 loss to first place Bryan-Rudder at Bear Gym.

The loss, accompanied with a Hutto win, put Bastrop 6 ½ games out of the playoff race with five games left in the regular season.

Megan Cavazos led Bastrop with 10 points, but the Lady bears (2-19, 1-10) trailed by 19 at halftime.

Other scorers for Bastrop were Taylor Seitz (9), Addison Semer (5), Ronesha Wilson (4) and Dezi Litton (1).

Bastrop returns home Tuesday to take on second-place Cedar Ridge.

Bastrop 60, Bryan-Rudder 55
Bastrop    8    15    20    17    -    60
Rudder    13    9    14    19    -    55
Bastrop (17-13, 5-4): Malik Matthews 6, Shawn Lemon 13, Chris Young 5, Dontray Kinsey 3, Isaiah Washington 5, Kaliem Evans 3, John Thorne 18, Cameron Williams 7
Rudder (16-10, 5-4): Will Martin 19, A’Shanian Smith 11, Demarshon Wilson 11, Jonas Suber 5, Justin Johnson 4, Shivon Wesley 3, Tavion Wilson 2

Manor 70, Elgin 43
Elgin    8    9    15    11    -    43
Manor    16    13    18    23    -    70
Elgin (21-3, 8-1): Trey Nash 13 Troy Nash 9, Tracy Haywood 3, Da’Trean Simmons 12, Te’Rel Simmons 4, Marquis Wilson 2
Manor (12-7, 7-2): Carlock 4 McQueen 10 Mack 19 Ellis 6 T. Johnson 7 Hargis 14 Jones 7 C. Johnson 3

Navasota 64, Smithville 53
Navasota    11    14    24    15    -    64
Smithville    7    18    19    9    -    53
Smithville (13-8, 1-1): Oscar Kenebrew 13, Cody Hlvaty 11, Coltyn Brown 11, Peter Merek 3, Davion Gentry 2, Joe Crank 12.
Navasota (13-9, 2-0): Collins 14, Baker 9, Frazier 5, Creeks 11, McGinty 10, Lowery 8, Sauls 1, Day 3, Lamarquis 3.

Hendrickson 89, Cedar Creek 64
Cedar Creek    22    9    13    20    -    64
Hendrickson    16    28    20    25    -    89
Cedar Creek (5-23, 0-9): Zach Daniel 28, Kyle Spencer 8, Ronnie Hatlett 2, Michael Vallejo 3, Jose Cantu 6, Jose Vasquez 7, Marcus Perez 6, Joel Olivares  4
Hendrickson

DISTRICT 16-4A SSTANDINGS
OVERALL DISTRICT
W    L    W    L     PCT    GB
Elgin    21    3    8    1    0.875    -
Manor    12    7    7    2    0.632    1
Bastrop    17    13    5    4    0.567    3
Bryan-Rudder    16    10    5    4    0.615    3
Connally    13    13    5    4    0.500    3
Hutto    13    11    4    4    0.542    3.5
Cedar Ridge    10    12    3    6    0.455    5
Hendrickson    6    14    2    7    0.300    6
Cedar Creek    5    23    0    9    0.179    8

District 23-3A STANDINGS
OVERALL DISTRICT
W    L    W    L    PCT    GB
Navasota    13    9    2    0    0.591    -
Rockdale    15    7    2    0    0.682    -
Smithville    13    8    1    1    0.619    1
La Grange    9    9    1    1    0.500    1
Giddings    8    9    0    2    0.471    2
Caldwell    8    7    0    2    0.533    2

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Tuesday’s games

Bryan Rudder 68, Bastrop 29
Rudder    19    15    17    17    -    68
Bastrop    6    9    11    3    -    29
Bastrop (2-19, 1-10): Magen Cavazos 10, Taylor Seitz 9, Addison Semer 5, Roneasha Wilson 4, Dezi Litton 1
Rudder (26-5, 10-1): Amerson 17, Cole 14, Dunn 14, McGee 8, James 6, Williams 6, Sardle 3

Navasota 61, Smithville 34
Smithville    6    5    14    9    -    34
Navasota    12    17    16    16    -    61
Smithville (7-19, 1-3): Maygan Washington 10, Valerie Harmon 9, Taryn Leiferman 5, Julia Kubicek 4, Trina Deyo 3, Macy Wilhelm 2, Madison Hannusch 1

District 16-4A Standings
OVERALL DISTRICT
W    L    W    L     PCT    GB
Bryan-Rudder    20    4    10    1    0.833    -
Cedar Ridge    23    7    9    1    0.767    0.5
Connally    18    12    8    3    0.600    2
Hutto    13    13    7    3    0.500    2.5
Hendrickson    14    12    7    4    0.538    3
Elgin    7    13    4    7    0.350    6
Manor    2    17    3    8    0.105    7
Bastrop    2    19    1    10    0.095    9
Cedar Creek    3    19    0    10    0.136    9.5

District 23-3A Standings
OVERALL DISTRICT
W    L    W    L    PCT    GB
Giddings    18    5    4    0    0.783    -
Navasota    10    2    4    0    0.833    -
La Grange    5    8    2    2    0.385    2
Smithville    7    19    1    3    0.269    3
Rockdale    15    9    1    3    0.625    3
Caldwell    1    5    0    4    0.167    4

GIRLS SOCCER
Friday’s games
Del Valle 3, Cedar Creek 1
Del Valle    0    3    -    3
Cedar Creek (0-6-1)    0    1    -    1
Goals: Melissa Hernandez

Bastrop 3, Elgin 0
Bastrop (3-3-1)    0    3    -    3
Elgin    0    0    -    0
Goals: Kendall Ayers, Melissa Perry, Haley Mendel
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Bastrop 4, Waco 0
Bastrop (2-3-1)    0    0    -    4
Waco    0    0    -    0
Goals: Kendall Ayers (2), Haley Mendel (2)

Manor 2, CEDar Creek 0
Manor    1    1    -    2
Cedar Creek (0-5-1)    0    0    -    0
Goals; none

Tuesday’s games
Bastrop 3, Kerrville Tivy 1
Bastrop (1-2-1)    1    2    -    3
Tivy    1    0    -    1
Goals: Haley Mendel, Melissa Perry, Rocio Guerrero
Assists: Kendall Ayers (2)

Hutto 7, Cedar Creek 0
Hutto    4    3    -    7
Cedar Creek (0-4-1)    0    0    -    0
Goals: none

Elgin 1, Bryan Rudder 1
Elgin (1-2-1)    1    0    -    1
Bryan-Rudder    1    0    -    1
Goals: none reported

BOYS SOCCER
Thursday’s game
Cedar Creek 2, Scarborough 1
Cedar Creek (1-3)    2    0    -    2
Scarborough    0    1    -    1
Goals: Michael Mendoza, Joel Oliviares

Tuesday’s GAMES
Bastrop 3, Elgin 0
Bastrop (3-1-1)    2    1    -    3
Elgin    0    0    -    0
Goals: Yeison Meza (2), Wyatt Rosenauer
Assists: Hart McMillan

Jan. 13
Laredo Martin 6, Cedar Creek 0
Martin    3    3    -    6
Cedar Creek (0-3)    0    0    -    0
Goals: none

Jan. 12
Anderson 2, Cedar Creek 0
Cedar Creek (0-1)    0    0    -    0
Anderson    1    1    -    1
Goals: none

Lanier 7, Cedar Creek 4
Cedar Creek (0-2)    1    3    -    4
Lanier    2    5    -    7
Goals: Jose Ortiz, Vicente Salazar