The Cinco Ranch Cougars hosted the Fort Bend Marshall Buffalos Friday night. Both these teams held the lead at one point in the game but Cinco Ranch came out on top with a 49-41 victory and extended their record to 10-5.
“We haven’t started off well yet,” Cinco Ranch head coach Eric Bartlett said. “Fortunately we tend to work our way out of it but we tend to start off slow.”
The Cougars trailed in the first quarter, they struggled to land their shots and keep up with Marshall’s fast pace as they ran the court. The Buffalos’ high scorer, Carolyn Baker used the press to create turnovers and give her team a 12-8 lead going into the second quarter.
In the start of the second quarter Cinco Ranch’s Briana Gilbreath and Kelsey Clinch tied the Cougars with Marshall and a long three from guard, Kellie Ros gave Cinco Ranch the lead they needed for the remainder of the game. The Cougar’s stepped up their pressure on Marshall, forcing wild passes that Cinco Ranch turned into points. The Cougars entered the locker room with a 23-19 lead.
K. Clinch started the third quarter with a steal and her team on a seven-point run. Marshall did not let the run faze them as they attacked the basket and drove the lane to narrow the gap. However the sister combinations of Demi Clinch and K. Clinch from behind the three point line and Dede Nwanguma and Shantel Nwanguma inside the paint extended the Cougar lead to 41-33 at the end of the third quarter.
Marshall’s full court press slowed Cinco Ranch down, giving Chastinique Kemp, Dietra Caldwell, and Baker the time they needed to add points to the scoreboard but they could not contain Gilbreath who was all over the court. Gilbreath came down with the necessary boards and steals to keep her team in the lead for the 49-41 win.
Cinco Ranch’s Gilbreath led her team with 13 points and D. Clinch followed with 11 points.
Marshall’s Baker led both teams with 14 points and Caldwell finished the game with 11 points.
Cinco Ranch will play Katy Taylor and Marshall will take on Elkins on Tuesday.
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