Just in case their lofty area and state rankings weren’t proof enough, the Bellaire girls basketball team reminded everyone Friday night that this is their year to win District 20-5A – and maybe more.

The Cardinals thrashed two-time defending district champions Westside 87-38 at Butler Fieldhouse, and about the only people who weren’t shocked by that score were the Cardinals themselves.

Whether it’s because of their focus after a midseason upset loss or new shooting drills in practice, Bellaire (32-1, 12-1) didn’t pause to admire the scoreboard or let up in any fashion until the finish.

“We were anxious to get going, get some running and gunning and show how we can really play,” Cardinals guard Jasmine Hartman said. “We’ve been getting back to basics so we can make the trip to (the state tournament in) Austin.”

Tamara Torru had a game-high 19 points and was 6-of-6 from 3-point range, and Tammara Marion added 18 points to lead four Cardinals scorers in double figures.

Westside (16-11, 9-3), which has prided itself on fast starts all season, never got any chance to steel itself against a team to which it lost 57-44 on Dec. 11.

Bellaire took a 17-5 lead halfway through the first quarter and was ahead 20 points by late in the second.

“We’ve been shooting a lot of balls since that loss (to Madison earlier this month),” Cardinals coach Michael Kramer said. “Once (Torru) hit those first two of the game I knew right then it was gonna be a special night.”

Marion, Torru and Zoe Rogers hit 3s early in the second quarter for a 33-16 lead, and Bellaire’s 15-0 run out of halftime made it 60-25 less than halfway through the third.

“Our coach is always telling us to pressure the ball, pressure, pressure,” said Torru, a North Texas signee. “It definitely worked. It got us to where we needed to be. Our defense is what we pride ourselves on.”

Jasmine Haskins scored 12 points to pace the Wolves, who didn’t have another scorer in double figures. Ariel Jones and Donna Dike were limited to eight and seven points, respectively.

“We’ve been very successful doing what we do and that’s putting pressure on the guards,” Kramer said. “We have three big girls and our bench is strong coming out. We can create a lot of turnovers.”

Rogers added 11 points and Hartman and Tola Omatola, a TCU commit, added 10 each.

Hartman had 14 assists to maintain her nation-leading average of 13.9 assists a game. The Oklahoma commit has more than 400 for the season.

BOYS: Bellaire 79, Westside 54

The Cardinals used an 18-9 second-quarter advantage to break open a close game against Westside at Butler.

Janel Outler's 24 points led four Bellaire scorers in double-figures. Sheldon McClellan had 17 points, Nick Foreman 15 and Johnathan Evans 10.

Leo Mosquera's 13 points off the bench led the Wolves.

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