Two teams trying to break away from the pack in District 20-5A earned first-round wins Thursday in the Houston ISD girls basketball tournament.

Chavez, which finished out of the playoff mix last year, defeated Lamar 58-48 at Butler Fieldhouse. Behind clutch free throws by junior forward Sierra Solis and a tough inside game by senior center Trezlyn Babbs, the Lobos took early control of the game and fought off a comeback attempt by the Redskins.

“We played (Lamar) a week and a half ago, and they gave us our first district loss,” Chavez coach Steve Ortiz said. “So we had a little revenge factor in our bellies. We wanted them bad.”

Babbs scored eight of her game-high 18 points in the first half to help Chavez (8-1, 1-1) build a 29-22 halftime lead. The Lobos maintained its lead into the fourth quarter, where clutch free-throw shooting by Solis and senior guard Sabrina Solis kept Chavez ahead to stay.

Sierra ended the game with 17 points, with Sabrina adding nine.

“(Sierra and Sabrina) both have a lot of heart,” Ortiz said. “Both of them play hard, and I can’t ask them of anything more.”

Lamar (3-2, 1-1) was led by Michaelas Burton and Stephanique Smith, who scored 12 points apiece.

Chavez will next face Westside in the second round at 4 p.m. Friday at Reagan High School.

Westside (4-2, 1-0), looking to move up from its third-place finish in district play last year, cruised to a 90-48 win over Sam Houston at Butler. The Wolves only dressed six players for the game, but five of them dscore in double figures.

“It wasn’t an easy win for us, but it got us a chance to work on some things,” Westside coach Troy Gillespie said. “We had three of our kids out with injuries, but they’ll be back by tomorrow.”

The Wolves scored 26 points in each of the first two quarters to take a 52-22 halftime lead. Sophomore guard Brittany Powers scored 14 of her 16 points in the first half, while senior forward Ariel Jones had 14 of her game-high 18 points in the second half. Junior guard Teylor Seals and sophomore forward Erin Luton also had 16 points each, with sophomore guard Rachael Combo and junior guard Tinesha Clark each scored 10.

“I thought Teylor did a good job leading us at the point,” Gillespie said. “And Erin stepped up as well; she shot a tremendous percentage.”

Sam Houston (0-4, 0-2) was led by guard Jackie Casares, who hit five 3-pointers in the game and led the team with 17 points. Junior forward Vanessa Muniz added 14.

In the consolation bracket, Lamar beat Sam Houston 65-31.

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