(Pleasanton) – Navarro advanced through the bi-district round of the 4A girls basketball playoffs in dominant fashion Thursday night with a 63-28 dismantling of Bandera at the Plesanton ISD Athletic Complex.
The Panthers overcame cold shooting early to forge a 16-8 lead by the end of the first quarter and pushed the margin out to 17 points, 33-16, by halftime.
Navarro stretched the cushion to more than 30 points in the third quarter and took a 51-23 lead into the fourth.
Panthers head coach Darrell Harborth credited his team for dialing up the defensive intensity after the Bulldogs handled Navarro’ pressure in the early going.
“They were ready for it, and they broke us a little bit, and I think we weren’t working real hard to get our traps, and they were dribbling through it a little bit, and we turned it up a little bit and started denying when we weren’t denying early on, and I think we got some turnovers there late in the second quarter, and then early third quarter we really came out and got after it,” Harborth said.
Sophomore guards Tatum Harborth and Laylin Sturmed produced 12 points each on a night when 10 different Panthers scored.
Ryanne Hepp chipped in with nine points. Sienna Kramer and Haleigh Ortiz netted seven apiece. Karlee Koenig, Taylor Helms, and Mary Gilliam each put in four. Berklee Andrews and Julia Bumguardner added two points each.
Coach Harborth hopes for similar scoring balance in future playoff games.
“The more kids that contribute, the better off it is for the other team not to key on anybody, so that’s always exciting to see,” the coach said.
Madison Leal led Bandera with 10 points, and the Panthers held the Bulldogs’ All-District guard Breanna Stimmell to six.
Thursday’s win was an emphatic response to the 51-48 loss to Cuero that ended Navarro’s 18-game winning streak on the final night of the regular season.
“They weren’t happy about that loss, and maybe it’s good for us in the long run to focus on some things and get a little bit better, but I think overall we came back tonight ready to get after it, and keep moving through the playoffs.”
Navarro (26-2) faces the winner of Friday’s bi-district game between Beeville-Jones and Stafford in the area round of the playoffs next week.