Photos by Nicole Flowers
November 27, 2023
Lady Bulldogs remain unbeaten at home with win over Hondo
By Brady Keane
The Bandera Prophet
The Bandera girls basketball team split a pair of games against Throckmorton and Hondo over the Thanksgiving Break to move to 4-2 on the season.
The Lady Bulldogs fell to Throckmorton 39-27, on Nov. 18, while playing in the Frost Bank Center, the home of the San Antonio Spurs. While Bandera was unable to pull out the victory, Head Coach Cody Carruthers said the team got a lot out of the experience of playing in an NBA arena against a Throckmorton team that is unbeaten at 6-0.
Gabby Barrera finished with eight points, four rebounds and five steals while Kinlee Lawlis had six points, three rebounds and two steals. Taytum Moeller had five points and six rebounds, Brooklyn Grabs had four points and two rebounds, and Calie Tripp had four points.
“The experience playing at the Frost Bank Center was awesome,” Carruthers said. “Just being able to play on a stage like that is something most teams don’t get to experience. They treated us like royalty from every standpoint and it was so cool. Throckmorton was a really solid team, and we knew that going into the game. I thought we played pretty well but made too many mistakes with turnovers and missed shots in the paint to be able to win the game. We made them nervous, and they had to battle to beat us so I was pleased with that. It was fun to spend the whole day with the team and getting to watch the Spurs later that night was a huge treat.”
The Lady Bulldogs bounced back nicely, getting a 46-40 win over Hondo at home, on Nov. 21. Bandera is now 4-0 at home this season.
“Being 4-0 is a combination of matchups and crowd support,” Carruthers said. “Our fans, including the turnout, has been a great thing to see in Bandera. We feed off their rowdiness and it definitely makes us play harder.”
The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to an early 18-15 lead at the half and led for the majority of the game before outscoring the Lady Owls 14-10 in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. Bandera had 19 points off turnovers and outrebounded Hondo 44-39 in the win.
Barrera had 23 points, nine rebounds and four steals to set the tone for the Lady Bulldogs while Lawlis had six points, eight rebounds and six steals. Moeller also contributed five points and seven rebounds in the win.
It was a big bounce back for Bandera after the Lady Bulldogs fell to Hondo 59-36 on the road last season.
“I have been preaching to the girls to be tough physically and mentally and this game was a perfect test for both of those,” Carruthers said. “They were physical, and the refs allowed a lot of contact in this game. Their fans were yelling, and the players were all frustrated. It was a perfect setup for us to work on being tough. I called multiple timeouts just to make sure we had our minds right. The girls were certainly tough, and that was the difference down the stretch.”
The Lady Bulldogs will look to build on the win over Hondo when they return to action on the road Tuesday in Llano. Bandera will then travel to the Poteet Tournament before hosting Southwest High School on Dec. 5, and traveling to the Devine Tournament, Dec. 7-9.
“I hope to get some more tough games in the tournaments we have scheduled,” Carruthers said. “It is all about getting better in every aspect as we approach district play.”
The Lady Bulldogs fell to Throckmorton 39-27, on Nov. 18, while playing in the Frost Bank Center, the home of the San Antonio Spurs. While Bandera was unable to pull out the victory, Head Coach Cody Carruthers said the team got a lot out of the experience of playing in an NBA arena against a Throckmorton team that is unbeaten at 6-0.
Gabby Barrera finished with eight points, four rebounds and five steals while Kinlee Lawlis had six points, three rebounds and two steals. Taytum Moeller had five points and six rebounds, Brooklyn Grabs had four points and two rebounds, and Calie Tripp had four points.
“The experience playing at the Frost Bank Center was awesome,” Carruthers said. “Just being able to play on a stage like that is something most teams don’t get to experience. They treated us like royalty from every standpoint and it was so cool. Throckmorton was a really solid team, and we knew that going into the game. I thought we played pretty well but made too many mistakes with turnovers and missed shots in the paint to be able to win the game. We made them nervous, and they had to battle to beat us so I was pleased with that. It was fun to spend the whole day with the team and getting to watch the Spurs later that night was a huge treat.”
The Lady Bulldogs bounced back nicely, getting a 46-40 win over Hondo at home, on Nov. 21. Bandera is now 4-0 at home this season.
“Being 4-0 is a combination of matchups and crowd support,” Carruthers said. “Our fans, including the turnout, has been a great thing to see in Bandera. We feed off their rowdiness and it definitely makes us play harder.”
The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to an early 18-15 lead at the half and led for the majority of the game before outscoring the Lady Owls 14-10 in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. Bandera had 19 points off turnovers and outrebounded Hondo 44-39 in the win.
Barrera had 23 points, nine rebounds and four steals to set the tone for the Lady Bulldogs while Lawlis had six points, eight rebounds and six steals. Moeller also contributed five points and seven rebounds in the win.
It was a big bounce back for Bandera after the Lady Bulldogs fell to Hondo 59-36 on the road last season.
“I have been preaching to the girls to be tough physically and mentally and this game was a perfect test for both of those,” Carruthers said. “They were physical, and the refs allowed a lot of contact in this game. Their fans were yelling, and the players were all frustrated. It was a perfect setup for us to work on being tough. I called multiple timeouts just to make sure we had our minds right. The girls were certainly tough, and that was the difference down the stretch.”
The Lady Bulldogs will look to build on the win over Hondo when they return to action on the road Tuesday in Llano. Bandera will then travel to the Poteet Tournament before hosting Southwest High School on Dec. 5, and traveling to the Devine Tournament, Dec. 7-9.
“I hope to get some more tough games in the tournaments we have scheduled,” Carruthers said. “It is all about getting better in every aspect as we approach district play.”