Cleburne head coach Mitzi Marquart said she wasn’t aware she was approaching the 400-career win mark when she walked into Yellow Jacket Gym on Friday night.
After the Lady Jackets defeated Waco High, 53-47, to complete the season sweep, Marquart not only has the landmark victory, but her team has locked up a second-place berth in District 16-4A.
“I really had no idea,” Marquart said. “Evidently, the kids and the coaches have been working to that. A lot of those have come in my 10 years here at Cleburne, and that’s a testament to the kind of athletes I’ve been coaching. It’s unbelievable the kind of fight these kids have.”
In the opening quarter, the Lady Jackets’ defense set the tone by limiting Waco (20-12, 9-4 in 16-4A) to just three points in the period while Cleburne (22-9, 11-2 in 16-4A) put up 13 of its own.
In the second period, the tone of the game began to change as the Lady Jackets had just one field goal in the period, a 3-pointer from Jacqueline Chandler, but Cleburne put in six free throws to maintain a 22-12 lead at halftime.
The physicality of the contest began to reach a fever pitch in the third quarter as both teams traded brutal fouls throughout the period.
After Chasity Ward gave Cleburne a 23-12 lead, Waco went on a 19-8 run to tie the game at 31-31 as the game slowed down and baskets became harder to come by.
Chandler, Aley Zachary and Danielle Carey were bloodied briefly by contact on various plays, but Marquart said her team was aware of the physical nature the Lady Lions were bringing.
“We did a good job of keeping our composure,” Marquart said. “We knew they were very quick and strong on the boards, and I thought that coming down the stretch, they made that run on us, but we made a run back.
“That’s the kind of fight we’ve had all season, and with us stepping up at the line and taking the fouls like we did, it was brutal.”
Cleburne went 28-of-40 from the foul line on the night, and Waco missed four straight chances from the stripe when the game was tied at 39-39 in the fourth quarter.
Zachary and Jessie Richardson put in three free throws to give Cleburne a 42-39 lead before Waco closed to within 42-41 on a basket.
On Cleburne’s next possession Chandler brought the ball up the floor and cut to the basket, evading three different defenders for a lay-up that keyed a critical 7-0 run to put the Lady Jackets up, 49-41.
Chandler finished with 21 points on the night and was 5-of-6 from the foul line, and Ward finished with 13 points while going 9-of-10 from the stripe.
Zachary finished with six, Richardson went 8-of-10 from the line for her points, and Carey had five.
Marquart said her team has been through the fire this season on its way to returning to the playoffs after a two-year absence.
“One of our goals from the get-go was to make the playoffs this year,” Marquart said. “We’ve had countless close games, and for them to walk away having not made the playoffs the last two years and to be sitting in second by ourselves is a great testament to them.”
Basketball
Related Photos
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The Cleburne Lady Jackets pose with head coach Mitzi Marquart after defeating Waco High, 53-47, on Friday night. The win was Marquart’s 400th of her career, and it put the Lady Jackets’ back in the playoffs after a two-year absence. Cleburne can finish no worse than second place in 16-4A. David Beans/Special to the Times-Review
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Cleburne’s Chasity Ward, left, and Jessie Richardson (20) do battle with Waco High’s Jasmine Evans for a loose ball during the Lady Jackets’ 53-47 win on Friday night. David Beans/Special to the Times-Review
Discussion
Lucky No. 400 for Marquart
Lady Jackets clinch second place with 53-47 victory
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