Published: December 27, 2008 11:44 am         

Lady Jackets to get back into swing of things in tournament

When the Cleburne Lady Jackets open play at 3 p.m. today at the McDonald’s Invitational Tournament in College Station, they will be facing a familiar foe.

Cleburne (8-9) takes on Booker T. Washington in a first-round matchup in the main gym at A&M Consolidated High School.

“We played Booker T. Washington last year,” Cleburne head coach Mitzi Marquart said. “From what I remember, they are very athletic. I don’t know if they still have the same coach, so I don’t know if they will play the same style.”

Whether the Lady Jackets win or lose their opener, they will play a second-round game at 7:30 p.m. against either Spring Branch Memorial or Aldine Nimitz.

The winner’s bracket game will be in the main gym at A&M Consolidated, with the losers facing off in the auxiliary gym at the high school.

Marquart said the 16-team field will give the Lady Jackets a chance to see different styles of play, while also preparing them to jump back into the District 16-4A schedule on Friday at Waco Midway.

“The break was good for us,” Marquart said. “The timing was pretty good because now we go into a tournament and that will give the girls a chance to bond back together as a team. We’ve definitely got some things we can work on in the tournament because we’ve got a tough district road ahead of us.”

Cleburne won its 16-4A opener against Waco University on Dec. 16, but dropped a district game at Corsicana in the Lady Jackets’ final game before the break.

While boys teams haven’t opened district play yet, the girls teams in the area have already begun playing games that will determine whether they reach the postseason or stay at home.

Marquart said the scheduling quirks of playing a tournament early in the district schedule won’t have an adverse effect on the Lady Jackets.

“We used to start district after the holidays,” she said. “But with eight-team districts we’re starting earlier.

“I think the girls will handle it well, playing a tournament between the holidays before we get back into district again.”

     

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