A defining opening stanza paved the way for the Mason High School girls basketball team to hoist a bi-district title to begin the Class 2A Division II playoffs February 10 at Bandera High School.
The Cowgirls raced to a 17-0 lead against Falls City en route to a 50-32 blowout in a contest that was never really that close.
Mason will face Agua Dulce, which beat Yorktown 36-34 February 10 thanks to outscoring the Wildcats 24-15 in the second half. The Longhorns overcame being shutout in the second period 9-0.
The Mason-Agua Dulce game time, date and location wasn't ready by press time.
Against Falls City, Cowgirls head coach Alicia Cummings pointed out her players were ready from the start.
'They came out with a sense of urgency,' she said. 'You could watching them in shoot-around and in warm-ups and see they were ready, they were locked in. They knew what they needed to accomplish and were ready for it.'
The Cowgirls went to their full-court defense to send a clear message early.
'We did press,' Cumming said. 'We thought that would give them trouble. We hopped in that. We got some really quick steals. We were able to turn them into transition baskets.'
Falls City went to its 1-2-2 zone defense, which allows defenders to trap and get steals. The issue is that defense doesn't help if the other team makes quick and accurate passes to wide-open shooters who can score.
That also helped immensely as Cowgirls nailed a couple of three-pointers and some high-percentage buckets. It's easy to see why Mason ran away with the victory.
The way they won should help as the Cowgirls continue on their playoff journey.
'I think it gives us confidence,' the coach said. District 29-2A, which Mason finished third in the standings, went 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs in bi-district championships all played February 10.
'Our district prepared us so well for the postseason,' Cummings said. 'Falls City was the district champion, we were third in ours. The reality is our district is much stronger. We're constantly in big games. You get to the postseason, they've been playing competitive and in big games. It prepares us, it gives us momentum and good confidence moving forward.'
Mason senior guard Conley Bownds scores a layup during the 55-17 win against Center Point February 4.
