Lady Porcupines clinch playoff spot

“All the girls were talking about how none of them were even in middle school the last time we made the playoffs,” said head coach Kyle Sivadon. “It’s a huge step for our program, and I am super proud of our girls.”

The Lady Porcupines clinched at least the fourth seed in District 8-4A but hope to improve their seeding by the end of the regular season on Feb. 7.

“Our goal is to see how high up we can go for a playoff seed,” he said.

On Jan. 24, the Lady Pines clinched the playoff spot by beating Lake Worth 52-44, although the victory didn’t come easily.

“We had to have a lot of energy,” Sivadon said. “The girls were a little tight. It’s been a long time since there's been a game that's been this big of a game.”

If they won, they clinched a playoff spot. If they lost, they could possibly miss out.

Springtown trailed on the scoreboard early.

“We just couldn't get our shots going,” the coach said. “We stayed with it, and our defense brought us back.”

The girls pressed full court and forced turnovers.

“We had had a big run in the fourth quarter and finally took the lead,” he said. “Once we took the lead, it kind of took the air out of the other team.”

Blanca Alapont made several important steals late in the game to turn the momentum toward the Porcupines.

“She had three steals in about 15 seconds that got us some easy layups,” the coach said. “Once we got up, we were able to increase the gap. I was proud of how the girls fought through the adversity of their shots not going in and stepped it up on defense and gave us a chance to win.”

Unless the Porcupines improve their seeding, they are scheduled to enter the playoffs as the fourth seed and play Sanger at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 13 at V.R. Eaton High School in Haslet.