El Campo Leader-News (El Campo, Tex.), Vol. 96, No. 85, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 14, 1981 Page: 9 of 31
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Stingarettes Rip
Ricebirds, 68-58
Obstacle Course
UN PImU by C artimm WUltingtas
El Campo guard Mark Williams (10) is fouled by Bay City’s Dewayne
Bowden in Friday night's 63-53 win over the Black Cats. Williams
countered the visitors’ press with slick ballhandling, and tossed in a
team-high 17 points.
By Gordon Whittington
Sports Editor
The El Campo varsity
girl’s basketball team
spooned out some bitter
medicine during the first
quarter of its non -
district game with
visiting Victoria Monday
night, but as the night
wore on, the Ricebirds
found themselves taking
more doses than they
were giving.
Victoria battled back
from an early El Campo
blitz to whip the
Ricebirds, 68-58, earning
their 21st win in 25 games
this year. El Campos
loss, which snapped a
four - game win streak,
dropped the girls to 7-9
overall for the season.
“I was satisfied with
the way we played, I
really was,” said
Ricebird coach Rhonda
Priesmeyer afterwards
”1 thought we played a
really great first quarter,
but we obviously found
some things we need to
work on, too.”
For starters, the
sports
Leader-News
a VO BO DA INNS
El Campo Leader News, El Campo, TX
Wed., Jan. 14,1981 Page I B
second quarter. Much as
in their crucial District
14-4A defeat at Bay City
five weeks ago, the
Ricebirds jumped out to a
big, early lead — and
simply watched it melt
away.
Point guard Subritte
Fenton and post Phyllis
Williams each scored 10
points in the first eight
minutes, as the hosts’
quick press confused the
taller Stingarettes.
Victoria appeared to be
in a daze as the Ricebirds
controlled the boards,
filled the passing lanes
and practically shot the
net off their goal When
the dust had settled, it
was 25-11, a sight which
few in the tiny crowd
probably expected.
What they may have
been looking for, con-
sidering Victoria’s talent
and tradition, was more
along the lines of the
second quarter. As sharp
as the Ricebirds were in
the first eight minutes,
the Stingarettes were in
the next eight — in fact,
two points better than El
Campo had been.
Feasting upon the
press suddenly turned to
famine for the Ricebirds,
as they found themselves
continually retreating
from the charge of
strong, quick sophomore
Yulonda Wimbish on the
fast break The longer the
teams went at it, the
stronger Wimbish
seemed to get — and that,
coupled with coach Jan
Lahodny’s move of
Charlotte Jackson to
cover Fenton, began to
swing things into the
Stingarees’ favor.
Post Bonnie Beard hit
seven of her 22 points in
the quarter, but that was
about all for the hosts,
with three total points
elsewhere. The
Stingarettes scored the
final seven points of the
quarter, and took an
almost unbelievable 37-35
edge into the dressing
room.
After that, it was
strictly uphill again for
the Ricebirds, and
Victoria’s greater depth
gradually took its toll.
Jackson (17 points)
Wimbish (16) and Claire
Ochoa (14) used their size
(See GIRLS, Page 2-B)
Ricebird Boys Put End
To Black Cat Win String
El Campo’s varsity boy
cagers used the tireless
play of guard Mark
Williams, Darnell Cash’s
17 rebounds and overall
balanced scoring to snare
a 63-53 District 14-4A win
over visiting Bay City
Friday night, stopping
the Black Cats’ 36- game
league winning string.
Bay City, two-time
defending champion and
a state tourney entrant in
1979-80, had not been
beaten in District 14-4A
play since dropping out of
25-4A (now 25-5A) in 1978.
Before that, the Black
Cats’ last regular -
season district loss had
been to Brazoswood, in
the first round of the 1977-
78 season. Their streak
had stretched to 34
straight in 14-4A going
into Friday night’s loss,
which leaves them at 2-1
this year, matching the
Ricebirds’ mark.
Bay City travels to
powerful Wharton
Friday, while the
Ricebirds host a tall,
physical Friendswood
team which could be a
darkhorse for district
honors.
Williams proabably
was the biggest dif-
ference in the teams
Friday night, as he hit 17
points, grabbed seven
rebounds, handed out
assists and had a pair of
steals. But perhaps even
more important was his
yeoman-like effort
against the Black Cat
press, which hounded the
hosts for the full 32
minutes.
Bay City, behind the
scoring of Dewayne
Bowden (19 points) and
Ivan Pettit (18), did
manage its share of easy
buckets via the press, but
Williams never faltered.
His ballhandling and play
at the point position kept
the Ricebird offense
intact from the start, and
paved the way for a
balanced offensive attack
which had been con-
spicuous by its abscence
this season.
Cash added 16 points,
with guard Chris Howard
and post Charles
Williams hitting career
highs of 11 and 10 points,
respectively.
Bay City’s problems
against El Campo in-
cluded fouling, par-
ticularly by the talented
Bowden, who exited with
his fifth at the 3:31 mark
of the final quarter. He
got three of those in the
first 13 minutes of the
game, and the Black Cats
simply weren’t the same
without him
They were pretty good
with him, though, as
evidenced by a third-
quarter run which ate
into a 27-21 El Campo
halftime lead Pettit hit
10 points and Bowden
seven in the period,
bringing the visitors to
within 41 -40 at the start of
the fourth, and it seemed
to be anyone's game.
Mark Williams and
Cash made certain that it
wasn’t. The former hit a
free throw and a jumper
early, boosting the lead to
44-42, and the latter
followed with four
straight points, making it
a six point edge. Then
Mark hit Charles with a
superb, cross-court pass
that resulted in a 50-42
El Campo is ranked
20th in the latest state
poll, with Bay City 16th
and Wharton eighth.
margin, and a Black Cat
timeout, with five
minutes left.
Charles Williams hit
four more points from
there on out, and the
Ricebirds — despite
glaring inefficiency from
the foul stripe — con-
tinued to build their lead.
Bay City won a wild
junior varsity game, 88
75. despite a spectacular
45-point performance by
Darrell Harton, and
subdued the Ricebird
freshmen as well, 80 73.
Stone Wall
1, N PW* *y (imrSmm WSMtiagtaa
Ricebirds Rhonda Stokes (12) and Subritte
Fenton (left) defend Victoria's Charlotte
Jackson Monday.
Area Skaters Roll Along
‘The Rose’
i n rwu uik. i
Terrs IomIm of laaiw. skate-dancing to Hette
Midler's hit song. "The Hose " mini second place
in tbe stale finals of the Kork N Roller contest
conducted at Milter Mings Ballroom Saturday
I ondon scared WX points trailing unit Dallas'
laurle Milk ins
Terry Fondon of I^ouise
took second place in the
Ladies' Solo division of
state Rock-N-Roller
skate - dance competition
at Silver Wings Ballroom
Saturday, leading a
group of area roller
skaters in qualifying for
regionals
Michael Grogan placed
third in Men’s Solo, with
Tern Tuttle and Tommy
Wilke* taking third in
Mixed Couples By virtue
of their top • three
finishes, all will be
eligible for Southern
Ota filer regional com
petition, proha My either
in late February or early
March
Fondon, dance
skating to Bette Midler s
hit song The Hone "’
scored Ttn founts in her
two minute routine
trailing only the II) point
effort turned in by
Dallas' I<aurie Wilkins
Denise W'oodel of Dun-
canville finished third,
with 296 points
Woodel also teamed
with Kevin Clark to take
second in the Mixed
Couples division, w ith 308
points, for the finest
individual effort of the
day Oscar Cortez and
Kristy Neff of Dallas won
the event, scoring 312
points, while Wilkes and
Tuttle took third, with
298 Tuttle got out of her
sickbed to skate, and the
Local Sports Calendar
Thursday .Jan. 15
Basketball Hrazosport
Freshmen. Junior
Varsity, Varsity Girls at
Kl Campo. 6 no. 6 00,7 .to
p m ; Fort Lavaca
Travis Hth tirade Boys
' A H) at Kl Campo 5 oo
Kl Campo7lh Grade Boys
'A.B' at Port 141 vara
Travis S 00
krtday, Jan Ik
Haskrtkall Knend
•wood Kreshmen Junior
Varsity. Varsity Boys at
Kl Campo <ni 0 00.
7 to. Tidehaven Junior
Varsity. Varsity Girls at
IjOUISC 6 00, 7 30 Kl
Campo Hth Grade Bovs at
Port Lavaca Tourney
Saturday. Jan.17
Basketball Kl Campo
Mth Grade Boys at Port
laivncn f 'ror kelt Tourney
Monday. Jan It
Maakrfball Meat
Columbia Freshmen,
Junior Varsity. Varsity
(•iris at Kl Campo 6 00,
6 (Si. 7 30
Tuesday, Jan 2k
Basketball Kl Campo
K r e s h m e n, Junior
Varsity, Varsity Boys at
Katy Taylor. 6 00 6 00,
7 to. Louise Junior
Varsity Varsity Girls al
Danbury, k »si, 7 to,
Kdna 7lh Hth Grade Girl*
* A It 1 at Kl Campo 5 00
pair had to finish its
routine a half - minute
early because of it, but
still managed third
Jeff Groban of Abilene
totaled 303 points in the
Men's Solo competition
for first place there,
ahead of Dallas' Bobby
Cobb, in second with 293
Kl Campos Grogan
scored 2H7 points to finish
Ihird. even though his
routine contained a
number of minor
mistakes
Some .'Mm skaters from
all over Texas, including
Abilene Duncanville,'
Austin, Wichita Kails,
Houston Odessa and
Italia*, participated m
the meet Detail* on the
regional*, which local
rink operator Body
Mainer say* possibly will
to* in Dallas should la*
forthcoming
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Barbee, Chris. El Campo Leader-News (El Campo, Tex.), Vol. 96, No. 85, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 14, 1981, newspaper, January 14, 1981; El Campo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1000005/m1/9/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Wharton County Library.