HS Girls Basketball: Suffocating Performance Snags The Woodlands a Dominant Road Win

OAK RIDGE NORTH, TX -- The Oak Ridge Lady War Eagles fell in their home-court defense against unshakable The Woodlands Lady Highlanders in a brutal 66-30 contest.

A pre-winter break matchup saw the Lady Highlanders snag a 59-41 win at home over Oak Ridge. But with time to adjust to tendencies, both teams sought to take advantage during their Saturday afternoon rematch.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, Lady Highlander Head Coach Ashley Davis laid out her team’s approach in the face of a repeat opponent.

“Just to make sure we came out with energy,” said Davis. “We do a good job of pushing the ball, so we wanted to force [Oak Ridge] to get back on defense.”

Despite experience against each other, neither squad found a significant groove to start the first quarter.

A lengthy scoring drought of three minutes saw a series of turnovers committed by both teams. These surrendered possessions paired with many misses kept the scoring tied at zero for almost half of the quarter.

It took a three-pointer from the Lady Highlanders) to kickstart the scoring at the five-minute mark. Following the make, back-and-forth scoring allowed Oak Ridge to prevent the Woodlands shooters from going on lengthy tears.

Every make by the Lady Highlanders was matched by a responding bucket from the physically taller Lady War Eagles. Their inside presence was enough to briefly tie the game at 10 points apiece before a late Woodlands steal fed into a transition layup.

Multiple Lady Highlander steals throughout the quarter spurred fastbreaks that turned into easy shots near the rim. Without the lengthy defenders being able to stop the breaks, The Woodlands found themselves up 12-10 at the end of the first.

Even with time to adjust before the second, steals from the Lady Highlander halfcourt press continued to plague the seemingly unsure Oak Ridge ballhandlers.

An early steal and sprint into the open floor for The Woodlands allowed the team to stretch its lead to five, the largest of the game to that point.

Oak Ridge’s response to the growing deficit was to focus on finding passes inside the paint for their lengthy posts. When the passes broke through the prying arms, the larger bodies in the paint overpowered the Lady Highlander defenders for efficient makes.

But far more frequent than the Lady War Eagle makes were the high amount of steals by The Woodlands.

“Today’s thoughts on defense was to switch it up as much as we could,” said Davis. “We went man, we did different kinds of zones. We just did what we could to keep them on their toes and make sure we’re collectively talking and moving.”

The high zone, switching defense put on by The Woodlands served as an intense puzzle that looked too difficult to solve at the moment. Lady Highlander steals led to fastbreaks, fastbreaks led to points, and points led to a rapidly growing second-quarter lead.

“There was a willingness to make the extra pass,” said Davis emphatically. “We were over-dribbling at the beginning of the game and just getting rid of the ball. But passing the ball up to our teammates got us easy baskets by attacking.

The Lady Highlander lead soared as high as 17 before a Lady War Eagle three slightly ate into it before the end of the half. But, the 33-19 Woodlands lead was still a massive task to overcome if Oak Ridge’s turnover woes carried into the second half.

“We just needed to stay on the gas,” said Davis during the halftime break. “Don’t let up, and have a big third quarter.”

Without significant strategic changes made out of the break, a repeat of many first-half moments started the third quarter.

Another long scoring drought saw over three minutes of the clock disappear without a single make by either team.

While not building on the team’s lead, the lack of points by either side benefited The Woodlands. Empty possessions by Oak Ridge meant their double-digit lead went unharmed for a sizable portion of the third.

“We want our defense to lead us,” said Davis. “As long as we can get a stop on the other end, they can’t score.”

Just as in the first quarter, the dry spell was ended by a Lady Highlander three that pushed the lead right back to 17.

Points were traded between the two once again, leaving Oak Ridge in a spot of solid offensive production being undone by an inability to stop The Woodlands from piling on points at will.

Quick cuts from Lady Highlander guards in a motion-filled offense put shooters in great positions for uncontested shots. These shots drove daggers into the Oak Ridge team, putting the Woodlands lead at 45-23 with the final eight minutes left to play.

The massive Woodlands lead gave ample opportunities for the Lady Highlanders to get minutes to every one of their nine available players. Like clockwork, the different pieces slotted into their positions and resumed their efficient production.

“Everybody practices every day, so I expect every girl to check in the game and be ready to go,” said Davis. “The word this year is consistency. We want to be as consistent as we can throughout the game. So, we’re not really watching the scoreboard. We’re more so watching the way we play.”

High-pressure defense, accurate passes, and insurance baskets all defined the play from The Woodlands late in the game. The all-encompassing control was so strong that the Lady Highlander lead grew as high as 38 before the final whistle.

No amount of heart or work from Oak Ridge would have been enough to overcome the mountain of a lead.

The final whistle from the officials mercifully ended the lopsided affair in a 66-30 Woodlands win to keep the team in playoff pace.

“I just keep telling them, ‘We’re one step closer,’” said Davis. “Every game matters when we’re one step closer. We have to control what we can control, and as long as we keep doing the things we’re doing, we’ll be on the right path.”

Up next for the Lady Highlanders is a tough road test against the district-leading Grand Oaks Lady Grizzlies on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Oak Ridge will look to bounce back in a seemingly easy matchup against the winless Cleveland Indians.

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