ARGYLE - With the District 9-3A title already locked up, all Sanger had left to play for on the final day of its regular season was perfection.
Thanks to Argyle, the Lady Indi-ans will have to settle for a little less.
Sanger suffered its first 9-3A loss on Tuesday night, falling to the Lady Eagles in a 61-57 thriller that spoiled the Lady Indians' quest for a clean sweep through their district schedule.
"We're disappointed," said Sanger head coach Jack Armstrong, "But in the end, it's just one game. We have to recognize that. We're still district champs. The key is that we want to do a whole lot more than that."
Sanger (27-5, 9-1), which entered the week ranked No. 4 in Class 3A by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, locked up the No. 1 seed out of 9-3A with its win over Whitesboro on Saturday.
On Tuesday night, though, Argyle (19-10, 6-3) demonstrated that even one of the area's best girls basketball teams has its flaws.
The Lady Eagles jumped out to an early five-point lead after going on a 9-0 run late in the first quarter. After an abysmal night from the floor in its loss to Sanger earlier this year, Argyle hit eight of its first 12 shots and managed to maintain its lead for most of the game despite a few lead changes in the second quarter.
Still, the Lady Indians kept it close. They pulled within two points with under two minutes to go after a free throw by Taylor Jones, and after trading baskets down the stretch, trailed just 59-57 after Payton Carpenter hit two free throws with just 14 seconds remaining.
When it counted, though, Argyle finished the job. Michelle Kuckelman knocked down two free throws on the other end with just 10 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach.
Argyle's win avenged a 67-45 drubbing at the hands of Sanger earlier this year - a tough blow for a proud program that had won five straight district titles.
The Lady Eagles won't get that sixth one, but Tuesday night's win may have proved that their fall from the top of the standings wasn't as far as it initially appeared.
"We kept our heads on this game," Argyle head coach Steve Schmidt said. "Sanger is a really good team, but they weren't 22 points better than us. We lost our heads in Sanger, and they deserve all of the credit for that win. Tonight though, I thought, was more of what Sanger-Argyle should be. It was a great battle all the way through, and either team could have come away with it."
Madison Eschle posted a double-double for the Lady Eagles with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Allea Harris, meanwhile, scored 14 points and hauled in six rebounds while Barbara-Scott Kolb had 10 points.
Those rebounds were one of the primary reasons Argyle managed to keep Sanger at bay. The Lady Eagles hauled in 10 offensive rebounds on the night, including five by Eschle alone. They outrebounded Sanger 34-26 despite a flurry of offensive boards on the Lady Indians' second-to-last possession after four missed shots with under a minute to go.
"We just gave them too many chances," Armstrong said. "That was the difference between last game and tonight. They came out with a lot more pep, and we just gave them too many second chances."
Reagan Miller led Sanger with 17 points on the night, but had an uncharacteristically inaccurate night from the floor. She shot just 6-of-26, but did convert on a three-point play in the fourth quarter that turned the game into a one-possession battle. Lauren Pethtel also added 10 points for Sanger.
Argyle has one more outing to go - a make-up game at Pilot Point that was originally scheduled for Friday but postponed due to poor weather. If the Lady Eagles win that game, they'll lock up the No. 3 playoff seed out of 9-3A and prepare for their own playoff run.
If Tuesday's win was any indication, they could be in for an extended haul.
"It was important that we played a complete game against a good team," Schmidt said. "That's what you have to do in the playoffs. It was a playoff-type atmosphere tonight, and our girls were able to maintain their composure and pull it out. That's exactly what we're going to have to do."
MARSHALL MOORE can be reached at 940-566-6869. His e-mail address is mmoore@dentonrc.com .
Argyle 61, Sanger 57
Sanger
13
16
12
16
-
57
Argyle
18
13
13
17
-
61
Sanger (27-5, 9-1) - Reagan Miller 17, Lauren Pethel 10, Payton Carpenter 8, Mac Hartman 7, Julieh Clark 6, Paige Herring 4, Taylor Jones 3, Payton Howard 2.
Argyle (19-10, 6-3) - Madison Eschle 17, Allea Harris 14, Barbara Scott-Kolb 10, Morgan McInaney 6, Miranda Laurion 5, Michelle Kuckelman 4, Kate Walker 3, Kim Strelke 2.
