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Rowlett soars past Longview for first-round win
By DEVIN HASSON, dhasson@starlocalnews.com
There were a lot of reasons for Rowlett to feel pressure in Monday's Class 5A bi-district playoff game against Longview.
But once the Eagles settled in, they looked every bit like the team that won 16 of their final 17 games in the regular season.
Rowlett used a 22-5 run in the third quarter to pull away from the Lobos en route to a 65-44 victory at Lindale High School.
Rowlett was in control for much of the first half, but Longview used a 7-0 run late to get back to within 28-23 at halftime.
The Lobos had no answer for the Eagles in the third quarter, though, as Rowlett turned a five-point lead into a comfortable 50-28 advantage.
"We got off to a good start, but we were shooting terrible and they were shooting at a pretty high percentage," Rowlett head coach Ricky Roland said. "At halftime, I just talked to them about playing better defense and converting baskets. We came out in the third and Courtney Fine hit some three-pointers and everybody else did a much better job of taking advantage of our chances."
The Eagles also had to contend with the jitters that most teams face in the first round. Not only was Rowlett favored, as the 11-5A champion going against the fourth seed from 12-5A, but they were also making their first playoff appearance in five years.
"I think they were a little nervous," Roland said. "And the gym in Lindale is a little bigger than we are used to playing in, so that took some time to get used to, but they settled down."
Fine, Dominique Oliver and Taylor Dupuy each scored 11 points to lead a balanced offense that saw 11 different players score. In the playoffs, it is common to have coaches shorten their benches, but Roland had the luxury of using most of the roster.
"The girls that came in off the bench did a really good job," he said. "I think we had 12 of the 13 players get into the game so that is always good for those girls to get that experience."
Friday's game against Plano provides a rematch of the season opener, in which the Wildcats ran away with a 62-41 victory.
But the Eagles have come a long way since then and they believe the second meeting will be much different than the first.
"Plano is a very good team, so we're going to have to be at our best, shoot at a high percentage and keep our mistakes down," Roland said. "But these girls know that this is not a fluke that we are here. We are a good basketball team and so is Plano. Lynn (Meger) is a great coach and her teams are always in the playoffs, so they have that playoff pedigree. But we're looking forward to it, I expect it to be a good game."
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