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BRENHAM — The Smithville Lady Tigers saw their season end last week in a 37-29 bi-district playoff loss to Katy Freeman at Brenham High School.
Smithville struggled offensively throughout the night, finishing 17% from the field and 44% from the free-throw line Feb. 17. A cold start proved costly as the Lady Tigers were held scoreless in the first quarter and trailed 10-0 after one.
Senior Sydnie Brenner led all scorers with 12 points, knocking down two 3-pointers. Junior Brityn Roberts added seven points. Brenner put Smithville on the board with a 3-pointer midway through the second quarter, and Roberts followed with a basket and free throw to trim the deficit to 13-6.
After a Roberts steal and a Brenner free throw, senior Briyanna Sampson converted an and-one opportunity to pull the Lady Tigers within three at 1310. However, Freeman answered with a late basket to take a 15-10 lead into halftime.
Smithville found more rhythm in the third quarter as Roberts and Brenner helped spark the offense, and the Lady Tigers’ defense limited the Golden Eagles to nine points in the period.
Freeman maintained a 24-19 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Tigers continued to battle down the stretch but could not overcome missed opportunities at the free-throw line, where they went 2-of-7 in the fourth quarter while Freeman converted 7-of-10 attempts to seal the win.
Smithville closed the season with a 15-17 overall record and a 6-4 mark in district play, earning its second consecutive playoff appearance.
The Lady Tigers will graduate six seniors and look toward their returning core of players to continue the success of the previous class.
