Wylie East senior Sidney Sanders (10) scored 10 points in the Lady Raiders’ 30-27 road win over Lakeview Centennial on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Photo by Elijah Kloepping / C&S Media
By Art Stricklin
GARLAND – Wylie East capped a wild District 9-6A girls basketball game Tuesday night by scoring the final four points in the last 36 seconds to earn a 30-27 victory over Lakeview Centennial at LC Gym.
The Lady Raiders trailed 27-26 with 38 seconds remaining following a late fourth-quarter rally by the Patriots, but Wylie East refused to fold. After Lakeview Centennial missed a free throw, guard Sidney Sanders caught a pass near midcourt and drove strong to the basket. Sanders banked in the layup and was fouled on the play.
She missed the ensuing free throw, but Wylie East took a 28-27 lead with 17 seconds left.
Following a Wylie East timeout, Lakeview Centennial had one last chance. However, the Patriots’ inbound pass was intercepted by Gracie Edge, who scored the final basket with two seconds remaining to seal the stunning comeback.
“Those last 38 seconds were wild,” Wylie East head coach Meaghan Hodapp said. “It shows this team has guts — a lot of guts — and they were able to execute at the end.”
The win improved Wylie East to 7-2 in District 9-6A play and 15-10 overall.
The Lady Raiders controlled much of the low-scoring contest, leading by five at the end of the first quarter and taking a 16-9 advantage into halftime. Wylie East still held an eight-point lead, 23-15, entering the fourth quarter, but the offense stalled as Lakeview Centennial chipped away.
The Patriots grabbed their only lead of the night, 27-26, with 1:11 remaining, setting the stage for Wylie East’s late surge.
“After I called timeout, I just told the girls, ‘We’re going to score and win this game,’” Hodapp said. “I’m very proud of the way they were able to finish and execute when it counted.”
Sanders led the Lady Raiders with 10 points, while Edge added nine.
Edge sparked a key first-half run for Wylie East with an early 3-pointer during a 13-7 stretch in the second quarter, forcing a Lakeview Centennial timeout and helping set the tone for a tightly contested first half.
Wylie East is scheduled to return to action Friday night at Sachse, with tipoff set for 6 p.m.
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