The No. 3-ranked Gruver Lady Hounds celebrate after beating No. 7 Wellington 49-40 in a Class 2A regional quarterfinal at a packed Caprock Activity Center on Monday. [Ben Jenkins/ Press Pass Sports]
In a Class 2A regional quarterfinal matchup of two familiar rivals, No. 3 Gruver had the firepower to take down No. 7 Wellington 49-40 in front of a capacity crowd of 2,200 fans at the Caprock Activity Center on Monday night.
This was the ninth meeting between the two schools in what’s become one of the Texas Panhandle’s best playoff rivalries since 2008.
Gruver advances to the Region I-2A Tournament on Friday in Levelland, improving to 34-2 overall. Wellington, a regional finalist a year ago, ends another fantastic season at 30-6.
Sophomore guard and Division I prospect Bailey Maupin gave the Lady Skyrockets fits. Maupin tallied 13 points in the first half that gave the Lady Hounds a 23-14 lead at the break. In the second half, Maupin knocked clutch shot after clutch shot when Gruver needed it most, finishing with a game-high 23.
Wellington, which trailed by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, did cut the deficit at 40-34 with a minute to play. However, Gruver sank its free-throws down the stretch to hold off the rally and earn the victory.
Mattie McCloy added 12 for the Lady Hounds, while Marlee Brown had a team-high 12 points for Wellington.
The Lady Hounds will await the Stamford-Albany in Friday’s regional semifinal. Stamford and Albany square off Tuesday night.
Gruver 15 23 34 49
Wellington 12 14 20 40
G— Maupin 23, McCloy 12. W— Brown 12, Neeley, 11. Records: Gruver 34-2; Wellington 30-6.
Panhandle punches regional ticket
The No. 8-ranked Panhandle Ettes kept their momentum going from last week by earning another convincing win, this time at the hands of district foe Clarendon, 56-32, in a Class 2A regional quarterfinal game at the Tascosa Activity Center.
The Ettes (30-5 overall) sweep the season series from Clarendon (22-1winning all three meetings. Panhandle also punches a ticket back to the Region I-2A Tournament for a fifth straight time, where they’ll await Tuesday’s Haskell-Christoval winner in Friday’s regional semifinal.
Kinley Graham and Emmery Sides each scored 12 points against the Lady Broncos, who end their season at 22-12. Junior Mason Jones added 11.
Despite the loss, Clarendon’s Jade Benson poured in a game-high 22 points.
Panhandle 13 29 37 56
Clarendon  3 10 23 32
P— Kinley Graham 12, Emmery Sides  12,
Mason Jones 11. C— Jade Benson 22. Records: Panhandle 30-5; Clarendon 22-12.
Class 4A
Canyon cruises past Dalhart
Canyon shook off a slow start to take a commanding 55-24 victory against Dalhart during a Class 4A regional quarterfinal at the First United Bank Center on Monday.
The No. 1-ranked Lady Eagles move to 31-1 overall, and will advance to their 14th straight regional tournament.
Canyon will get a rematch with No. 5 Argyle, which beat Glen Glen Rose 39-34 on Monday, in a Region I-4A semifinal at 5 p.m. Friday at the Rip Griffin Center on the campus of Lubbock Christian. Argyle stunned Canyon 48-31 in the same round a year ago.
The Lady Eagles got off to a slow start against the Lady Wolves (26-10) before opening the up 38-17 after three quarters. Chloe Callahan chipped in nine points for Canyon, followed by Carter Cluck’s eight.
Canyon 10 22 38 55
Dalhart 6 9 17 24
C— Chloe Callahan 9, Carter Cluck 8. D— K. Marquez 9, N. Olvera 7. Records: Canyon 31-1; Dalhart 26-10.