Randall guard Sadie Sanchez knocks down a 3-pointer during a District 3-5A clash against Plainview at the Randall Gym on Tuesday night. [Ben Jenkins/ Press Pass Sports]
On Senior Night in a game the Randall Lady Raiders needed for a higher playoff seeding Tuesday, both youth and experience were served.And they combined to give Randall the upper hand over Plainview, not to mention the second playoff seed from District 3-5A.In a game where the winner would be 3-5A’s No. 2 playoff seed, the Lady Raiders took the lead late in the first half and were in control the rest of the game. They cruised in the second half to an 80-64 victory, giving them a season split with Plainview to close the regular season, but getting the better half with the higher playoff seed.Randall (21-12, 7-3 in district) will play Abilene Wylie in the bidistrict playoffs next week to open the postseason.Effectively, it was like a playoff game considering that something was at stake, even though both teams had already clinched postseason berths. The atmosphere was pitched from the outset, and the home crowd seemed to lift the Lady Raiders.“It definitely was like a playoff situation, but it kind of feels like that every night,” Randall coach Brooke Walthall said. “Tonight was a big one. I was so proud of our kiddos for coming out on top.”Randall had a prodigious night offensively, with four players in double digits. Befitting a team with varying experience levels on the roster, it was appropriate that two of them were seniors and two of them were seniors.The first half was what one should have expected between two teams fighting for a better spot in the postseason pecking order. Neither team led by more than seven points, and Randall made a late run in the final two minutes to take a 33-30 halftime lead.Plainview led 20-13 midway through the second quarter, but the Lady Raiders picked up the tempo near the end of the quarter to take the lead. Freshman Sadie Sanchez made a pair of free throws and senior Ainsley Velasquez drove in for a layup to give the Lady Raiders their halftime margin.But that was just a lurch in the direction of what happened in the third quarter. Velasquez, who had only four points in the first half, hit three 3-pointers to spark a 31-point Randall outburst as the Lady Raiders led 64-55 at the end of the quarter.“We definitely were practicing shooting way more than we normally do,” said Velasquez, who had 19 points. “It gives everyone so much more energy, even to get the rebound. We want to shoot it because we know we can get the rebound and our teammates all have each other.”Velasquez had 11 points in the third quarter and Sanchez had 10.Sanchez led Randall with a game-high 23 points, including four 3-pointers. She’s continuing to show why she belongs on the floor with the upperclassmen.“We had a chance to get up and that’s what we did,” Sanchez said. “We’re good shooters. We just caught fire. At halftime we had a lot energy coming into the lockerroom and talked a little bit about what we could do better and just took it from there.”As frantic as the third quarter was offensively, Randall’s defense took over in the fourth quarter, allowing Plainview (17-15, 6-4) only nine points. The Lady Raiders got their lead into double digits and the Lady Bulldogs never seriously threatened it in the final six minutes.Senior Kailee Benton had 13 points for Randall and freshman Piper Patterson, the other frosh starter along with Sanchez, had 10. That signaled the teamwork that carried the Lady Raiders to the No. 2 seed.“I’m really proud of our kids as a team,” Walthall said. “They literally lifted each other up sometimes because they were so excited for each other. I felt like tonight as a team we meshed really well. At the end of the game, our team was making the adjustments on their own.”Mady Williams led Plainview with 22 points and singlehandedly kept the Lady Bulldogs in the game with 14 points in the third quarter. Daniela Guzman and Katy Long both had 10.Plainview won the first meeting of the season at home against Randall, 62-57.Plainview 12 30 55 64Randall 11 33 64 80P— Mady Williams 22, Daniela Guzman 15, Katy Long 15. R— Sadie Sanchez 23, Ainsley Velasquez 19, Kailee Benton 13, Piper Patterson 10. Records: Plainview 17-15, 6-4; Randall 21-12, 7-3.