Bonham -- A pair of crucial three-point shots in the final three minutes by Ali Pry helped the Bonham Lady Warriors (7-12, 1-0) knock off the District 9-3A defending champion Princeton Lady Panthers in a thrilling district opener Tuesday night in front of the hometown crowd.
Princeton (12-9, 0-1) jumped out early and the Lady Panthers led 11-4 before Bonham settled down and went to work. A basket by Rozlyn Austin left the teams tied 15-15 after the opening frame, but the determined Princeton squad took a 30-25 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Bonham's Bridgette Hubbard drained a trey to start the second half. Dee Burton pulled down a rebound and took it back up for two points and Burton came right back with a bank shot to give the Lady Warriors a 34-33 advantage. Princeton answered with a 7-2 run and the Lady Panthers were up 40-36 going into the fourth period.
Princeton's Whitney Coffey carried her team down the stretch and the talented post player finished with 23 points, but the Lady Warriors would not be denied. Kirsten Sanders hit a basket, Bridgette Hubbard worked inside for two points, Ali Pry shot a crisp pass inside to Jenna Lappin for two points and then Pry nailed a trey that left Bonham trailing by only one point, 47-46, with 3:36 remaining in the contest. With the Lady Warrior fans rocking the house, Princeton missed a pair of free throws and Rozlyn Austin connected on a tough turn-around jumper at the other end for a 48-47 Bonham lead. Lappin sank a free throw, but Coffey nailed a shot to make it a 49-49 ball game with under two minutes to play. Pry rained down another three-pointer to give Bonham a 52-49 edge with just over a minute remaining. Hubbard calmly netted a pair of shots from the charity stripe to push the lead to 54-49 with 30 seconds showing on the clock. A free throw by Princeton closed the gap to 54-50, however the last points of the contest were two free throws by Lappin and the Lady Warriors gave new head coach Courtney Stapp a 56-50 victory in Stapp's first district game guiding the Bonham girls.
Ali Pry put up 14 points, Kirsten Sanders scored 10, Bridgette Hubbard knocked down nine points, Rozlyn Austin and Jenna Lappin each added eight points, Dee Burton finished with four points and Aaron Wallace tossed in three points to get the win over a very solid group of Princeton Lady Panthers.
Princeton's Whitney Coffey led all scorers with 23 points.
Bonham will travel to Farmersville for another key District 9-3A contest on Tuesday, January 10.
Additional photos pending...JV and frosh photos to run next week
