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Sunnyvale girls carry momentum into basketball playoffs
By DEVIN HASSON, dhasson@acnpapers.com
The Sunnyvale girls basketball team has fulfilled two of its main goals this season.
The Raiders are not only returning to the playoffs, but they also defended their 13-2A championship, rolling to a 12-0 record in district play.
Sunnyvale (20-8) earned a bye in the opening round of the playoffs and will take on Bruceville-Eddy, which defeated Maypearl on Tuesday, in the area finals on Friday at 7 p.m. at Grandview High School.
The Raiders posted an 8-8 record during non-district play against some top-level competition. Those early battles paid dividends once district play rolled around and Sunnyvale had just one game decided by 10 points or less.
"We played a tough non-district schedule on purpose and most of our losses were to 3A and 4A teams," York said. "We don't have the strongest district, but I thought the girls stepped up, especially in the games against Dallas Life, which was probably the strongest team we faced."
Sunnyvale features balance, both in terms of one-the-court play and experience.
Point guard Sheridan Lewis is the team's leading scorer who York said "does a tremendous job of running the offense."
With Lewis being the primary threat from the outside, her compliment is Natashcha Gray on the inside, who is the team's leading rebounder and is also averaging close to 10 points per game.
Other players have also stepped up during the course of the season, including Calia Sims, Abby Duck and freshman Grace Goodhart.
"We've really been pretty balanced all year," York said. "And with the way things have gone in district, we have had a lot of chances to get a lot of different players some playing time.
When Friday rolls around, it will have been 10 days since Sunnyvale's last game. But York is not worried about the layoff and is looking forward to bringing a healthy team into the playoffs.
"I think it was in our best interest because we were able to rest up and regroup," York said. "We'll have to see what happens, but if we play to our capabilities, I like our chances to make some noise.
Sunnyvale boys headed back to the playoffs
The Sunnyvale boys basketball team is headed to the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
The Raiders put the finishing touches on the regular season with a 52-36 victory over Irving North Hills on Tuesday.
Sunnyvale finished second in 13-2A and will play in the bi-district round next Monday or Tuesday at a site to be determined.
The Raiders, who are 21-6 overall, jumped on Irving North Hills early on, using a 13-5 run to take an early lead.
Irving North Hills refused to go away, as they got back to within 23-18 at halftime and were still in striking distance through three quarters with just a seven-point deficit.
But Sunnyvale finished the game like it started, using a 17-8 spurt to pull away for the win.
Bobby Luka scored 19 points and Tanner Tutle and Thomas Wendt added 10 and nine points, respectively.
It was a good win for the Raiders who were coming off a tough 40-33 loss to undefeated Life School Red Oak on Friday.
Sunnyvale certainly appeared poised to hand Red Oak its first district loss, as it did not allow a point in the opening quarter in taking a 13-0 lead.
But Life School responded in the second with a 14-3 run of its own to close to within 16-14 at halftime.
Red Oak took the lead in the third quarter and then was able to keep the Raiders at arm's length in the fourth quarter to earn the win.
Luka scored 13 points and Wendt added 10 to pace the Sunnyvale offense.
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