KDH Pressbox

There's a bit of revenge mixed in, but the Lady Roos really just want to keep winning.

Killeen looks to avenge a last-second loss to Stephenville and extend its four-game win streak when it hosts the district-leading Honeybees at 6:30 p.m. tonight.

The Lady Roos (18-12, 7-2 8-4A) could clinch their third district co-championship in four years and go into the playoffs having avenged a 50-48 loss to the Honeybees on Jan. 20.
"We've kind of been on a roll and we really want to keep the roll going, basically for momentum purposes than anything else," Killeen girls coach Latisha Williams said. "I'm not really sure what a loss would do to their mental status right now, but I know that a win would be better for them."

Stephenville (16-15, 8-1), which has won eight straight games, used a give-and-go layup with 1.8 seconds left to beat Killeen in the teams' first meeting at Stephenville and could clinch the outright district title with a win.

The Lady Roos have been led by junior Jasmine Goodwine, who scored 22 points in the loss and has scored at least that many in four of the last five games.

"I feel good about it and that is mostly because of the way the kids are playing and acting," Williams said. "They say that they're very, very ready to play and they're excited about it and they want an opportunity to get them (the Honeybees) back for winning up there."

Ellison, Shoemaker not looking in the past

Shoemaker is not weighing its two losses to Copperas Cove any more than its 64-59 win over Ellison earlier in the season because the Grey Wolves cannot afford to get tripped up looking ahead or behind them.

"The only way Cove factors into it is if we end up losing two or three of these last games and they pass us," Shoemaker coach Marc Minatrea said. "We're a game behind Ellison, total, and we're a game ahead of Cove. We just have to prepare for our next game and hope we can beat Ellison again."

The Grey Wolves (18-11, 6-5 12-5A) host the Eagles tonight at 5:30 p.m. and are close to being in must-win mode to hold off the fifth-place Bulldawgs, who own a sweep of Shoemaker and would clinch the playoffs if the two teams finish tied at the end of the regular season.

Ellison (18-11, 7-4), third in the standings, is likewise trying to shore up its 18th straight playoff appearance. And Eagles coach Alberto Jones doesn't want a season sweep by the Grey Wolves to threaten that.

"First things first, we just want to get in," Jones said. "Us losing doesn't get us in, so we've got to win and hope for a couple of other things. ... I think if we play well and play hard, we'd be in good shape. If we don't, who knows what could happen."

Salado, Lampasas girls appear headed to play-in game

It's not a done deal, but the Salado and Lampasas girls basketball teams will likely have to play each other a third time this season for District 25-3A's third and final playoff seed.

Salado (15-14, 5-4 25-3A) hosts second-place Burnet, which beat the Lady Eagles 63-52 earlier this season, while the Lady Badgers (12-16, 4-5) travel to play a Taylor team they beat by 26 the first time around.

But first meetings cannot always be used as determining factors. Salado lost to eighth-ranked and 25-3A champion Liberty Hill by just five points at home earlier this season but was routed by the Lady Panthers 66-33 on Friday.

Lampasas beat the Lady Ducks 49-23 at home on Jan. 20.

"We are talking about it (a possible play-in) because I want to give the girls a reason to keep playing," Lampasas coach Jenny Bowden said. "I think a lot of them are frustrated with themselves that we couldn't take care of our own business ... because we don't ever want to have to rely on someone, and right now we're having to rely on Burnet to beat Salado."