Photo by Monica T. Godwin
From Jordan Godwin of the Galveston Daily News:
STAFFORD — The Friendswood Lady Mustangs weren’t supposed to beat the state-ranked Foster Lady Falcons in the bi-district playoff opener, and they knew it.
But on Tuesday night at Stafford High School, they did it anyway.
Friendswood upset No. 14 Foster, 56-54, in overtime by hitting two clutch free throws with 14 seconds remaining in the extra frame.
The Lady Falcons hit a shot in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter to send it to overtime, but they had no such magic after regulation despite a game-winning 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
Friendswood junior forward Jill Bergeson hit two stone-faced free throws in the extra quarter to give the Lady Mustangs the victory, but she said her emotions were swirling much faster than her face might have shown.
“Oh man, I thought everyone could see my hands shaking,” Bergeson said. “But you always practice those pressure situations and being on the free-throw line like that.”
Bergeson said the victory was twice as nice because it came against the same school that shattered her dreams of taking the Friendswood volleyball team to the state tournament in November. Foster defeated Friendswood in the Region III-4A final just three months ago.
“That was the first thing that came to mind when we saw we were playing them,” said Bergeson, who scored 12 points for Friendswood. “We were definitely out for revenge, and I’m glad we got it.”
Foster (25-6) entered the game riding an 11-game winning streak, which included an average margin of victory of 34.5 points. The Lady Falcons hadn’t seen much competition since tournament play during the holiday break, but Friendswood brought it on Tuesday.
Right from tipoff, Friendswood hit a 3-pointer on the opening play to set the tone. Foster answered quickly, but the back-and-forth style of scoring frustrated the team that had dominated the last two months of the season.
Friendswood led by 10 at halftime, but Foster came storming back in the third quarter. The game was closely contested in the fourth quarter until Foster’s Lexi Fatheree sent the game to overtime with a layup at the buzzer.
Fatheree led the Lady Falcons with 19 points but foul trouble kept her on the bench for much of the game. Alex Lapeyrolerie added 14 points for Foster.
Friendswood (19-12) was led by sophomore Caitlin Modesett’s sensational performance, scoring 16 points. Junior Skylar Murphy added 11 points, senior Morgan Marino had 10, and junior Amber Mills had four.
“It’s a huge relief to get past this point, and it’s always good to see the girls succeed,” Friendswood coach Ginger Hartman said.
Friendswood will face Houston Waltrip (22-11, 11-3) in the area round Friday.
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