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Posted Dec 17/10 - Pflugerville falls just short of nation's No. 4 ranked team, dropping a tough 46-44 decision to Westbury Christian in Lake Charles (La.) tournament
LAKE CHARLES, LA -  Despite a second-half rally which saw them take a four-point lead midway through the fourth period, the Pflugerville Panthers dropped a tough 46-44 decision to undefeated Westbury Christian, the nation's No. 4 ranked team, Friday night in opening round play at the Rumble in the Bluff Tournament.

Pflugerville, now 11-3, saw its six-game win streak snapped with the setback.

Houston's Westbury Christian (16-0), a private school national powerhouse, stands No. 4 in this week's ESPN Rise Powerade Fab 50 national rankings and also is the No. 13 ranked team in the USA Today Super 25 national rankings.

At halftime, the Wildcats led Pflugerville by a 26-21 margin.

The Panthers did not lead until the fourth quarter. Down 37-34 at the end of the third period, the Panthers outscored the Wildcats 8-0 in the first 3:35 of the final period. With 6:24 to go, Pflugerville senior post Nneka Enemkpali stole the ball and fed it to sophomore point guard Taliyah Brooks for a streaking layup which pulled the Panthers to within two, 37-35. Enemkpali then tied the game 37-all with a layup with 5:03 to go.

Following a Westbury Christian turnover, a 10-foot jumper by junior forward Itiana Taylor gave the Panthers their first lead of the game, 39-37, with 4:52 left. Another Panther steal - this one by senior Adesuwa Ebomwonyi - led to a Raveen Burton fast break layup for a four-point (41-37) edge 17 seconds later

Yet, Westbury Christian converted on shots in four of their final six trips down the floor while the Panthers struggled, turning the ball over on four consecutive offensive series.

With 2:03 to go, following a Pflugerville turnover at midcourt, a layup by Stanford University-bound senior guard Amber Orrange gave the Wildcats a 43-41 lead. Pflugerville recaptured the lead, 44-43, on an Enemkpali three-point play (layup and free throw) with 1:17 remaining.

A Westbury Christian missed shot and a Panther turnover gave the Westbury the ball with 39 seconds to go, and the Wildcats converted on a fast-break layup to take the lead for good, 45-44.

In the final seconds, the Panthers missed three jumpers, including a last-second attempt which fell short.

Pflugerville was led by Brooks with a team-high 11 points, while senior guard Ari Booth netted 10 points and Enemkpali added nine points. Ebomwonyi (four points) pulled down a game-best 12 rebounds, had a game-high five steals and a team-best four assists. Enemkpali finished with 10 boards. Taylor contributed six points, seven rebounds and two steals.

Orrange led all scorers with 19 points. She was the lone Westbury Christian player in double digit scoring.

The Panthers dominated on the boards, out-rebounding Westbury Christian by a 39-23 margin. Pflugerville had eight steals while the Wildcats had seven.

Westbury Christian did much of their offensive damage from the free throw line, going 12 for 17 from the line. The Panthers got to the foul line 10 times, converting six.

Pflugerville will play its final two games of the Rumble in the Bluff Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 18, with both games at Lake Charles' Sam Houston High School. At 11:40 a.m., the Panthers meet Parkway HS (from Bossier City, La.) before facing St. Louis Catholic (from Lake Charles) at 5 p.m. to conclude play.






 


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