The Frenship girls’ basketball team put together a courageous comeback during the last three quarters to overcome an early double-digit deficit and capture a hard-fought 56-53 victory against El Paso Coronado in the Class 6A Bi-District playoffs Tuesday night in Fort Stockton.
After falling behind 23-12 early in the second quarter, the Tigers chipped away at the Thunderbird lead thanks to the hot three-point shooting of Abbi Braddock, 4-for-8 from deep, and by forcing 20 Coronado turnovers.
FHS pulled within five by halftime and four by the end of the third quarter, but it wasn’t until Desiree Caldwell’s only three-pointer of the game that gave the Tigers the lead at 46-45 with less than five minutes remaining.
Solid defense and clutch free throw shooting down the stretch, including two free throws from Alex Barinque with 10 seconds remaining, helped seal the Tigers’ first playoff win since 2012.
Three Tigers finished in double-figure scoring. Caldwell paced Frenship with 17 points, Margaret Gaydon added 15, and Braddock finished with 12.
Frenship is now 19-14 on the year and moves into the Class 6A Area playoffs versus Arlington Bowie. The game is Friday at 8:00 p.m. at McMurry University’s Kimbrell Arena.
CLASS 6A BI-DISTRICT PLAYOFFS
FRENSHIP 56, EL PASO CORONADO 53
EP Coronado 13 12 16 12 – 53
Frenship 9 11 17 19 – 56
Frenship Scoring: Desiree Caldwell 17, Margaret Gaydon 15, Abbi Braddock 12, Addison Foster 5, Lauren Landtroop 5, Alex Barinque 2
Frenship Record: 19-14
