On Friday night, the Coppell girls basketball team defeated Plano East, 38-29.

The first half was back and forth, with the teams having near-tied scores during the first quarter (7-6, Coppell) and most of the second quarter.

The Cowgirls’ defense held against the Panthers and led to them taking a strong lead as the first half neared its finish. Coppell junior guard Ella Spiller ended the first half with a 3-pointer at the buzzer, increasing the Cowgirls’ lead, 18-12.

In the second half, Coppell managed to prevent Plano East from taking a lead. Two standout Coppell players were senior guards Jules LaMendola and Waverly Hassman, who led all scores with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

“[The Panthers] have really good energy and they rebound really hard, and that makes them a really tough team to guard,” LaMendola said. “Their offensive efforts are really good.”

Coppell led, 26-17, at the end of the third quarter, with Hassman scoring all eight of Coppell’s points in the quarter.

The Cowgirls’ aggressive defensive efforts led to them fouling the Panthers 11 times during the second half, giving the Panthers several free throw opportunities. However, these did not prove to help Plano East as they only made six of the 14 free throws taken. The Cowgirls were fouled eight times in the second half, but were able to make six of the eight free throws taken.

“It was definitely a physical, defensive battle,” Coppell coach Ryan Murphy said. “I thought we did a really good job of taking away the paint touches.”

The Cowgirls play at Hebron today.

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