Normal Lake Level is 322.00 feet
above Mean Sea Level.
Current level for Cedar Creek Lake is: 319.53
Water Temperature:
43 degrees - top
43 degrees - bottom

Sports in Brief

MBSA sign-ups
Mabank Baseball Softball Association (MBSA) will hold sign-ups for T-ball, baseball and softball from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. three Saturdays, Feb. 5, Feb. 12 and Feb. 19, at the Mabank Junior High Gym.
Information and registration forms are at www.leaguelinup.com/mbsa.

Tri-County soccer sign-ups slated
Sign-ups for Tri-County Soccer Association spring games are scheduled from 6-8 p.m. Thursday (tonight) and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, at the GBC McDonald’s restaurant.
Players must be 4 years old on or before Jan. 1. Fee is $60 for new players (includes uniform and insurance) and $40 for returning fall players not transferring teams. A copy of a birth certificate (not the original) must be provided for any new players.
Practices will begin in mid-February and games will be played March 12-May 7. Coaches and officials are needed and must pass an online background check at tricountysoccer.us.
For more information, call Candi Conner at (903) 887-3138.
 

Upcoming Events

Girls basketball

Feb. 8
MHS vs North Forney*
KHS vs Kaufman*
EHS @ Blooming Grove*
(end regular season)
(*district contest)

Boys basketball

Feb. 8
MHS vs North Forney*
KHS vs Kaufman*
EHS @ Blooming Grove*

Feb. 11
MHS vs Kaufman*
KHS vs Ferris*
EHS @ Buffalo*

Feb. 15
MHS @ Ferris*
KHS vs Crandall*
EHS vs Leon*
(end regular season)
(*district contest)

Soccer

Feb. 8
MHS g @ Corsicana
MHS b vs KHS*
(*district contest)

Softball

Feb. 7
EHS @ Malakoff (scr)

Feb. 10
MHS @ Kerens (scr)

Feb. 11
EHS vs Scurry-Rosser (scr)
 

Mabank girls clinch playoffs
Third-quarter run fuels 51-38 win over hosting Kemp
Monitor Staff Reports
KEMP–A 14-2 run to start the second half powered the Mabank Lady Panthers past the hosting Kemp Lady Yellowjackets, 51-37, Wednesday night.
The win locked up a playoff berth for the Lady Panthers, who improved to 19-10 on the season and 7-1 in District 13-3A play, while the Lady ’Jackets fell to 16-13 and 3-5 in loop action.
Mabank was scheduled to visit Crandall Friday night for a game that should determine first and second in the district.

Monitor Photo/Kerry Yancey
AT RIGHT: Mabank Lady Panther junior Alex Brady (33, right) grabs a rebound and starts maneuvering for a put-back against Kemp Lady Yellowjacket senior Shannon Shipp (33, left) during a key third-quarter run for the Lady Panthers, who defeated the hosting Kemp girls 51-38 Wednesday.

If Mabank wins, that would force a third-game playoff to decide the district champion, while a Crandall win would give the Lady Pirates the championship outright, and drop Mabank to second.
The Lady Panthers return home for a “senior night” matchup against North Forney in the regular season finale Tuesday, Feb. 8.
Kemp also had a critical road game Friday night, as they visited North Forney. The Lady ’Jackets have to beat the Lady Falcons and must win against visiting Kaufman in their “senior night” finale Feb. 8 to tie the Lady Falcons and force a playoff for the district’s third-place berth.
As in previous games, the Lady ’Jackets (who have been battling illness) started strong, but faded, as the quicker Lady Panthers pulled even and forged a 17-10 lead in the first quarter.
Kemp outscored the Lady Panthers 11-8 in the second quarter to cut the margin to just four points at halftime, 25-21.
When the third quarter got underway, the Lady ’Jackets saw their shots roll off the iron or miss completely, while the Lady Panthers were able to get second shots inside.
Michelle Ritterbach hit what turned out to be the only Kemp basket of the quarter with 1:07 left to make it an 11-point game, 34-23, but the game was nearly three minutes into the fourth quarter before Ritterbach got the next Kemp bucket to make it 39-25.
With the Lady Panthers trying to avoid unnecessary fouls, the Lady ’Jackets got some relatively uncontested layups in the fourth quarter, but it was far too late to undo the damage.
Eleven Lady Panthers scored, led by Cheyenne Alldredge with 16 points. Ashton Norman added 14, followed by Kourtney Holyfield (seven), Olivia Pannell (six), Sara Springer (six), Natalie Torres (five), Makenna Allen (five), Alex Brady (two), Trudy Marler (two), Brittany Findley (one) and Molly Groom (one).
Kemp scoring had not been obtained at presstime late Thursday.
 

Eustace girls win 4th district contest, 47-41
Monitor Staff Reports
EUSTACE–For the first time in a school generation, the Eustace Lady Bulldogs secured their fourth district win on “senior night” Wednesday night, beating the Mildred Lady Eagles 47-41.
It’s been at least 15 years since the Lady Bulldogs have won four district games – and the best part is six players from the very young squad will be back next year.
Now 4-7 in District 14-2A basketball play, the Lady Bulldogs were scheduled to have their second-round bye Friday night. They will wind up the second round and the regular season on the road Tuesday, Feb. 8, when they visit Blooming Grove, opening with a 5 p.m. sub-varsity game.
Icy weather forced a day’s delay for the Eustace-Mildred boys and girls games (the junior varsity games were cancelled), and just a handful of hardy fans were on hand in the chilly E.L. Kirk Gym.

Monitor Photo/Kerry Yancey
AT RIGHT: Eustace Lady Bulldog Megan Renteria (5) gets fouled by Mildred Lady Eagle Ashley Bonner as she drives the baseline during the first half of Eustace's come-from-behind 47-41 win over the visiting Lady Eagles Wednesday.

Mildred gradually forged an early lead, outscoring Eustace 11-8 in the first quarter and 12-6 in the second to take a nine-point halftime lead, 23-14.
“We started slow,” Eustace coach DaLinda Cassell said after the game.
“It could have been the weather, or not being in school the last couple of days,” she said. “The second half, the girls played with more intensity on defense and more focus on offense.”
The Lady Bulldogs outscored Mildred 13-9 in the third quarter to pull within five points, 32-27, going into the fourth quarter.
In the final frame, the Lady Bulldogs outscored the Lady Eagles 20-8 to secure the six-point win.
As time was winding down, Katy Brigham hit a key 3-point basket to give the Lady Bulldogs some separation.
Mildred started pressing, but the Lady Bulldogs were able to move through the pressure, with Allie Cass getting a layup. On the next Eustace possession, the Lady Bulldogs again shredded the Lady Eagle press, with Kacie Richards hitting a layup to forge the final margin.
As she has for the last two years, Cass led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring with 24 points, as Richards and Brigham both finished with eight points, senior Vanessa Lopez finished with six points and Megan Renteria added a free throw.
Olivia Farmer and Holly Holdin both scored 10 points each to lead the Lady Eagles, with Allison Heirholzer adding eight points.
Cassell said the Lady Bulldogs will lose only two starters, Cass and Lopez, to graduation, along with sub Shelley Temple, but everyone else will be back, along with some talented newcomers from the junior varsity.
Also expected to return is a former starter, Catania Grant (an honorable mention all-district pick last year as a sophomore), who is missing both basketball and softball her junior year following surgery to fix a volleyball injury.

Panthers knock off Yellowjackets, 63-48
Monitor Staff Reports
KEMP–Mabank’s Panthers kept their slim playoff hopes alive Wednesday night by knocking off the hosting Kemp Yellowjackets, 63-48, in the second-round opener for both teams.
The win improved the Panthers to 10-14 on the season and 3-3 in District 13-3A play, while the ’Jackets dropped to 0-6 in district action.
The ’Jackets were scheduled to visit North Forney Friday night before returning home for their final three games – against Kaufman Tuesday, Feb. 8, against Ferris Friday, Feb. 11, and their “senior night” contest against Crandall in the season finale Tuesday, Feb. 15.
Mabank was scheduled to visit Crandall Friday, before hosting North Forney Feb. 8 and Kaufman for “senior night” Feb. 11, and then going on the road for the regular season finale against Ferris Feb. 15. Each evening opens with 5 p.m. sub-varsity games.

Monitor Photo/Kerry Yancey
AT RIGHT: Kemp Yellowjacket senior Jake Goldman (1) draws a crowd – and a foul – as he drives the lane during the first half of Kemp's 63-48 loss to the visiting Mabank Panthers Wednesday.

Before a fairly large crowd, the Panthers and ’Jackets proved to be well-matched opponents during the early going, as Mabank opened a slim 12-11 lead in the first quarter behind five points from David Marler.
The ’Jackets countered with five points (including a 3-point bucket) from senior Ryan Emfinger, back in the lineup following an extended illness.
Mabank expanded its lead to four points by halftime, 27-23, behind five points (including a trey) from Jordan Allen and three from Marler, while the ’Jackets countered with four points from both Riley Lazard and Jake Goldman, along with another five points (including a trey) from Emfinger.
Mabank’s edge in team speed began to show in the second half, as the Panthers outscored the ’Jackets 18-14 in the third quarter, but started pulling away in the fourth quarter, outscoring Kemp 18-11.
Allen keyed the second-half outburst, scoring 16 of his game-high 24 points after intermission, and Marler added eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter.
Emfinger tried to keep the ’Jackets close, scoring seven of his team-high 17 points in the final frame (he finished 5-of-5 from the free throw line), but Jake Goldman was the only other ’Jacket to score in the fourth quarter.
In addition to Allen’s 24 and Marler’s 16, the Panthers got 10 points from T.C. Greene, eight (two treys) from Ryan Walker, three from Hunter Carrico and two from Brandon Hatfield.
Along with Emfinger’s 17, the ’Jackets got 13 from Jake Goldman, eight from Jeff Goldman, six from Lazard and four from Blake Watkins.
Earlier, the Mabank junior varsity blew away the Kemp JV, 68-25, in a game that was decided in the first quarter, when the Panther JV ran up a 27-7 lead.