Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Bailey Litchfield of Mabank (left) defends Kemp’s Kim Mendez during the Feb. 4 rivalry game at Kemp.

Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Honey Aldridge of Mabank shoots a left-handed layup between Kemp’s Makayla Miller (No. 23) and Allie Pringle.

Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Mabank’s Jacey Jones (from left) works around defensive pressure by Kemp’s Rainey Carney and Kim Mendez.

Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Mabank’s Kendal Woods shoots from the outside past the outstretched hand of Kemp’s Miranda Limon.

Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Nina Sanchez of Mabank starts a fast break against Kemp in the state-ranked Lady Panthers’ Feb. 4 victory.

Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Rainey Carney of Kemp looks to pass to teammate Emma Bailey (foreground) Feb. 4 versus Mabank.

KEMP–The Mabank Lady Panthers flexed their muscles against their rival, the Kemp Lady Yellowjackets, in Mabank’s final regular-season game Feb. 4. 
Winning 80-17, the Lady Panthers finished the regular season with a 27-6 record, then beat Longview Pine Tree 56-32 to win Bi-District Feb. 10 and will face the Feb. 11 winner of Wills Point versus Paris at Area.
Against Kemp, Mabank started quickly at 21-0 and never let their foot off the gas thereafter. Lady Panther Kalli Smith started Mabank’s scoring with an early-game 3-pointer. Then, about a minute into the game, Smith made two free throws to extend the Lady Panther lead to 5-0. Honey Aldridge added a Mabank free throw for a 6-0 advantage, Bailey Litchfield stole the ball and made a bucket for an 8-0 lead, Smith shot two more free throws, Litchfield was fouled for another free throw added to the ledger then Jayda Searcy grabbed a rebound and followed with a basket, all of which had Mabank up 13-0 and forced a Kemp timeout.
That lead eventually became 21-0 when Kemp’s Allie Pringle stopped the Lady Panther run with a Lady Yellowjacket 3-pointer. Mabank answered with an 8-0 scoring run that made Kemp stop play again with 2:10 left in the first period. Emma Bailey’s Kemp bucket with 13 seconds left in the opening quarter ended Mabank’s furious first period at 35-5.
In the second period, Taylor Granger opened Mabank’s scoring with a basket, to which Kemp’s Pringle retorted with a 3-pointer. Makinley White of Mabank made a dazzling layup halfway through the second to give her team a 39-8 advantage. After Lady Panther Honey Aldridge made a bucket in the paint with 45 seconds remaining in the first half for a 46-8 Mabank lead, Aldridge again led the offensive charge with a steal and assist to Jacey Jones, whose basket gave the Lady Panthers a 48-8 intermission lead.
In the second half, Kemp’s Pringle (who led the Lady Yellowjackets with 10 points, including two 3-pointers) wove her way to basket as the third-period buzzer sounded, but Mabank outscored Kemp 21-5 in the final period to seize their victory.
Aldridge and Smith co-led Mabank with 15 points apiece, with Aldridge making seven of 10 free throws and Smith canning six of her eight charity shots. Granger had 14 Lady Panther points, Searcy had 9 points, Kendal Woods had 7 points, Presley Sims had 8 points, White and Litchfield both had 4 points, Jones had 3 points and Nina Sanchez added 2 points to Mabank’s total.