Bakersfield Lady Lions compete at Thayer Winter Classic
The Bakersfield Lady Lions saw a busy and challenging stretch of play last week as they competed in the Thayer Winter Classic, facing three tough opponents over four days.
Bakersfield opened tournament play on Jan. 19 against Couch while dealing with illness and injuries that left the Lady Lions short-handed. Despite not being at full strength, Coach Doug Lansdown said the team still had a chance to come away with a win before falling 45–43.
“We still had an opportunity to win,” Lansdown said. “We did a poor job rebounding the ball against a physical opponent and missed some free throws in the fourth quarter.”
Keely Stevens led the scoring effort with eight points, while Carrleigh Green added seven and Riley Summers chipped in six points off the bench to provide a boost.
Due to incoming bad weather, the tournament schedule was adjusted, and the Lady Lions faced Houston on Jan. 21, just five days after meeting them previously. Lansdown said the coaching staff emphasized rebounding at both ends of the floor, and the team responded.
“Coach Cotter and I tried to emphasize crashing the boards on both ends and we did a much better job,” Lansdown said.
Bakersfield earned a convincing 54–34 win. Lexi Clarkson moved into the starting lineup and made the most of the opportunity, leading the Lady Lions in scoring alongside Stevens, with both players finishing with 11 points. Sadie Davidson pulled down eight rebounds, while Stevens added seven boards.
The Lady Lions wrapped up tournament play on Jan. 22 with a dramatic triple-overtime matchup against Mountain View–Liberty, their third meeting in five weeks. Bakersfield came up just short in a 74–71 loss.
“We were not able to hang on to an early lead because of so many turnovers and missed free throws,” Lansdown said. “We shot over 50 percent from the floor and had 49 rebounds but turned the ball over 33 times.”
Free throws proved costly late, as Bakersfield went 8-for-20 from the line in the fourth quarter and overtimes. Still, Lansdown praised his team’s effort.
“Our effort was outstanding, and I need to do a better job of finding a lineup that can execute in late game situations,” he said. “That all falls under the head coach’s responsibility.”
Keely Stevens led all scorers with 22 points, followed by Aubrey Luna with 17. Kelsey Cotter scored eight points and Eden Cotter added seven. Rebounding was a bright spot for Bakersfield, with Eden Cotter grabbing 11 boards and Luna adding 10.
The Lady Lions now await details on the Big Spring Conference Tournament, as the schedule has yet to be finalized due to severe weather and long travel distances for many schools.