Sports

Despite the loss, Pampa remains in second place with a 5-2 record in District 3-4A. Randall, at 4-2, was idle last night. Hereford, which lost to Pampa, 59-51, in the first round, improved to 3-4 in district.

There were 13 lead changes in last night's OT thriller, but Pampa faced a 47-40 deficit early in the fourth quarter. The Harvesters rallied to knot the score at 51-all on Jed Martin's close-in basket after an out-of-bounds play.

Max Simon scored all four Pampa points in overtime, including a putback that gave the Harvesters a 55-53 lead going into the final minute. Hereford came back on Stewart Carr's 3-point goal and the Whitefaces hit three free throws down the stretch after Pampa was forced to foul.

Raul Delgado led the Hereford attack with 15 points while Jorge Gonzalez added 11.

Chance Bowers led Pampa with 18 points. Ryan Zemanek and Simon chipped in 12 each.

Hereford hurt Pampa from the 3-point line, tossing in nine shots from that range. Clayton Hall had Pampa's only trey. Hall finished with 5 points and Brittin East had 4, Collin Bowers 2, and Martin 2.

Hereford girls, ranked No. 13 in the latest TABC poll, claimed a 57-26 win over the Lady Harvesters last night.

Sara Griffin topped all scorers with 15 points for Hereford. Heather Brown was next with 11.

Casey Fisher led Pampa with 7 points, followed by Stacey Johnson 4, Mariza Scott 4, Valerie Velez 3, Jennie Waggoner 3, Tara Jordan 2, Abbi Covalt 2 and Callie Cobb 1.

Both Pampa teams travel to Palo Duro for more district action Friday night

Pampa hosts Herd in District 3-4A clashes

Pampa takes on a dangerous Hereford squad at 7:30 Tuesday night in McNeely Fieldhouse.

Pampa closed the first half of District 3-4A in second place with a 5-1 record. Hereford is 2-4 in district, but the Whitefaces gave the Harvesters a battle before losing a 59-51 decision in the first game between the two schools.

The Harvesters notched their fourth consecutive win last weekend, routing Plainview 71-55. Chance Bowers (6-1 junior) and Ryan Zemanek (6-3 senior) combined for 38 points to spark the Harvesters.

Hereford did some routing of its own, whipping Dumas 53-39 last weekend.

Hereford's scoring leaders have been Jorge Gonzalez (5-9 senior) and Raul Delgado (6-1 senior) have been the Whiteface scoring leaders. Gonzalez had 16 points in the loss to Pampa and Delgado scored 12 in the win over Dumas.

Pampa is averaging 64.3 points a game in district action. District opponents are averaging 59.5 points against the Harvesters.

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The girls game between Pampa and Hereford tips off at 6 tomorrow night.

The Lady Harvesters will be looking to avenge a loss to Hereford in the district's first round.

Pampa is 1-7 and Hereford is 7-1 in district.

2002 Harvesters honored at football banquet

PAMPA - Senior middle linebacker Zack Cobb was named the Fighting Heart award winner Wednesday night during the Pampa football banquet in M.K. Brown Auditorium.

Cobb led the Harvesters in tackles this season with 111 solos and 101 assists.

He also had 25 tackles for losses, 4 sacks, 3 quarterback hurries, 7 caused fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 2 interceptions and 1 blocked kick.

The Fighting Heart award goes annually to the player who most exemplifies unselfish devotion to the team.

"Zack is an excellent player and an excellent person. It was very gratifying to present him with this year's award," said Pampa head coach Dennis Cavalier.

Other award recipients were strongside linebacker Curtis Pritchett (Kevin McKinney Memorial), cornerback Derrick Williams (Vance Bruce Memorial), offensive guard Aaron Burrows (Nick Hopkins Memorial) and free safety Tristan Brown (GT-El Norma).

KGRO radio's broadcasting crew of Donnie Hooper, Sam White and Ray Boring were on hand to present some new awards.

The Fourth and One award presented by Hooper went to center Brandon McElroy, and the Surprise Player award presented by White went to tight end Ryan Zemanek.

Also, Boring presented the One Heartbeat award to varsity sophomores Brittin East, Seth Foster and Tyrel Bolin in behalf of the 2002 team.

This season's seniors included Trey Curtis, Tristan Brown, Derrick Williams, Jered Snelgrooes, John Braddock, Curtis Pritchett, Robson Rodrigues, Joel Botello, Jordan Klaus, Landon Baker, Carlos Solis, Zack Cobb, Matt Murray, Aaron Burrows, Brandon McElroy, Michael McCormick, Brian Watts, James Lee, Ryan Zemanek and Tommy Abernathy. Juniors were Andrew Curtis, Jesse Tarango, Johnny Moore, Dannie Meza, Joe Merez, Max Vinson, Mac Smith, Derek Lewis, Paul Grimes, Jerrod Carruth, Alan Curry, Greg Wiley, Marcos DeLeon and Sergio Alva.

The 2002 season also marked a couple of milestones in Cavalier's career. He posted his 100th win at PHS with Pampa's 23-16 overtime victory over Amarillo High, and his 200th career win came in Pampa's 27-7 decision against El Paso Riverside in the Area playoffs.

Pampa's radio crew (Donnie Hooper, Sam White and Ray Boring) also presented

Cavalier with a 1926 leather football helmet that belonged to a Harvester player.

Pampa teams visit Plainview Friday

PAMPA - Pampa will be looking to solidify its second-place spot in the District 3-4A standings with a victory over Plainview tomorrow night.

The Harvesters (4-1, 8-10) are on a three-game winning streak, making Randall their latest victim, 55-51. Plainview (2-4, 7-14) has been struggling, but the Bulldogs did pick up a win Tuesday night.

Dominic Jackson (6-2 junior) scored 12 points and Xavier Hall (6-1 senior) added 10 as Plainview edged Dumas 46-45.

Hall and Tabber Minner (5-8 guard) are the lone returning starters from last year's club.

Tipoff is 7:45 in Plainview.

Pampa faces powerful Plainview in the girls' game, which starts at 6 p.m. in Plainview.

The Lady Bulldogs (7-0, 22-2) are currently ranked No. 2 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Poll. And there's bad news ahead for Plainview foes. High-scoring all-stater Alesha Robertson (5-11 senior) has returned after missing several games due to injury. She tossed in 22 points in Plainview's 71-46 win over Dumas Tuesday night.

Pampa downs Randall to take over second place

PAMPA - Chance Bowers and Ryan Zemanek led a second-half scoring surge that helped Pampa hang on for a 55-51 win over Randall in District 3-4A action Tuesday night in McNeely Fieldhouse.

The victory gave Pampa sole possession of second place in the district standings with a 4-1 record.

Both teams were tied for the runnerup spot behind Palo Duro going into the game, which had 13 lead changes and six ties before Pampa decided the outcome.

Bowers, a 6-1 junior, scored 10 of his team-high 15 points in the second half.

Zemanek, a 6-3 senior, was right behind with 14, including 11 second-half points.

Max Simon, a 6-3 senior, finished with 11 points and was a defensive star for the Harvesters.

Guard Kendall Webb paced the Raiders with 24 points while teammate Jared Krieger added 12.

The Harvesters, who led by one (38-37) after three quarters, scored five straight points early in the fourth quarter and stayed on top the rest of the way.

Pampa had a 26-22 edge in rebounding with Simon and Zemanek pulling down six rebounds each.

Randall is 3-2 in district and tied with Caprock for third place.

The Harvesters, 8-10 for the season, travel to Plainview Friday night.

Pampa 10 23 38 55

Randall 12 24 37 51

Pampa: Chance Bowers 15, Zemanek 14, Simon 11, Hall 5, Collin Bowers 3, Moore 3, Silva 2, East 2; Three-point goals: Moore 1.

Randall: Webb 24, Krieger 12, Singleton 11, Pirnie 4; Three-point goals: Singleton 2.

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Pampa almost pulled off an upset in the girls game, but Randall used the foul line to come away with a 45-38 decision.

"We had our opportunities. Randall hit 10 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter and we were 4 of 9. That really hurt us," said Pampa coach Steve Schmidt.

Pampa, which had lost to Randall 64-39 in the first round, held a 16-15 lead at halftime.

Randall jumped ahead 31-26 at the end of the third quarter. Pampa nibbled away at the Randall lead and cut the gap to two (40-38) on a foul shot by Mariza Scott with 1:19 remaining in the fourth period. That was as close as the Lady Harvesters would get.

"We don't want to get where we're satisfied with coming close. I was proud of the girls and we hope to keep that kind of effort going," coach Schmidt said.

Casey Fisher and Valerie Velez led the Lady Harvesters in scoring with 9 points each. Kara Cornelius led Randall with 18 points.

The Lady Harvesters did come out ahead on the boards with a 25-20 advantage. Velez and Fisher each had 6 rebounds.

Randall 8 15 31 45

Pampa 11 16 26 38

Randall: Cornelius 18, Arenas 11, Gore 5, Smith 5, FLores 2, Robertson 2, Monden 2; Three-point goals: none.

Pampa: Fisher 9, Velez 9, Scott 8, Covalt 5, Johnson 4, Cobb 3; Three-points goals: Fisher 1, Scott 1.

Harvesters seek sole possession of second in district standings

PAMPA - It's expected to be an exciting matchup when Pampa takes on Randall in District 3-4A action Tuesday night in McNeely Fieldhouse.

Pampa can take sole possession of second place with a win over the Raiders. Both teams are tied for second at 3-1 behind first-place Palo Duro.

Pampa and Randall met earlier this season in the Gene Messer Tournament of Champions with the Harvesters winning a 54-51 thriller.

The Harvesters won their second straight game last Friday night, rolling past Caprock 71-46. Three Harvesters, led by Chance Bowers' 21 points, scored in double-digits. Max Simon followed with 17 points and Ryan Zemanek had 11.

Randall posted a 50-39 win over Dumas last weekend.

Jarod Krieger (6-2 senior) had 16 points and Kendall Webb (5-10 senior) 15 to lead the Raiders.

For the season, the Harvesters have a 7-10 record. Randall is 13-9 for the season.

Randall had a second-place finish in district a year ago and advanced as far as the regional quarterfinals. Pampa is looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 1996, the year the Harvesters won the state championship.

In the girls' contest, the Pampa Lady Harvesters will be looking for their second win in a row. Pampa, behind an 18-point performance by Valerie Velez, downed Caprock 60-51 last Friday night. Casey Fisher chipped in 14 points.

Pampa is 1-5 in district and Randall is 4-2. Randall defeated Pampa 64-39 in the district opener.

Velez, a 5-6 senior guard, is averaging 11 points a game to lead the Lady Harvesters in scoring. Randall's scoring leader is 5-9 senior Jennifer Arenas, who is averaging 16 points a game.

Gametime is 6 for the girls' game, followed by the boys at 7:30.

Copeland is named Optimist boys' basketball commissioner

PAMPA - Ed Copeland was appointed Boys' Basketball Commissioner for the Pampa Optimist Youth Club this week, according to Ron Carr, Optimist second vice-president.

Registration of third, fourth, fifth and sixth grade boys is currently under way through the Optimist web site: www.Optimist.Pampa.com. Additional registration will be held on Saturday, Jan. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Optimist Building at 601 E. Craven. Tryouts are scheduled for Jan. 13 through Jan. 16 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Optimist Gym. Each boy is required to attend at least two of the tryout sessions.

"We are really pleased to have Ed with his background and experience lead our boys' basketball program," Carr said. "He has coached Optimist basketball for two years and Optimist baseball for four years. He has coached soccer for nine years."

Copeland is in his third year as Community Service Coordinator with the Gray County Adult Probation Department. He is a deacon in the Faith Advent Christian Fellowship Church. Copeland and his wife, Amanda, have two children, Colby 12, and Haley 9.

"I think registering through the Internet is a pretty neat system," Copeland said. "It's much easier to register at work, at home or even Lovett Library rather than coming down to the Optimist Club and standing in line. It will help with scheduling, make-ups and tournaments to be able to go on line and obtain that information.

"My son played Optimist basketball for the last four years," Copeland continued. "It helps for boys to learn the basics at an early age. I'm excited and honored to be able to serve in the capacity of commissioner."

Pampa, Caprock set for Friday night clash in McNeely

PAMPA - It's still early in the District 3-4A season, but Pampa meets Caprock in a key District 3-4A matchup at 7:30 Friday night in McNeely Fieldhouse.

Pampa at 2-1 is tied with Randall for third place in the district race. Caprock (3-1) is all alone in second place, behind 4-0 Palo Duro.

The Longhorns, led by 6-0 junior Cheston Mitchell and 6-5 senior David Hernandez, routed Dumas 70-43 Tuesday night. Mitchell, who is averaging 20 points a game, tossed in 22 against the Demons. Hernandez, who averages 11 a game, chipped in 18 points.

The Harvesters held off Dumas 60-54 in their last outing Saturday night. Chance and Collin Bowers, both 6-1 juniors, led the Pampa attack with 15 points each. Ryan Zemanek (6-3 senior) added 13.

Zemanek is aveaging 13 points a game and Chance Bowers 12 a game for the Harvesters.

In other district action Tuesday night, Palo Duro downed Randall 72-45 and Hereford defeated Plainview 75-57.

This will be the second meeting between Pampa and Caprock girls, but the first district game between the two schools this season. The Lady Harvesters defeated Caprock 59-41 at the Amarillo Tipoff Classic.

Optimist Club needs basketball coaches

PAMPA - A shortage of coaches has caused the Pampa Optimist Youth Club to postpone the opening of the boys' basketball season by a week, according to Ron Carr, Optimist second vice-president.

"Boys who are registered through the Internet before Saturday will be guaranteed a spot in our program," Carr said.

Registration is being conducted on-line now. Parents may register their boys on the Optimist website:

www.Optimist.Pampa.com. A special registration session will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Optimist Club, Carr said.

Tryouts will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday next week.

Practice will probably begin on Jan. 20 with the first games now scheduled for the week of Jan. 27, Carr said.

"We will assign boys to teams on a first-come, first-served basis," Carr said.

"If we run out of room, the boys will go on a waiting list. We need at least five or six more coaches if we are going to able to serve the number of bpys who participated last year."

People interested in coaching or refereeing may also sign up on-line or they may contact Carr at 868-5921.

"At our meeting on Tuesday, the coaches decided to limit teams to eight or nine kids so we can get more playing time for the boys," Carr explained. "Each boy will play at least half of each game unless he is being held out for not attending practice or some other disciplinary reason."

The games will consist of eight-minute quarters. Substitutions may be made in the middle of each quarter in the third-fourth grade league.

Substitutions can be made at any time in the fifth-grade league.

"We have a new gym floor and are really looking forward to a fun season," Carr said. "We are going to bring one or two teams from Miami to play. Our kids are really looking forward to playing."

Pampa basketball teams reach Perryton finals

PERRYTON - Pampa reached the finals in the Perryton Freshmen Tournament, losing to Perryton 47-34 last weekend.

Ryan Torres topped Pampa in scoring with 11 points. Tyson Hickman followed with 8, and Eric Kingcade had 6.

Pampa opened the tournament with a 42-23 win over West Texas High.

Torres was Pampa's scoring leader with 14 points. Colby Scott had 10 and Hickman 6.

Pampa reached the finals after beating Borger in overtime 50-47.

Torres again led Pampa scorers with 17 points. Weston Tiechmann and Kingcade added 9 each.

Pampa's record is 9-2.

PERRYTON - Pampa won two of three games in reaching the finals of the Perryton Junior Varsity Boys' Tournament last weekend.

Pampa opened the tournament with a 56-37 victory over Spearman. Pampa's scoring leader was Brandon Johnston with 11 points. Heath Miller and Brad Britton followed with 9 each.

Pampa posted a 41-30 win over Gruver in the semi-finals. Miller and Julian Salazar led the scoring attack with 9 points each.

Pampa met Dumas for the championship and lost by the score of 39-25.

Seth Foster had 7 points and Johnston 6 to lead Pampa.

Harvesters down Dumas, pick up second district win

DUMAS - Pampa broke away from Dumas in the second half for a 60-54 District 3-4A win Saturday night.

The Harvesters improved to 2-1 in district action and 6-10 for the season. Dumas falls to 0-2 and 9-12.

There were six ties and six lead changes in the first half with Pampa coming away with a slim two-point edge (29-27) at halftime. The Harvesters stayed in front the entire second half, thanks to a 5-0 run early in the third quarter and 6-0 run early in the fourth quarter.

Pampa twins Chance and Collin Bowers made some strong moves inside to help lead Pampa to victory. They each finished the night with 15 points.

Jake Robinson led Dumas with 15 points.

Ryan Zemanek chipped in 13 for Pampa, including three 3-point goals.

Pampa 11 29 45 60

Dumas 11 27 37 54

Pampa - Chance Bowers 15, Collin Bowers 15, Zemanek 13, Simon 4, Silva 4, Hall 4, Martin 3, East 2; 3-point goals - Zemanek 3, Martin 1.

Dumas - Robinson 15, Hammonds 10, Nies 9, Coll 8, Catherall 4, Payne 4, Washington 2, Johnson 2; three-point goals: Robinson 1.

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In girls' action, Dumas held off a third-quarter rally to defeat Pampa 54-38 Saturday night.

The Lady Harvesters found themselves in early foul trouble, enabling Dumas to take an 11-point lead (27-16) at halftime.

Pampa scored the first 10 points for the first third quarter to cut the gap to one (27-26). Dumas went on a 7-0 run to stay on top by nine (37-28) after three quarters. Pampa wasn't able to get closer than seven points in the final period.

Karli Denning topped Dumas in scoring with 17 points. Valerie Velez led Pampa with 11.

The Lady Harvesters are 0-5 in district and 4-14 overall. Dumas is 1-3, 12-7.

Dumas 16 27 37 54

Pampa 7 16 28 38

Dumas - Karli Denning 17, French 13, Miller 6, Paredes 5, Davis 4, Katy Denning 3,

Godfrey 3, Schmucker 2, Braxton 1; Three-point goals: French 2.

Pampa - Velez 11, Covalt 9, Johnson 6, Waggoner 4, Fisher 4, Cobb 2, Gerber 2; Three-point goals: Velez 2, Covalt 1.

Palo Duro sweeps Pampa in district doubleheader

PAMPA - Austin Johnson tossed in 38 points to lead Palo Duro to a 100-70 win over Pampa in District 3-4A basketball action Thursday night.

The Harvesters are 1-1 in district play and 5-10 for the season. The Dons improved to 2-0 in district and 17-4 overall.

Johnson, a sophomore guard, hit 10 3-pointers for the game.

Early on, it looked like the contest might develop into a seesaw struggle with seven lead changes in the first quarter. However, the Dons would shoot to a 17-point advantage (35-18) at the end of the first quarter and widen the gap to 22 (57-35) at halftime.

Chance Bowers was Pampa's high scorer with 18 points, followed by Max Simon with 15.

Kyle Shields added 21 points for the Dons.

Others who scored for the Harvesters were Ryan Zemanek with 9, Collin Bowers 8, Jed Martin 7, James Silva 5, Brittin East 3, Clayton Hall 3 and Matt Robben 2.

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Pampa stayed close in the girls' game until the third quarter in a 58-43 loss to Palo Duro last night.

The Lady Harvesters trailed by four (16-12) after the first quarter and by eight (29-21) at halftime. PD went on a scoring spree in the opening minutes of the third quarter, scoring eight of the first 10 points. The Lady Dons expanded their lead to 18 (46-28) after three quarters.

Latiesha Moore had 25 points and Tamika Daniel added 15 to lead the PD attack.

Stacey Johnson and Mariza Scott led Pampa with 8 points each. Other Lady Harvesters in the scoring column were Valerie Velez with 7, Casey Fisher 6, Jackie Gerber 5, Callie Cobb 4, Abbi Covalt 3, and Jaclyn Spearman 2.

PD is 2-1 in district and 13-6 overall. Pampa is 0-4 and 4-13.

The Pampa teams continue district action Saturday night at Dumas. Tipoff is 6 p.m. girls and 7:30 boys.

Both Pampa boys and girls play again in McNeely Fieldhouse next Friday night against Caprock.

Caprock split games with Hereford on Thursday night. Caprock boys won 46-43 and Caprock girls lost 52-40.

Young wrestlers receive new uniforms from OMI employees

Christmas 2002 came early for the Pampa Takedown Club. Due to the generosity of Operations Management International of Pampa, the club's young wrestlers received a gift they've never had before - matching uniforms.

OMI, which sponsored the club last year, purchased a uniform for every wrestler on the team. "The kids have a sense of pride and belonging we haven't seen before," said Ricky Urquhart, one of the club coaches. "If you truly want to see a life change then give that person a chance to belong."

Recently, some OMI employees visited a club practice and got to meet the wrestlers.

"At the next practice, one young wrestler asked me if the people he met were the ones who bought him the uniform," coach Urquhart said. "When I told him they were, he said they must really love me. I told him they sure do, and he seemed to be content and happy with that. We never know how many lives we affect in our daily routines, but I do know when we do it right lives are changed for the better."

Wrestlers in their new uniforms (above) include Scot Moore, Carlos Regalado, Drake Fisher, Zachary Bradley, Zack Burnett, Cameron Wall, Justin Velaguez, Mark Harris, Korbin Rameriz, Taylor Woods, Ryver Nunn, Steven Botello, Cody Cole, Garrett Fatheree, Alec Hendricks, Jacob Black, Cody Schiffman, Andrew Regalado, Mark Davis, Kasey Urquhart and Michael DeArman.

G-N honors Pampa football players

Pampa football players continue to receive recognition after the Harvesters advanced as far as the Class 4A regional semifinals this season.

Three Harvesters - senior quarterback John Braddock, junior wingback Johnny Moore and senior safety Tristan Brown - were named to the 2002 Amarillo Globe-News Golden Spread Super Team.

Braddock was the Super Team's Offensive Player of the Year.

He broke single-season school records in passing with 2,381 yards and 23 touchdowns. Those passing marks were also the best in the Amarillo area this year.

Braddock completed 65 percent of his passing attempts and passed for 200 yards or more in seven games.

Moore, who the Super Team sophomore of the year in 2001, combined for 1,738 rushing and receiving yards. His 94 receptions led the Amarillo area.

Moore goes into his senior season with 152 career catches.

Brown finished the season with 49 individual tackles, 59 assisted tackles, three interceptions and one fumble recovery. He also broke up 12 passes and caused two fumbles.

The Globe-News picked Perryton linebacker Tyler Merkel as Defensive Player of the Year and Dub Smith of Tucumcari, N.M. as Coach of the Year. Canadian running back Auston English was named Newcomer of the Year and the Fort Elliott Cougars is the Surprise Team of the Year.

Earlier, five Harvesters were honored when the AGN announced its Golden Spread Class 4A-5A Super Team.

Braddock and Moore were named to the first-team offense along with tight end Ryan Zemanek and wide receiver Jesse Tarango, who led the Amarillo area in receiving with 1,086 yards. Brown was named to the first-team defense.

Braddock was selected as the 4A-5A Player of the Year.

Pampa teams compete in Caprock tourney

LUBBOCK - Pampa opened the Caprock Holiday Tournament with a 60-47 win over Dimmitt Thursday night.

Jed Martin led the Pampa attack with 15 points and Ryan Zemanek followed with 11.

Nick Gauna had 22 points for Dimmitt.

· · · ·

Pampa lost a close contest to Houston Humble 55-53 in second-round action.

Patrick Hunter had 11 points for Humble and Ryan Zemanek led the Harvesters with 15.

· · · ·

Pampa was eliminated by Abernathy 56-51 Friday night.

Abernathy's Nick Bowe led all scorers with 19 points.

Teammate Ryan Buffe added 11.

James Silva was Pampa's high scorer with 11 points. Ryan Zemanek and Jed Martin followed with 9 each.

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In the girls' bracket, the Pampa Lady Harvesters opened with a 38-33 win over Spearman.

Valerie Velez had 9 points and Jackie Gerber 7 to lead Pampa.

Jocelyn Whitefield had 9 points for Spearman.

Pampa lost to Monterey 71-37 in the second round of play.

· · · ·

Pampa was eliminated by Goldthwaite 57-53 Friday night.

Candace Cunrad had 20 points and Jennifer Norwood 12 to lead the Goldthwaite offense.

Valerie Velez had 12 points to lead Pampa, followed by Tara Jordan with 8.