Mavs fall into tie with Maidens for 2nd in District 8-3A race

The Comanche Maidens scored 44 points in the first half on Friday and then held off a furious rally by the Eastland Lady Mavericks to claim a wild 78-75 victory in a key District 8-3A showdown. With the win, Comanche moved into a tie with Eastland for second in the district race. Both teams moved to 4-1 in 8-3A action, one game behind state-ranked Brock. Comanche survived a red hot start by the Lady Mavs in the first quarter. The Maidens pushed home a couple of shots later in the first quarter and captured a slim 23-20 lead heading into the start of the second quarter. Messenger scored nine points in the third, including five from the free throw line. Hood tallied five of her eight points in the frame. Overall, Messenger hit 11 shots from the charity stripe. After Comanche had rallied to regain the lead, Ari Montano handed Eastland its only other lead. She pushed home a shot late in the game that put the Lady Mavs up 72-69. The Lady Mavs, now 10-4 overall, will travel to Dublin on January 12. Their next home appearance will be against Peaster on Jan. 19.