Hallettsville, Weimar rivalry to heat up tonight in playoffs

Hallettsville, Weimar split season series

BY WES BLOOMQUIST - WBLOOMQUIST@VICAD.COM

February 23, 2009 - 11:30 p.m.

There's nothing business-like about the approach the Hallettsville Lady Brahmas take when playing Weimar.

"We've faced them so many times that it's on a personal level now," Hallettsville senior Callie Herrington said Monday. "We know them and everything they want to do. It's going to be a very personal game for us."

The two District 26-2A teams meet for the seventh time in the last two seasons on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in a Class 2A regional quarterfinal game at La Grange High School.

"They have the experience on us, but I think we have good height that helps us," Weimar coach Roger Maupin said. "We have some inches on them in the post, but that may be our only advantage."

Hallettsville (27-6) and Weimar (30-6) split this year's series, with Chelsea Soto leading the Lady Cats to a 45-36 road win with 17 points in the most recent meeting.

"They were more intense than we were," said LaTreece Haynes, who leads the Lady Brahmas with 14 points per game. "You could tell they wanted it more than us. We're not going to let that happen again."

The Lady Brahmas, who start four seniors, won the first game 36-32 and the District 26-2A championship with Weimar losing to Hempstead two times.

The winner of Tuesday's game advances to the regional semifinals to play the winner of Hitchcock and Skidmore-Tynan on Friday.

"We don't feel like we played a very good game the last time we played them," said Hallettsville coach Donald Shimek, whose team is in the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season. "That's not taking anything away from Weimar. They had a lot to do with the way we played, but I think we all believe we are a better team than we showed that night."

In the past two seasons, Weimar leads the series 4-2. The Lady Cats went 3-1 against the Lady Brahmas last season, including a 47-42 win in a district first place seeding game. Weimar also beat Hallettsville, 48-47, in the Yoakum Tournament, while the two teams split their district games last year.

"We had a couple of runs at the end of our wins and that's what it's going to take to win again," Maupin said. "These games are all about making your shots and having the biggest runs."

Seeing Weimar so often has built up the rivalry between the two schools, which are separated by a mere 25 miles.

"From girl to girl, if you line us up, I think that we have a stronger team," Hallettsville senior Kelly Hairell said. "I know that we are the better team. We have strong starters and a great bench. We have a complete team."

Shimek was a little more politically correct, but said his team's depth has been a key to Hallettsville's success.

"It hasn't just been one player that has been playing well for us," Shimek said. "We have had people step up throughout the year at different times. LaTreece is our leading scorer, but it has been evenly distributed all year."

Girls basketball playoff schedule

Class 4A Regional Quarterfinals

Bay City vs. Angleton, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Freeport Brazosport

Class 3A Regional Quarterfinals

Edna vs. Stafford, Tuesday, 7 p.m., Boling

Royal vs. Wharton, Tuesday, 7 p.m., Rosenberg Lamar Consolidated

Class 2A Regional Quarterfinals

Industrial vs. Van Vleck, Tuesday, 7 p.m., Wharton

Hallettsville vs. Weimar, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., La Grange