Lady Cougar Basketball Takes Third at District, Advances to Area Playoffs

February 9, 2026 – Grace opened tournament play Tuesday with a dominant 66-5 victory over Cristo Rey in the first round. Nine Lady Cougars scored in the contest, led by Paige Gilmore with 19 points and Macy Loftis with 13. Jaci Whitson added nine points, Avery Morrison scored eight, Eva King had seven, Emmy Hood finished with six, and Rylee Phillips and Caroline Fox chipped in two points each.

With the win, the Cougars advanced to Waco for the playoff seeding games. In Thursday’s semifinal, Grace faced eventual tournament champion Hyde Park. After a slow start, the Cougars battled back to trail 18-15 at halftime. Gilmore scored 10 of her game-high 25 points in the third quarter, helping pull Grace even at 27-27 entering the fourth. The Cougars briefly took a four-point lead, but Hyde Park regained control and sealed a 38-33 win at the free-throw line.

Grace responded Friday with an impressive performance in the third-place game, defeating Regents 54-30. Loftis and Phillips sparked the offense early, combining for 12 first-quarter points. Loftis added seven more in the second quarter as the Cougars built a 27-17 halftime lead. Gilmore took over in the third, scoring 10 points, including a 35-foot buzzer-beater, as Grace pulled away. Eva King dominated the fourth quarter with seven points as the lead grew to 30.

Final scoring against Regents was led by Loftis with 16 points, followed by Gilmore with 15, Whitson and King with nine each, and Phillips with five.

The Lady Cougars now have a week to prepare as they advance to the area round of the TAPPS 5A playoffs.