The Skidmore-Tynan Lady Cats ran their season record to 17-10 and their district mark to 6-1 on the season by defeating the visiting Odem Lady Owls on Friday night, 45-35.

The victory also insured that the Lady Cats will be back in the playoffs again this year, no matter what happens the rest of the way in the district battles.

The Lady Cats came out strong and owned a 17-4 lead after just one period. The S-T defense led the way and kept the Owls caged most of the first half. It was a 27-9 game at the half and the Lady Cats were well on their way to the win.

The Odem girls weren’t buying it though and rallied over the second half to pull within eight at one juncture.

“Odem made us a little nervous in the second half. They got on a roll and got within eight points but we took control of the game by playing good defense and taking the ball to the basket,” said Lady Cat head coach Joseph Grimes III.

The Owls closed the gap by outscoring the Lady Cats 15-7 in the third period but the teams battled evenly over the fourth quarter. Both teams produced 11 markers to make the final a 10-point win for the S-T girls.

Brittany Garza led the S-T scoring with 20 points. Jennifer Pueblo added 12 and Amber Hughlett contributed six points. D’Anne Wilder made five markers and Celina Acosta added two.

The Lady Cats played Taft on Tuesday night in Skidmore and will host Banquete on Friday night for a chance to tie for the district title.

The S-T girls will complete their regular season schedule with a road game in Bloomington next Tuesday evening.