Squires, Belt lead Dover girls to upset win in district
![PRESLEY SQUIRES made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points as Dover knocked off Gracemont. [Photo by Chris Simon/ www.simon-sports-photos.smugmug.com]](https://www.kingfisherpress.net/sites/kingfisherpress.etypegoogle10.com/files/styles/article400/public/1f00c54873_Ar00802028.jpg?itok=k4AS66yS "PRESLEY SQUIRES made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points as Dover knocked off Gracemont. [Photo by Chris Simon/ www.simon-sports-photos.smugmug.com]")
PRESLEY SQUIRES made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points as Dover knocked off Gracemont. [Photo by Chris Simon/ www.simon-sports-photos.smugmug.com]
The Dover girls basketball team didn’t enter the playoffs with the shiniest record.
But they’re still in the winner’s bracket.
Dover upset No. 17 Gracemont 66-38 in a Class B-II district championship last Friday night at home.
The victory improved the Lady Longhorns’ record to 7-19 entering this week’s regional, also at Dover.
They hosted Mulhall-Orlando at 6 p.m. Tuesday in a regional semifinal.
Gracemont entered with a 15-8 record, but quickly fell behind the Lady Longhorns 21-7. A big reason was Presley Squires who nailed three first-quarter 3-pointers.
The Lady Lions steadied the ship in the second quarter, but couldn’t cut much into their deficit.
Dover then put the game away in the third by outscoing Gracemont 26-9.
Emerson Belt scored 8 of her game-high 18 points in that quarter.
Squires finished the game with five of Dover’s 10 3-pointers. She scored 17.
Bella Perdue and Dulce Gonzalez made two 3-pointers apiece for the Lady Longhorns.
Top-ranked Longhorns unchallenged by Lions Jared Reese was uncharacteristically unworried about his team’s district championship opponent.
Dover’s 88-15 win over Gracemont on Friday night showed why.
Despite still being short-handed, Class B-II’s top-ranked Longhorns had little problems in their district title game and move into this week’s regional in the winner’s bracket.
Junior guard Casen Buck outscored the Lions all by himself…and had enough to do so by the end of the first quarter.
Buck scored 17 points as Dover got out to a 38-0 lead.
A.J. Avila and Kyler Williams scored 8 apiece in that first frame.
Buck ended his night with 19, Avila scored 16 and Williams scored 10.
All three did all their scoring in the first half as Dover extended its lead to 58-3.
Twelve Longhorns scored in all as the team improved to 24-2.
Dover played Oilton in Tuesday’s regional opener (after press time).
Oilton (11-14) beat Mulhall-Orlando 69-57 in a district championship.
Tuesday night’s winners advance to the regional championship game on Saturday night at Dover.
Losers will play in a regional consolation semifinal on Friday, also in Dover.