Sherman--The Celeste Devilette basketball team missed going to the state basketball tournament by four points on Saturday night.

Celina edged the Devilettes in the Regional Tournament finals, 35 - 32, after Celeste had won its first two games of the meet. Celina thus enters the state tournament to be held in Austin next weekend.

"We got cold and just couldn't do anything," commented Celeste Coach G. W. Tillerson.

The Devilettes were behind five points at halftime, but slowly narrowed the margin until they tied the score at 30 - 30 early in the fourth quarter on a hook shot by Martha Sumrow. Celina quickly scored a free throw, then went scoreless for 4 1/2 minutes as the winners attempted to slow the game down.

Celeste couldn't score either, and the result was 4 1/2 minutes of defense. Celina nailed down the victory seconds later by hitting three free throws to up the margin to 35 - 30. Celeste's final field goal failed to pull out the victory and the trip to Austin.

Celeste thus ends its season with a 33 - 6 record.

Celeste had advanced to the finals with a 51 - 46 victory over tough Slidell on Saturday morning.

Both teams scored the same number of field goals, sixteen, but the Devilettes won the free throw battle, 19 - 14. "The last quarter they fouled a lot, " explained Tillerson, "and we converted eleven of our fifteen free throws." Celeste had taken a six - point, 36 - 30, lead into the fourth quarter, but could score just two field goals the final stanza.

Slidell led the victors, 14 - 12, at the end of the first quarter, but Celeste's defensive trio of Rose Mary Thurman, Janis Justus, and Joanna Kirkpatrick held Slidell to six points the second quarter. Celeste, meanwhile, scored ten to take a 22 - 20 halftime advantage.

Celeste poured in fourteen points to Slidell's ten in the third quarter and staved off a minor Slidell rally the fourth quarter to gain the finals against Celina.

The Devilettes rolled by opening-round opponent Windthorst unobstructed Friday night. The Hunt Countians rolled up forty-six points while the Devilette defense allowed Windthorst just twenty - six.

Windthorst didn't score a single field goal after three minutes of the first period until the start of the fourth quarter.

Celeste blistered the nets at a forty-five percent clip - while the defense allowed Windthorst just six point the first quarter; one, the second; and eight, the third. Celeste, meanwhile, was piling up twelve, the first quarter; ten, the second; and fourteen, the third to carry a 36 - 15 lead into the final stanza. Tillerson emptied his bench as Windthorst outscored Celeste 12 - 10 the fourth quarter.

Alice Roach topped Celeste scorers with sixteen points while Martha Sumrow scored fifteen. Linda Weatherley had twelve and Judy Justus, three.

Celeste
Alice Roach................1...1.....3
Martha Sumrow.........8...3....19
Linda Weatherley.......3...4....10
Totals........................12...8....32

Celina
Phillips.....................5....6....16
Vest..........................3....3......9
Hughes.....................4....2....10
Totals.....................12...11...35

Score by Quarters:
Celina...15...10...4...6...35
Celeste...8...12...7...5...32

Celeste
Linda Weatherley.....8...8...24
Martha Sumrow.......4...4...12
Alice Roach..............4...7...15

Slidell
Whitmire....................6...3...15
Bentley.......................4...2...10
Boydstun....................6...9...21

Score by Quarters:
Celeste........12...10...14...15...51
Slidell.........14.....6...10...16...46

Celeste
Alice Roach..................6...4...16
Martha Sumrow...........4...7...15
Linda Weatherley.........3...6...12
J. Justus........................0...3.....3

Windthorst
Brennus....................3...3....9
Fotz..........................1...3....5
Veitenheimer...........2...0....4
Sthreiber..................2...2....6
Osterman.................0...4....4

Celeste............  12...10...14...10...46
Windthorst.........6......1.....8...12...28

(Picture: Tournament Finalists--The Celeste Devilettes advanced to the regional tournament finals before being down by a strong Celina sextet on Saturday. Pictured above, front row, left to right: Pam Duncan, Judy Justus, Ouida Thorp, Becky Perkins, Glenda Burnett, Brenda Burnett, Jenny Dickeson; second row: Janis Justus, Julie Farmer, Rose Mary Thurman, Pat Arnwine, Debra Davis, Carolyn Gray, Diane Lamm; standing: Linda Weatherley, Martha Sumrow, Alice Roach, Joanna Kirkpatrick, Eddie Ruth Evans, Liza Mae Nelson, Sue Warwick, and Coach G. W. Tillerson)

(March 5, 1967, The Greenville Herald Banner)

Submitted by Sarah Swindell

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