With a district title and the top seed in 12-6A already in hand, the Lufkin Lady Panthers’ basketball team entered the postseason with hopes of making a long postseason run.

Instead they hit a roadblock in the form of the John Tyler Lady Lions in the opening round.

Using a late-game surge to pull away from Lufkin, the Lady Lions took a surprising 46-39 win in Class 6A Region II Bi-District playoff action in Jacksonville Monday night.

The loss was a surprising one for the Lady Panthers, who took a 70-49 win over the John Tyler Lady Lions in Tyler earlier this season.

This time around, a determined John Tyler team was too much for Lufkin.
John Tyler led for much of the night as it held an 18-13 advantage after a quarter before hanging on to a 24-22 lead at halftime.

The Lady Lions led 34-30 after three quarters. Lufkin pulled ahead 36-35 in the closing minutes before John Tyler closed the game on an 11-3 run, ending the Lady Panthers’ season.

John Tyler advanced to the area round of the playoffs where it will meet the Lakeview Centennial/Richardson winner.