Photos Courtesy of Charla Shults
The Pampa Lady Harvesters (1-0) tipped off their season against the Spearman Lynx (0-1) at McNeely Fieldhouse on Saturday. Spearman took a 14-10 lead in the first quarter before the Lady Harvesters took the 20-18 lead going into the locker room for halftime. After three quarters, the score was tied at 30-30. Pampa’s offense exploded in the fourth quarter to win the game 51-47.
Head Coach Clint Watson talked about the performance from his team, and one of the things that impressed him the most was the defense from the Lady Harvesters. They forced 32 turnovers on the Lynx.
“I thought once we settled down, the girls played great! Effort and hustle was perfect all night against a very tough and talented Spearman team. We are such a young team, I knew their nerves and jitters would be pretty high to start the game. But we found our rhythm and played great team basketball,” Watson said. “I’ve been preaching the importance of team basketball and trusting your teammates and to see all of that come together in the first game is pretty amazing. I thought we crashed the boards hard all afternoon. We forced Spearman into committing 32 turnovers! All the credit goes to the girls for how hard they are working and trusting each other.”
The 2025-26 school year is going fast and furious as the school year does every year. How is the team excited for the new season getting underway and trying to build on last year’s playoff performance?
“We are all super excited to be in full basketball mode. Again, you could tell we were all amped up to begin the game. The girls were extremely ready as well. We’ve been having some long practices and it’s always nice to be able to mix it up with another team. These girls work so hard and never complain, they are such a blessing to coach,” Watson said.
As with any game, there is always something to take away for improvements. For Pampa, it was the turnovers on the offensive side of the ball.
“If I had to pinpoint one area to improve on, it would be the turnovers. We committed 22. But, we are young and trying to play fast. So turnovers are going to happen. I can say that the majority of the turnovers, we were trying to be aggressive and make a play. I can live with those types. But, I’d still like to see the TO number around 15-18,” Watson said.
Pampa played host to the Lubbock Cooper Pirates on Tuesday night. What was Watson expecting to see from that game?
“ Lubbock Cooper is a tough 5A team. They are going to try and play fast. They have a couple of girls who can knock down the 3 point shot, so we are going to have to be ready and run them off of the line. This game could turn into a track meet on the hardwood,” Watson said. “We are going to try and push the tempo, just like they do. If we can continue to knock down the 3 pointer, make free throws (14-20 in Spearman game) and limit Cooper’s offensive rebounding, I expect us to be in a tough ballgame.”
This weekend, the Lady Harvesters will travel to Amarillo to play in the Randall Kickoff Classic. It will be the third year Pampa plays on this specific showcase day.
“Looking ahead to Saturday. We are playing in the Randall Kickoff Classic (it's our 3rd straight year playing in it.) It’s a showcase for area teams to come and play. It's for a great cause, it's named after Jim Wilcoxson. In the 90’s-2000’s, he was Randall's girls basketball coach. He had a very decorated career, winning multiple district championships and a couple of State Championships. He passed away and they hold this showcase in his honor. We are matched up with Bushland, playing at 10 a.m. Saturday morning,” Watson said.
Payton Gowin
Every article, we are going to showcase one player on the team. This week, that player is Junior Payton Gowin.
“She is an amazing student/athlete. She shows up everyday, works hard and pushes her teammates. She is one of our team captains. She will play a big role for us throughout the season, with the energy, hustle, tough defense and rebounding that she provides. She is also capable of knocking down a 3 point shot and a very good free throw shooter,” Watson said.
Look for a recap of the Lubbock Cooper and Bushland games coming next week! Again, the Lady Harvesters played host to Lubbock Cooper on Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. and will travel to Amarillo on Saturday to play the Bushland Falcons at 10 a.m.
Stat Roundup
Emmy Boutsamaly had 13 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Addi Humphrey had three points and an assist. Myla Zarate had eight points, one rebound and two steals. Madi Barton had six points, two assists and a steal. Payton Gowin had two points, three rebounds and two steals. Karsyn Brown had four points, rebound and one steal. Brooklyn Warren had three points, six rebounds, and two steals. Tamblynn Moss had two points, four rebounds, and three steals. Aunestie Wilson had two points, one rebound, and two steals.
As a team, Pampa forced 32 turnovers, and had 15 steals. Pampa had 16 points in the paint and had 26 rebounds. They scored 12 points in transition and shot 42% from two-point range. They also hit seven three-pointers.