Lake Highlands women’s basketball walloped Berkner at home on Friday, winning 70-39.
Lake Highlands women’s basketball stands for the national anthem ahead of a 70-39 victory against Berkner on January 30, 2026. Photo by James Baxley-Cross.
Now tied with Pearce for first place in district play, the Wildcats have won six straight against the Rams (11-16, 4-6 District 7-6A), dating back to January of 2023. After beating Berkner by 56 earlier this season, Lake Highlands (21-9, 8-1) came out ready to dominate once again.
Senior guard Kate Duffield was honored before the game for surpassing 300 career assists. As of January 28th, she ranked second in assists out of players from Dallas-area teams, averaging 4.8 per contest.
Fittingly, Duffield started the game with a dime to Reid Ragsdale, who nailed a corner 3-pointer. All of the Wildcats were beneficiaries of Duffield’s court vision, Kari Tillman in particular.
Tillman owned nine of Lake Highlands’ 16 first-quarter points, finishing plays and securing numerous rebounds for easy putbacks. Behind her effort, the Wildcats led 16-7 after the opening period. Tillman finished the game with 12 points.
Lake Highlands proceeded to blow the doors off the Rams from the second quarter on. By halftime, the Wildcats’ lead grew to 37-17, thanks in part to a buzzer-beating triple from Veda Schulze as the half came to a close.
The third quarter saw more domination from Lake Highlands and another buzzer-beater for the Wildcats. In the third, Lake Highlands outscored Berkner, 17-7, with a Beatrice Elliott left wing 3-pointer dropping through the net as time expired.
That shot, which came off another feed from Duffield, made the score 54-24 and capped off a 10-0 Wildcat run. Elliott connected on three triples and recorded 15 points in the contest.
The final period was a mere formality, the lopsided score allowing Lake Highlands to go deeper into its bench. The reserves stood firm, outscoring the Rams 16-15 in the final frame.
Ragsdale led all scorers, nailing three 3-pointers en route to 16 points. The sophomore guard was active across the court, applying pressure defensively and making good reads to find open teammates.
Berkner was led by Zaida Wyrick with 10 points and Cascydi Medcafe with nine. Medcafe was especially effective in the paint, using her frame to establish position down low.
The Rams will look to get back on track against Pearce (11-16, 7-1) at 7 p.m. on February 10 at home to close Berkner’s regular season.
The Wildcats next play Irving Nimitz (15-13, 4-5) at 7 p.m. next Tuesday in Irving.
