Houston, TX----Cinco Ranch advanced to the Area Round of the state playoffs with a 54-39 victory over Madison on Monday night at Coleman Coliseum.  The Cougars had a strong first half, shooting 10-23 from the field, including 4 three-pointers.  With the inside duo of Ashleigh Nwanguma and Megan Palmer being limited in the 1st half, the Cougars received big contributions from the guard play of Peyton Crump, Shayne Ortiz, Anne Marie Zuilhof, and Christy Williams to pull out to a 26-16 lead at the break. 

Ortiz hit 2 two-three pointers in the first quarter, while Zuilhof and Crump each hit a long bomb in the 2nd quarter to stake the Cougars to the 10 point lead. 

Palmer scored all 13 of her points in the 2nd half to finally break down the Madison zone.  The 6'1" junior helped her cause at the free throw line, going 6-6 for the game.  Cinco was 12-14 from the charity stripe and kept the Marlins at bay for most of the 2nd half, as Madison never got closer than 9 points. 

Palmer also added 10 rebounds for the winners, while fellow post Taylor Williams added 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in addtion to going 2-2 from the field.  Nwanguma pulled down 6 rebounds while Williams and Ortiz each grabbed 5 boards, and Ortiz led the Cougars again with 4 assists. 

Cinco will take on the winner of the Elsik-Cy Creek game in the Area Round at a site and time to be determined.  The Cougars have advanced to the Area Round for the 8th consecutive year.