Lady Lions fall 48-34 to Lady Lobos

By Alonzo Garza
POST-REGISTER

The Varsity Lady Lions started the New Year by hosting the Lehman Lady Lobos on Friday, Jan. 2 in their first district game of the season. The game started at 7 p.m. and ended with a 48-34 loss for the Lady Lions.

“Coming off feeling stronger from the games that were played at the Bastrop tournament, the Lady Lions were pre

pared to fight and fight hard as they took on the Lady Lobos,” Head Coach Melissa Fisher said. “The Lady Lions came out fired up and, unfortunately had a little too much juice in their shooting as they missed 13 shots in the first quarter.”

The first quarter began with the Lady Lions winning the jump ball and going on the attack early. It became obvious after a couple of attempts at scoring that the game would not be won easily. The game became a defensive battle between the determined Lady Lobos and the “fired up” Lady Lions.

Defensive pressure from both teams prevented the first four shots from making it in the basket. The Lady Lobos were the first to score, taking a 9-0 lead until Desirea Winn connected with the first Lady Lion basket. The first quarter closed the scoring with the Lady Lions trailing by 12 points at 18-6.

The second quarter was the best quarter for the Lady Lions. It began with Lady Lion Andrea McKinney scoring the first basket of the period and a more determined Lockhart team ready to fight back.

“The second quarter was just exciting to watch,” Fisher said. “The defensive effort the Lady Lions gave was just outstanding. I could not have been more pleased!”

After McKinney scored her first basket of the quarter, she ran down to the other end of the court and stole a ball, setting up a two point shot for Amanda Alvarez.

The intensity in the game continued throughout the second. The Lady Lions outscored the Lady Lobos 13-4 ending the first half with a three-point deficit for Lockhart and a score of 22-19.

The third quarter opened with both teams exchanging free throws at the top of the period. The Lady Lobos increased the pressure with a full court press as the quarter progressed.

“The Lady Lions struggled with the Lobo press, turning the ball over three times,” Fisher said. “We allowed the Lady Lobos to go on an eight point scoring run while we scored one point and it proved costly.”

Third period scoring closed at 35-26 with Lehman leading by nine points.
The Lady Lions continued to fight in the fourth, but struggled to close the gap.

“We had a couple of costly turnovers in the fourth quarter and struggled to get the ball in the basket,” Fisher said. “The final buzzer sounded with the Lady Lions short on points, but not on heart. Leading the Lady Lions throughout the game was Andrea McKinney who, without a doubt, played the best game of her life, bringing out a new side we had never seen before.”

McKinney had eight points, six rebounds and three steals in the game. Kariah Selby followed with seven rebounds and five points. Chelsy Martinez worked hard at keeping the pressure on Lehman’s point guard who was a crucial factor in the Lady Lobos’ game.

“I could not have been more pleased with the way we came out and played,” Fisher said. “I know everyone was disappointed with the score, but we came out with a new intensity, hunger and desire, which we had not shown before. If we build on what we started, the next time we meet up with Lehman, the scoreboard will tell a different story, I have no doubt.”
Fisher went on to express her feelings toward the team and talked about her expectations of the program as a whole. She was adamant about recognizing all the hard work that was not reflected in the scores of the recent games.

“I am so pleased with the way we prepared for this game,” She said. “The girls studied their scouting reports and knew exactly what they were supposed to do and worked their tail off trying to get it done. I am excited about the direction our Varsity team is going as well as the direction all the teams in our program starting with the junior high teams. I am thankful for the coaching staff we have in place now. They work so hard every day to make the Lady Lions of all ages better. I know the road has been tough at times for all the teams. We have not won as many games as we’d like, but the most important thing is we are on the right road and if the girls continue to work hard we will get there!”

The Lady Lions traveled to Manor on Tuesday, Jan. 6 to face the Lady Mustangs and will host the San Marcos Lady Rattlers at the Lion’s Den gym on Friday, Jan. 9. Check next week’s Post-Register for scores and highlights.

See you at the game.

agarza@post-register