De Valle defeats Lady Lions

Del Valle defeats Lady Lions

The Lady Lions’ varsity basketball team traveled to Del Valle High School to take on the Lady Cardinals Friday, Jan. 28, for a hard-fought defeat, 53-39.
Coach David Johnson thought both teams competed very well.
“I love playing games on the road. It’s so awesome to talk to the kids about stepping up and getting w’s (wi

ns) on the road in hostile environments,” said Johnston.
Del Valle, a recurring playoff team, came out of the blocks smoking.
The Lady Cardinals scored nine unanswered points to begin the game before senior post Whitney Winn hit two baskets. The Lady Cardinals then scored eight more points to take a commanding 17-4 first quarter lead.
“We talked about Del Valle’s ability to score in spurts and how we had to limit them and play through them,” added Johnston.
Lockhart tightened up defensively in the second quarter, only allowing 10 points.
Sophomore guard, Andrea Carter came off the bench and forced turnovers with two steals. Junior guard, Venoris Carter grabbed a defensive board. Lockhart rotated Mariah Carter and Adrian Carter in hopes of finding the right combination to get things going offensively. Senior guard, SueRe’esa Williams hit five points and Winn added two more.
“Del Valle does a tremendous job bringing it to you from the tip (off). If you’re not ready you can be down 10 (points) in less than a minute,” said Johnston.
Trailing 27-11 at the top of the third quarter, Lockhart was letting the game get away from them. Things did not improve for the Lady Lions as they started the second half. Del Valle outscored Lockhart 18-10 in the quarter and increased their lead to 45-21.
A bright spot for the Lady Lions came from the free throw line as the Lady Lions converted on six of six shots.
“This has been my best free-throw shooting team I have ever coached,” Johnson said. “We are currently around 58 percent for the season. Our goal is 60 percent and we are going after it.”
Winn scored five free throws while freshman post Mariah Carter hit two free throws and senior guard Tara Chapman scored three points. Del Valle shot 19 out of 26 free throws and 50 percent from the field.
In the fourth quarter, the Lady Lions returned to the character they have shown all season. Lockhart made some adjustments offensively and defensively.
The Lady Lions spread the court out and concentrated on attacking the seams of the 1-3-1-zone defense of the Lady Cardinals.
“We wanted to use our athleticism and driving ability to help free up our shooters,” said Johnston.
In the fourth quarter, Williams scored 12 of her game-high 17 points. Chapman added another free throw, Adrian Carter hit three of four free throws and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
Sophomore Guard, Ka’Tina Green hit two free throws and dished out two assists. Junior post, Noelle Marquina played solid defense and worked the high-post offensively. As the Lady Lions picked things up offensively, the defensive stepped up as well.
“We started picking up full-court to increase the pressure. We also allowed our guards to free-lance double if they could and we made some steals,” Johnston said.
The Lady Lions held Del Valle scoreless for 5:55 in the fourth quarter. What was a comfortable 24-point lead for the Lady Cardinals became a nervous 9-point lead.
“Wow, what an incredible run offensively and the defensive performance…wow,” said Johnston. “We are not going to go away and we will not let up until the 32 minutes are over. You are going to have to beat us.”
The Lady Lions could not cut the lead any more with the time running out. They were forced to foul to regain possession, but the Lady Cardinals made their free throws and held on for a 53-39 victory.
The Vista Ridge Lady Rangers beat Elgin 46-26 and clinched third place in District 26-4A. The Lady Lions are down to three games in the season. Two games are at the Lions Den and the other is an away game at Taylor. The Lady Lions will compete for a fourth place finish in a very strong district.
Come support the Lady Lions in their last home game against Hendrickson for “Senior Night” at the Lions’ Den Tuesday, Feb. 8, at 5:30, 6:45 and 8 p.m.

J.V.

The Lady Lions’ junior varsity squad traveled to Del Valle to take on the Lady Cardinals on Friday, Jan. 28. Del Valle got off to a tremendous start from the floor, netting 19 first-quarter points.
Lockhart found the rim much smaller as the Lady Lions only made five first-quarter points, three contributed by Jenee Burrhus-Clay and two by guard Naomi Oliva.
“I thought the kids had a tough first quarter,” said Coach Jennifer Jones.
The Lady Lions could not stop the Lady Cardinals from attacking and netting 16 more second-quarter points.
Camille Burrhus-Clay led the team in rebounds with nine and hit six points. Jenee Burrhus-Clay grabbed eight boards to go along with 10 points. Ceci Smith pulled down seven boards to go with eight points.
The Lady Lions were only outscored by one point in the second half, 24-23.
Janie Juarez and Danielle Beltran both gave positive contributions. Seven of eight players made their way into the statistical books. However, the early deficit was too much to overcome as Del Valle cruised to a 59-38 victory.

Freshman

The Lady Lions’ freshman basketball team lost a tough basketball game Friday, Jan. 28, by a score of 29-20.
The Lady Lions were down early, 11-4, missing put-back opportunities on the offensive end. Shaun Brite grabbed four offensive rebounds, Teie Harris pulled down two, and Oriana Puentes grabbed two while Jaimie Ruiz grabbed three rebounds.
Lockhart trailed 16-6 at the halftime break.
Quan Brite made two points and four rebounds. Zaida Hager grabbed 11 boards to accompany her five points. Natalie Briceno made two steals and a basket.
The Lady Lions made two points from Elizabeth Johnson. Seven out of eight Lady Lions scored with 11 team points coming in the fourth quarter.

Results, District 26-4A

Lockhart 39 @ Del Valle 53
Vista Ridge 46 @ Elgin 26
Hendrickson 30 @ Connally 88
Taylor open

Standings

Connally 9-0 (State Rank – 3)
Del Valle 8-2
Vista Ridge 7-3
Lockhart 4-5
Hendrickson
Taylor
Elgin 0-9

January 25, vs. Vista Ridge

Varsity

The Lady Lions hosted the Vista Ridge Lady Rangers Tuesday, Jan. 25, in a crucial District 26-4A contest. The game had major playoff implications. Lockhart was battling for a victory that would keep the Lady Lions in position for a tiebreaker game if necessary after completion of the regular season.
It was “Pack the Gym” night in the Lions Den and the promotion held up to it’s billing.
The Basketball Band hyped up the emotion and many student body members with faces painted maroon and white filled the stands.
“I don’t think we have ever played in front of a more exciting basketball atmosphere,” Johnston said.
In the first quarter, both teams were on their game early. Williams scorched the net with nine to start off her game-high of 22 points. Fellow seniors, Chapman and Winn added two and four points respectively.
“Our girls were really focused and didn’t allow the adrenaline and emotion to cause mistakes,” said Johnston.
Vista Ridge matched Lockhart’s scoring output and put up 14 points, trailing 15-14 after the opening period.
As quickly as the Lady Lions started the game, they went cold from the floor while watcing their opponent continue scoring. Green hit a basket and Williams added a three-pointer.
The Lady Rangers had a five-player scoring contribution to increase their lead to nine points going into the halftime break.
Behind 29 – 20, the Lady Lions struggled to regain their shooting touch. The Lady Lions traded baskets with Vista Ridge early in the third quarter. Marquina kept the Lady Lions close by grabbing four of her seven rebounds. Adrian Carter, Andrea Carter, Venoris Carter, Mariah Carter and Zenaida Rubio came off the bench throughout the game to help the Lady Lions stay fresh. After being down by 11 late in the third, Lockhart scored four points to cut the lead to 37-30.
Lockhart came up with a tremendous fourth quarter effort decreasing the lead to a 2-point difference, 40-38, with just a 1:17 on the clock.
“We held them to zero field goals in the fourth quarter and just three points for six minutes. I am extremely proud of how we battled back into the game. This team is so special. They just don’t panic,” said Johnston.
Williams and Winn made three and two steals respectively. The Lady Lions made a defensive stop over the Lady Rangers and had a chance to tie the game. A jumper by Williams from the elbow went awry, and the Lady Lions were forced to foul. Vista Ridge made one free throw to increase their lead to a three-point advantage.
The poised and confident Lady Lions settled and had a chance to tie with a three-point shot. However, the ball wouldn’t go down for the Lady Lions.
“We had some good looks and it just didn’t go for us. We missed some front-end of one-and-one free throw situations that hurt us throughout that final quarter,” said Johnston.
The Lady Lions continued to foul and extended the game, but it didn’t benefit them as the Lady Rangers made six free throws in the final 37 seconds to secure a huge win in the district playoff race with a score of 46-38.
“The effort the girls gave was awesome,” Johnston said.

J.V.

The Lady Lions’ junior varsity team provided a lot of excitement Tuesday, Jan. 25, against Vista Ridge in the Lions’ Den. The Lady Lions played a tough game, but fell short by a score of 46-41.
The Lady Lions came out scorching the nets for 14 first-quarter points. Ceci
Smith hit two to start off her game-high of 11 points, while Jenee Burrhus-Clay hit six to contribute to her 10-point game total. Camille Burrhus-Clay made four points and Danielle Beltran hit a basket for two points. Vista Ridge scored nine against Lockhart.
Both teams stepped up defensively in the second quarter. Lady Lions Naomi Oliva J. Burrhus-Clay and Janie Juarez forced turnovers with steals. Although Vista Ridge outscored Lockhart 7-4, the Lady Lions held onto an 18-16 lead at halftime.
“We played great basketball tonight,” Coach Jennifer Jones said. “This was a total team effort.”
The momentum swung back to the offense as both teams came out of the locker rooms on the aggressive side. Ceci Smith scored six points in the quarter to lead the Lady Lions. Aly Daily got three assists and Shelly Castro hit a basket and grabbed two rebounds. Vista Ridge put 16 points on the board and chipped away at Lockhart’s lead.
The Lady Lions led a seesaw game into the fourth quarter until Vista Ridge hit a few free throws to give them the lead.
“The last time we played this team we lost by 23 points. I am glad that we played to our potential tonight even though we fell short of the win,” said Jones. “It’s always nice when the other coach says ‘Wow…ya’ll have improved so much since we last played.’ That’s all I ask from these players.”

Freshman

The Lady Lions’ freshman team lost to Vista Ridge, 35-16.
“We had a tremendous third quarter, but we couldn’t keep it going through the fourth,” said Coach Peggy Cadena.
The Lady Rangers got off to a hot start, outscoring the Lady Lions 11-2. Shaun Brite scored the only basket for Lockhart.
In the second quarter, the Lady Lions stepped it up defensively and held the Lady Rangers to just four points. Shaun Brite, Quan Brite and Zaida Hager all combined for 11 defensive boards throughout the game. Teie Harris hit a basket and Hager added a free throw for the second quarter scoring.
The Lady Lions scored nine points in the third quarter. Jaimie Ruiz hit a shot and grabbed one steal. S. Brite made four of her six total points for the game and Q. Brite made three points. The Lady Lions trailed 25-14 after three periods.
In the fourth quarter, Vista Ridge pulled away with another 10-point scoring effort. Elizabeth Johnson grabbed four rebounds and made one block. Natalie Briceno came off the bench and grabbed a rebound, forced two turnovers and made an assist.
“I know my team is improving and we work hard every day. I just wish these girls could pull out a win to justify their efforts,” said Cadena.