Lady Lions compete against state-ranked district rivals

Varsity vs. Connally
The Lady Lions” varsity basketball team hosted Pflugerville Connally, the 4th ranked team in the state, at the Lions” Den on Friday, Jan. 6.
Both teams started off hot from the floor. Lockhart had scoring from four different players in that first quarter.
Senior guard Venoris Carter hit a driving lay-up to the basket. Junior post Noami

Hayes grabbed an offensive rebound to make a basket along with adding the free throw to complete an old-fashioned 3-point play.
Mariah Carter completed six points in the quarter with some tough post play.
Junior guard Adrian Carter hit a jumper and was fouled. She completed the three-point play. However, Connally would double the Lady Lions scoring output for a 28-14 first quarter lead.
In the second quarter, Connally used outside shooting, transitions, and tough defense to outscore Lockhart by 10.
Senior post Noelle Marquina added a basket, Christan Kelly grabbed a couple of rebounds and Andrea Carter came in off the bench to provide some quality minutes at the guard position.
As the third quarter was winding down, Adrian Carter received a pass from Venoris Carter and pushed the ball ahead to launch a half-court shot that banked in as the buzzer sounded.
“What a great shot. Adrian exemplified excellent clock awareness and it was awesome to see that execution,”
Coach David Johnston said.
In the fourth quarter, Connally increased their lead with accurate shooting while Lockhart went cold. Marquina hit two baskets and Senior post Zenaida Rubio added a basket. Lockhart lost 91-35 to the state-ranked Connally Cougars.

Varsity vs. Del Valle
The Lady Lions” varsity squad resumed district play on the road against Del Valle, the third state-ranked team in the state, on Tuesday night, Jan. 3.
Del Valle quickly showed why they are ranked among the states elite teams by starting on an 11-0 run to open the game.
Sophomore post Mariah Carter hit the only basket of the quarter for the Lady Lions.
Down 15-2 to begin the second quarter, Lockhart added three baskets to the scoreboard from Carter.
Junior guard Adrian Carter grabbed two defensive boards, while Noami Hayes pulled down three rebounds.
Del Valle continued their hot shooting touch, netting
18 points to take a 33-8 halftime lead.

During the third quarter, senior Christan Kelly hit a basket while Mariah Carter and Adrian Carter each added a free throw. Senior post Zenaida Rubio hustled on the court as she completed an assist, one steal, and one block in the quarter. However, The Lady Lions” efforts weren”t enough against Del Valle as they exploded for 23 third-quarter points.
Trailing 56-12 going into the final quarter, the Lady Lions outscored Del Valle 8-7 with tough defense and strategic offense.
Venoris Carter hit a basket, while Rubio, Mariah Carter, and Hayes also added baskets.
The Lady Lions would lose by a final score of 63-20.
“We continued to play hard despite the huge deficit. I”m proud of them for competing hard,” said Coach Johnston.

Freshman vs. Del Valle
The Lockhart Lady Lions” freshman basketball team traveled to Del Valle Tuesday, Jan. 3, to challenge the Lady Cardinals as district play continued.
After a tough first half, the Lady Lions were tied with the hosting team.
In the second half, Del Valle pulled away due to some lazy turnovers made by the Lady Lions giving easy shots for the home team, which led to the Cardinals 30-11 victory.
“Our shots quit falling for us even though we had some nice open looks. I am proud of the effort and the execution of the girls but it is tough to score when the ball doesn”t go through the net,” said Coach Davis.
Vanessa Gonzales led the team in scoring and rebounding, netting five points and grabbing seven rebounds.
Victoria Aguilar, Shelby Henrichs and Ellen Lewis each netted two points with Shelby also adding five rebounds and three steals.
Jania Michaelson and Aguilar grabbed one rebound apiece.
“As long as we continue to work hard and do our best, the shots will start to fall for us. Getting back from the holidays and into our routine will help us get some momentum for the remainder of the district season,” added Davis.
(Courtesy of David Johnston)