Lady Lions end 2009 with a bang

By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER

With one game left on the schedule before a two-week winter break, the Lady Lions took the opportunity Monday to show their mettle as a team, despite a 51-33 loss to the Hays Lady Rebels and capped off busy December by proving the Lady Lions are a force to be reckoned with in District 17-4A.

“I believe we took Hays by

surprise,” head coach Katina Flournoy-Walker said Tuesday. “They were not expecting a team who could play as hard as we did last night.”

Flournoy-Walker said the Lady Lions made the Lady Rebs work for every point they scored, and fought throughout the game with excitement.

“We just could not get our shots to fall, especially the shots in the paint,” she said.

Despite losing the district opener, Flournoy-Walker is enthusiastic about the rest of the season.

“We still have work to do, but teams need to be ready when it is time to play the Lady Lions,” she said. “We must keep fighting, because it will not come easy.”

Full statistics for the game against the Lady Rebels were not available at press time. Isis Johnson, however, was recognized as the team’s leading scorer, with 10 points.

Prior to the district opener against Hays, the Lady Lions have been on the road, participating in tournaments in Yoakum and Seguin.

On Dec. 3, the Lady Lions participated in tournament play in Yoakum.

The Lady Lions faced off with Flatonia in the first round.

The Ladies were playing hard and together, Flournoy-Walker said, and each member of the team played a key role, talking on defense and executing on offense. The Lady Lions came away from the first round with a 42-27 victory.

Nearly half of the team’s points were contributed by Tory Hill, who scored 19.

In the second round, The Lady Lions came up against St. Joseph, and once away came through victorious, with a 45-38 win.

“In early foul trouble, we were able to keep our cool and maintain,” Flournoy-Walker said. “At the end of the first half, we never looked back.”

In the second game, it was Desirea Winn who led the team in scoring, chipping in 13 points.

In the final round of play, the Lady Lions faced the Yoakum Lady Bulldogs for the tournament championship. They fell 41-34 to earn a second place finish.

“I believe we surprised many people with our play,” Flournoy-Walker said. “ We have had a reputation as being easily beaten… we are taking every game as if we are fighting for our lives.”

Hill, who along with Winn received All-Tournament Honors, summed up her team’s performance by saying simply, “We want other teams to know that they have a fight on their hands when they play the Lady Lions.”

On Dec. 8, the Lady Lions returned to Yoakum for another go-round with the Lady Bulldogs. Unfortunately, the Lady Lions fared no better in the teams’ second meeting, falling 53-35.

To finish the week, the Lady Lions traveled to Seguin to participate in the Matador Classic from Dec. 10-12. Despite tough play, the Lady Lions feel in two out of three rounds. Flournoy-Walker attributed much of the Lady Lions’ problems to foul trouble.

“We are playing such aggressive defense that we are finding ourselves getting into foul trouble,” she said. “We need to learn to make adjustments to the types of calls being made in the game.”

In the first round of play, the Lady Lions faced LaVernia, falling 42-35. Four of the Lady Lions’ starters had three fouls each at the end of the first half.

Next, the Lady Lions faced an aggressive and quick squad from Jefferson. As in the first game, fouls plagued the Lady Lions, and Jefferson finished ahead 69-52.

The final game of the tournament for the Lady Lions was a matchup with the Navarro Lady Panthers. They gave an all-out, game winning performance and earned a tight 51-49 victory.

“We just could not be denied,” Flournoy-Walker said. “The Lady Lions were on fire and nothing could put them out. We never let up… it was a close game from beginning to end, but the defense is what won us the game.”

After opening district play at home on Dec. 14, the Lady Lions have a bye on Dec. 18, and will travel to Lehman to face the Lady Lobos on Dec. 21. Following the Christmas break, the Lady Lions will host the Manor Lady Mustangs in the Lion’s Den on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010.

Additional information provided by Katina Flournoy-Walker