Lady Lions fight hard at Gonzales tournament

Looking to continue their winning streak, the Lady Lion Basketball team traveled to Gonzales to participate in the Lady Apache Hoop Classic this weekend.

In a late Thursday afternoon tip off, the Lady Lions took on the Marion Lady Bulldogs, who are known for their playoff experience and tough, man-pressure defense. The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a 9-4 lead before Lo

ckhart tied up the score at 11 and ended the first quarter.

Sophomore guard Andrea Carter hit two jumpers to help open things up for the inside while senior post Whitney Winn added five in the quarter and freshman post Mariah Carter added two.

Marion tightened up defensively and only allowed the Lady Lions to score 3 points in the quarter while pulling away with a 15-point output of their own. Going into halftime, Marion took a 26-14 advantage.

Lockhart regrouped and came out in the second half with a little more intensity.

“We have been talking about finishing games, playing until you hear a whistle and playing form the tip to the final buzzer,” said Coach Dave Johnston. The Lady Lions cut three points off the Marion lead while Ka”Tina Green led the team in assists with four, Venoris Carter with two, Tara Chapman with one and Bobbi Schulle with two. Zenaida Rubio and Noelle Marquina helped shut down the Lady Bulldogs” inside post game.

Down by nine to start the fourth quarter, Lockhart capitalized on steals and transition buckets seeing freshman M. Carter with three and Adrian Carter, V. Carter, Green and Winn all with two each. The Lady Lions then cut the lead down by six in the final minute but the late run was not enough to surpass the Bulldogs, who won 43-35.

Lockhart vs. Gonzales

Friday morning the Lady Lions took on the host school Gonzales Lady Apaches.

Five Lady Lions opened the first quarter with putting points on the board. However, the team found itself trailing by two in the ended. Winn, Adrian Carter, Green and Schulle all hit a basket while Chapman added a free throw.

In the second quarter, Chapman hit two baskets in a bout to reach career high of 12 points for the game while Andrea Carter added two points and Winn added five points to keep the Lions close. The Lady Lions were outscored again going into halftime with a score of 24-20.

The Lady Apaches were on fire during the third quarter as they put 23 points on the board. Lady Lion Marquina hit a basket and picked up two rebounds while Rubio also added two rebounds and Schulle had two assists.

“We did not defend our basket very well in that third quarter. Gonzales was getting up the floor and converting on lay-up opportunities,” said Johnston.

The fourth quarter did not change as the Lady Apaches added 19 points. The Lady Lions shot 13 out of 20 to go 65 percent from the free-throw line. Chapman went four-for-four plus a basket, while Winn got two of her game-high 13 and Marquina shot two for two. Winn also got three rebounds, which gave her another double-double for the season.

“I”m very proud of the job we did tonight on the free-throw line as a team. Our goal is to shoot 60 percent from the floor as a team,” said Johnston. “Gonzales is a much improved team and we look forward to possibly playing them again at the Giddings Tournament,” added Johnston. Despite the good free throws, Gonzales defeated Lockhart 66-41.

Lockhart vs. Smithville

The Lady Lions played the Smithville Lady Tigers in the third game in the round-robin format.

Defeated by the Lockhart earlier this month, Smithville came out aggressive as they sought revenge. However, the Lady Lions matched their intensity and were only down by three points at the end of the opening quarter.

Smithville outscored Lockhart 16-5 for the second quarter and increased their lead to 26-12 at halftime.

“These games are good for us…we need to know what kind of character our team has. It”s easier when you”re winning. It”s not until you”re down, when you really get tested,” said Johnston.

The Lady Lions started winning throughout the next two quarters 21-20.

“I was very pleased that the girls stepped up to the challenge. We did not give in and we played until that final buzzer,” said Johnston.

Although the Lady Lions cut a 22-point deficit down to 13, Smithville avenged their loss with a 46-33 win.

Green scored a career high10 points and five steels while Winn ended with eight points and seven rebounds. Other outstanding players include Marquina, who pulled down eight rebounds, Adrian Carter, who had four rebounds and six points, Andrea Carter, who had three rebounds and four points, Chapman who ended with two rebounds, three points and two steals, Schulle, who had two points and Rubio had two points and a steal.

Lockhart vs. LaGrange

The Lady Lions played the LaGrange Lady Leopards for their final game of the tournament.

Winn, M. Carter and Chapman got the ladies started as Chapman hit a baseline jumper that cut into the LaGrange lead.

Full-court pressure helped Lockhart as Chapman and Green had steals that led to Winn”s two baskets. Andrea Carter, Adrian Carter, V. Carter and Schulle rotated in the guard position, which helped slow down the Lady Leopards. With five steals from Green and outstanding play from Marquina, Chapman, Rubio M. Carter and Andrea Carter, La Grange”s lead was only 21-19 going into halftime.

The third quarter saw both teams putting less than 10 points on the board. M. Carter had three of her six rebounds while Winn grabbed two of her game-high 11 rebounds and her third double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

“Whitney has really stepped up this year on the offensive end. She has great post moves and battles for boards. She is doing exactly what we need her to do,” said Johnston.

Although LaGrange tried a trapping defense late in the game, Lockhart stayed poised and closed the gap down to four, with just over a minute in the game. Adrian Carter hit three of four free throws while M. Carter was two for three.

Yet the Lady Leopards held on to win 38-22.

(Courtesy of David Johnston)