By Moses Leos III
After cruising past Canyon Lake on Nov. 11, the Lehman Lady Lobo basketball team had a reality check at the Dripping Springs ISD tournament on Nov. 13-15.
Lehman finished 1-3, with losses to host Dripping Springs, Smithson Valley and 14-6A foe Del Valle.
The Lady Lobos began with the host Dripping Springs Lady Tigers to kick off pool play. But a nightmarish eight percent first half shooting effort was too much to overcome in a 52-39 loss.
Lehman rebounded in the final pool play game, defeating the Laredo Martin Lady Tigers 53-38. It set the Lady Lobos up in the first round of the championship bracket against the Smithson Valley Lady Rangers.
But 19 points from a Lady Ranger point guard Cathart was too much for Lehman in a gritty 39-34 loss. The Lady Lobos fell into an early 7-3 deficit; Smithson Valley expanded the lead to 11-6 after a quarter.
Lady Lobo senior Lauren Fowler said the team played well on defense, but needed to capitalize on crashing the boards in the first half.
Smithson Valley continued to grow its lead, going on a 6-1 run to start the second frame. The run was highlighted by Cathart, who scored on a steal to give Smithson Valley a 19-7 lead.
Lehman’s fast paced offense battled consistency issues in the first half, which led to several critical turnovers; indecisiveness was also a problem.
“Power of possession, it’s a common word for us,” Lady Lobos head coach Jamie Coy said. “It’s making every possession count and making sure we’re working hard.”
Smithson Valley took advantage of Lehman’s miscues. Cathart tallied 10 points in the second quarter, giving the Lady Rangers a 25-16 halftime lead.
Things changed in the third quarter as the Lady Lobos picked up the pace and their aggressiveness.
Lehman’s ability to anticipate Smithson Valley passes led to several key turnovers, allowing the Lady Lobos’ transition offense to thrive.
The Lady Lobos outscored Smithson Valley 12-6 in the third quarter, punctuated by a 9-1 run. Lehman cut the Lady Rangers’ lead to 31-28 after a quarter.
“They did a lot better anticipating and reading passes; reading their shoulders and going for steals,” Coy said. “Overall, defensively that’s the best they played so far.”
Lehman continued to battle into the fourth quarter, guided by the rebounding abilities of Fowler and senior Starr Rivers.
Smithson Valley built its lead to 35-28 before the Lady Lobos rallied for a 6-2 run. A jumper from Fowler pulled the Lady Lobos within two at 37-34 with 3:18 left in the game.
That bucket became the last points Lehman scored. Despite holding the Lady Rangers to two points, Lehman finished on a three minute scoring drought to close the game.
Lehman completed tournament play by falling to Del Valle 46-30.
But for Coy, the battle Lehman exhibited against Smithson Valley, particularly on defense, was an improvement over years previous.
“We really are starting to look where I would like to be defensively,” Coy said. “We are focusing on making sure that if they are going to beat us, they are going to have to beat us from the outside.”
