The Lehman Lobos boys basketball team struggled Friday night as they fell to the Lake Travis Cavaliers 43-25.
The Lobos tried to beat the Cavs with their defense and their speed, but the more experienced Cavaliers handled Lehman’s press and beat it for easy baskets.
Lehman coach Mike Whitten experimented with different lineups and played 14 different players in the game.
Lake Travis rotated players as well. They played 14 players also, but a majority of the points came from three of their senior players. Hunter Kent led all scorers with 17 points, knocking down shots from all over the court. Big-man Jeff Wetter dominated in the post and added 13 points for the Cavs.
The senior leadership for the Cavs helped break the press, as well as control the Lobo offense with their zone defense. Lehman struggled to get the ball in the post and were unable to get a rhythm shooting the ball.
Aaron Rodriguez and Kameron Edwards led Lehman in scoring with seven points each, but no other Lobo had more than four points.
After keeping the game close in the first quarter, Lehman fell behind in the second after Lake Travis started knocking down shots. Their lead increased from three points to 11 points in just a quarter, and the Lobos found themselves down 27-16 at halftime.
Coach Whitten was not happy with the play from his starters in the third quarter, so he made a five player substitution and got his bench involved.
While the Lobos never got back in the game, they did get some quality minutes for their young player.
Whitten said younger players need to find confidence in themselves.
“They need to be a little more assertive, instead of trying to defer to some of the older guys,” said Whitten.
Every time they tried to battle back, Lake Travis would get a big basket.
The Lobos got within 10 points in the third, but the Cavs kept the lead at 11 points going into the fourth quarter,
Lake Travis handled the pressure in the fourth quarter while continuing to score.
Lehman continued to struggle against the Cavs’ zone defense, scoring just three points in the final quarter.
The players never stopped playing hard, but the Lake Travis experience was too much for the Lobos to overcome in the end.
“We just have to make better adjustments and execute better. They are still learning every day,” said Coach Whitten.
The younger players need to find their confidence in the offensive scheme and trust that their defensive scheme is enough to win games.
The Lobos will have a week off to work on things before they travel to play Del Valle.
