By Moses Leos III.
A double-digit point effort from seniors Robert Salinas and JaMiah Windom helped the Lehman Lobos defeat Lockhart 67-54 at the Lobo Den on Friday. Lehman extended its winning streak to three games, and continues to keep pace with Boerne Champion for the last playoff spot in 27-4A.
The Lions held the upper hand in the first quarter, taking an 18-13 lead. Guard Jacob Roland led the Lion effort, scoring 11 points in the quarter, nine from beyond the arc. Roland led all scorers with 24 points.
Lobos head coach Thomas Acker credited the game plan of the Lions, which worked around Lehman’s high pressure defense.
Lehman Lobo junior JaMiah Windom goes up for a layup against Lockhart on Friday night at Lobo Gym. A determined second half effort pushed the Lobos past Lockhart 67-54. (Photo by Moses Leos III) |
Defensively, the Lobos were stymied by the Lions 1-3-1 defense. It led to the Lobos falling into foul trouble in the first half, affecting their scoring.
“They had a good game plan and executed pretty well,” Acker said. “They slowed us down.”
Lockhart led 38-33 at halftime. Enter Salinas and Windom, who combined for 16 of the Lobos’ 34 points in the second half. Salinas led the Lobos with a team high 17 points, while Windom finished with 13.
With their assistance, the Lobos pushed forward, surging past the Lions en route to the win.
Despite early struggles, Acker lauded his team’s play, saying they did “enough things right,” to pull out the win.
Lehman now eyes a chance to snatch the final playoff spot from Champion, who has a two game lead over the Lobos and holds the season tiebreaker.
The Lobos finish the year with road tussles against Schertz Clemens and Hays, then hosts Champion to close the year.
While outside help is needed, Acker understands the final stretch will prove if the Lobos are worthy of a playoff berth.
“We are in survive and advance mode. If we are going to make a playoff run, this is our March Madness,” he said. “This will be a good stretch for us. We’ll find out what we’re made of.”
