Jennifer Colonnetta and the Lady Rebel basketball team lost a heartbreaker 41-38 in overtime to undefeated and third-ranked San Antonio Brennan in the bi-district playoffs Tuesday night. (Photo by Cyndy Slovak-Barton)
By JASON GORDON
The way the Hays girls basketball team finished the regular season gave no indication of what was to come Tuesday night against the third-ranked team in the state.
The Lady Rebels lost two of their final three district games to fall to fourth place in 27-4A, which meant a matchup against mighty San Antonio Brennan, which entered Tuesday night’s bi-district playoff game played at Boerne Champion High with a perfect 33-0 record.
“There were probably a lot of people out there that thought we were going to get beat by 20 or more,” said Hays head coach Danny Preuss. “But I watched film on Brennan and I knew they were beatable. We were able to convince our girls they were beatable too and we played our best game of the season.”
For most of the contest, it was Hays that looked like they were the undefeated squad, as the Lady Rebs led by as many as seven points late in the third quarter.
In the end, however, it was Brennan that was able to escape with a 41-38 overtime win over Hays.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our girls,” Preuss said. “Every single one of them played a great game. We executed our game plan to perfection. The only place we didn’t win was on the scoreboard.”
Hays built its lead on the strength of solid post play and its ability to handle Brennan’s pressure without committing key turnovers.
Brennan, which averaged more than 55 points in the regular season, trailed Hays 22-15 late in the third quarter.
“We were blocking out and playing great defense,” Preuss said. “We really had them on the ropes.”
Brennan was able to chip away at Hays’ lead in the fourth quarter mostly from the free throw line. For the game, Brennan was 19-of-27 from the charity stripe while the Lady Rebs only attempted 11 free throws, making four.
“We only attempted 11 free throws and Brennan was more aggressive than we were,” Preuss said. “But if we make more than four of our free throws, we win.”
Brennan pulled ahead of Hays 34-30 late in regulation when posts Jordyne Dugger and Jennifer Colonnetta scored on consecutive possessions to tie it at 34-34.
Hays looked like it might have a chance to win the game in regulation, but a jump ball was called when Lady Rebel guard Rachel Calabrese appeared to be fouled with eight seconds to go and the game went into overtime.
Down 41-38 in the waning seconds of overtime, Hays had a solid look at the basket to send it into double-overtime, but a three-point attempt rattled in and out and the Lady Rebels’ season came to an end.
Hays finished the season with a 20-18 overall record.
Calabrese led Hays with nine points, while Colonnetta, Dugger, Lindsey McCurdy and Jill Borreson all finished with six points apiece for the Lady Rebs. Dugger also led the defensive charge with five blocks.
Hays will lose only three varsity players, guards Nicole Alcantara, Mariana Sigala and Shannon Peace, to graduation this season.
“We have most of our team coming back,” Preuss said. “But I challenged our girls tonight. If we would have played like this all season we wouldn’t have ended up in fourth place, playing a team like Brennan in the first round. We’ll be in a new district next year and I think we have a chance to do something special."
