Hays guard Nicole Alcantara throws a pass high over the Boerne Champion defense during the Lady Rebels’ 51-29 first-round playoff loss Tuesday in Seguin. Hays led for a brief time early, but Champion dominated the rest of the night. (Photo by Kerry Barboza)
by JASON GORDON
Hays High head girls basketball coach Danny Preuss said all season long that as long as his team is making a few shots it can play with anybody.
The Lady Rebs weren’t making much of anything Tuesday night in Seguin.
As a result, Hays fell behind early and were never able to get back in the game in a 51-29 first-round playoff loss to Boerne Champion.
Hays made only six of its 25 shot attempts in the first half and were 0-for-6 from the free throw line before the break, and the Chargers jumped ahead 29-13.
“We missed some layups, and we really could have had a big lead early on,” Preuss said. “But they were the ones who went on a run.”
Hays led 5-2 early after Ashlee Johnson’s 3-pointer, but the Lady Rebs went on to miss five shots inside the paint and failed to extend the lead before Champion point guard Brooke Allemand took the game over.
Allemand knifed through the Hays defense for a layup and then nailed two straight 3-pointers, and the Chargers led 16-9 after the first quarter.
“She’s our money player,” Champion head coach Jon Tate said. “Brooke was very effective tonight.”
If there was any doubt about what the final outcome was going to be heading into halftime, Champion put it to rest coming out of the break, going on an 8-0 run to lead 37-13. Allemand, who finished with 12 points and nine assists, had a hand in creating all eight points during the key run.
Hays point guard Javon Saucedo stole two straight passes and converted them into layups to stem the tide for a moment, but Hays never got closer than 20 points the rest of the way.
“If you beat the Hays girls in the playoffs, you know it’s a big win,” Tate said. “They have a great tradition there.”
Preuss was proud of his team, which came into the season with only two players with varsity experience.
He said he thinks next year’s squad will surprise a lot of people.
“We’ll have three posts that are 6-2, 6-foot, and 5-11,” Preuss said. “And if teams try to clamp down on them we’ll have six or seven players that can nail 3-pointers. We’ll be young again, but the next few years are going to be very exciting for Hays girls basketball fans.”
