A late rally wasn’t enough for the Lehman Lobos as they fell to the Leander Lions 39-29 Friday at the Lobo Den.
Early on, Lehman held a narrow 7-5 lead after the first frame. Aiding the effort was a defense that kept Leander from attempting a shot for the first five minutes of play.
In the second quarter the Lions began to play their game as they shot the ball with every opportunity they had.
Leander rallied to take a 15-14 halftime lead.
Lehman head coach James Halatin and his team wanted to break up the Lions offensively, and adjusted to their play throughout the game.
“We were going to try and make them shoot outside, we know how (Leander head coach Kiara Marshall) likes to run some sets where she pounds inside and that’s what they did, they kind of worked the ball,” Halatin said.
Second half adjustments helped Lehman recapture the lead heading into the fourth frame.
But the Lions shined defensively and rebounded with every shot taken by the Lobos.
The game was tied at two different occasions in the fourth frame, but the Lobos couldn’t muster enough momentum to get over the hump.
Lobo freshman Kayla Presley said her team worked hard throughout the game and never gave up.
“I think we did good defensively and we worked as hard as we could,” Presley said. “On offense, I think it was a little bit of execution and the pressure was unexpected, but overall I think we tried our hardest.”
Though 0-6 in district, Halatin is proud of his team and their performance in the past two games. There has been major improvement from the team throughout the season, and he said the effort is always there.
“The girls know it, they see that we are jumping hurdles and we are getting better and they’re hearing things like, ‘You guys are getting closer, you are getting better and you’re closing the gap,’” Halatin said. “It’s frustrating to them because that means that we haven’t got that win yet, we haven’t got a win in district, we are not where we want to be, but we have definitely seen improvement and that’s what I told them today.”
Being a close-knit team, Halatin knows his girls are doing their best and coming to practice with everything they have to be better than they were yesterday.
“They love being around each other, they love working, they know they are getting better and better and that’s infectious it makes me want to coach harder,” Halatin said.
