A win was a must for the 5-12 Lehman Lady Lobos as they hosted the 2-12 Del Valle Lady Cardinals Tuesday night. The Lady Lobos had lost five straight and were still looking for their first district win. It was apparent early that first year head coach Brad Taylor had his squad ready to play.
Del Valle won the opening tip-off, but they would not stay in possession for long as Lehman sophomore Kayla Presley forced a turnover and then nailed the contested layup to kick off the game. Presley scored six points in the first quarter and led her team to an early 19-11 lead after a quarter of play.
The first few minutes of the second quarter were a real tug of war as the two teams went back and forth. Defense was at the forefront on both sides of the court as both teams struggled to put the ball in the net. Presley was able to get to the free throw line three times in the quarter, adding five points and missing only one in the quarter to keep her offense going. Sophomore Isabella Gonzales put an exclamation mark on the half with an emphatic block for a Lady Cardinal layup attempt, and the Lobos went into halftime leading 35-23.
Del Valle got some momentum going offensively early in the third quarter and quickly cut the Lehman lead down to just nine, the lowest it had been since midway through the first quarter. Despite their opponents’ hot start, the Lady Lobos locked down defensively, and held Del Valle to just seven points in the quarter. Presley recorded three steals, and junior Alyssa Saucedo got in on the defensive action as well, recording two steals and a block. Del Valle limited the Lady Lobo offense as well, and Lehman led 44-30 going into the final quarter.
The defensive lockdown of the Lady Lobos continued into the fourth as they surrendered just four points to close out a dominant 52-34 victory. Junior Aspaisa Youngbird led the way offensively in the final quarter, scoring four points and an assist.
Presley finished with 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and dominated defensively with seven steals. Junior Bridgette Ramirez added 11 points to the effort and led the Lady Lobos in rebounds with seven rebounds. As a team, Lehman made 20 free throws in the game, an 80 percent shooting percentage. Taylor felt this made the difference in the game and is the key to the Lady Lobos winning the close games.
The Lady Lobos next bit of action is a road trip across town to take on the Hays Lady Rebels this Friday.
