Poor shooting night, Hidalgo post player end Victoria West's season
Originally published February 22, 2011 at 9:48 p.m., updated February 22, 2011 at 10:55 p.m.
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CommentCORPUS CHRISTI - For a half, it looked like Victoria West was San Antonio bound, even with the flaws.
The Warriors led by 10 at halftime in their regional quarterfinal game and limited the Lady Pirates big-time post, Nelly Flores, to just six points. This all despite struggling to hit shots and being wild with some passes.
But in the second half, it caught up to them.
"I think that we lost our edge, and they kept taking it to us," said Warriors coach Sandra Jimenez. "(Hidalgo post Nelly Flores) definitely did her job inside and out."
The Warriors had used a massive rebound advantage to make up for poor shooting in the first half to lead 29-19, only to watch it evaporate and fall short to Hidalgo, 54-51 on Tuesday night at Flour Bluff High School.
The Warriors shot just 26 percent from the field (19-73), but were able to take a lead and then hang tight because of a 48-30 rebound advantage, much of it amassed in the first half when West jumped out with 27 rebounds, most of them on the offensive side of the ball.
A big part of that comeback was Flores, the Lady Pirates main offensive threat coming into the game. The junior had scored 31 points and gathered 20 rebounds against Gregory-Portland just four days earlier to help Hidalgo get to this game.
And the Lady Pirates needed every bit of her help.
"I don't think they shot any better, but it looked like (Flores) basically took them home," Jimenez said.
The Warriors had struggled to match up with the 5-foot-10 Flores, who had a size advantage over everyone on the Victoria West roster and used it to bully her way to the basket with particular effectiveness in the second half. The junior's 14 second-half points was critical in the Lady Pirates comeback.
And it was all expected, Jimenez said.
"They did about what I thought they would do," she said. "I just thought we'd react better and transition better, and we'd beat them down the floor. And I don't think we did that."
Jimenez said the goal for Flores was to bring in extra help to guard her. Unfortunately, that didn't always materialize.
"We were hoping to get offside help, and it didn't happen very often," she said. "I thought that we would do a better job of covering out and getting to the other side."
The Warriors shooting betrayed them particularly in the second half. West had just seven points in the third quarter, and eight in the fourth. As a team, they missed opportunities to widen their lead. And it wasn't isolated to one person - Treka Franklin (5 for 20, 12 points), Emily Skipper (0 for 6) and Tiffanie Wyatt (3 for 11, 8 points) all had a hard time from the field.
Eboni Murphy led the Warriors with 16 points.
"We had opportunities from the free throw line and from the field, and when we needed it most, it didn't happen," Jimenez said.
Except once. At the end of regulation and the Warriors behind by three, Sevanah Campos-Reyes hit one of her three 3-pointers to tie the game as time expired, forcing a four-minute overtime.
"That was pretty awesome," Jimenez said with a laugh. "Unfortunately it didn't happen again at the end."
NOTES: Victoria West finishes its first season as a program with a record of 26-10 and a District 30-4A crown. The Warriors graduate two seniors: Eboni Murphy and Miranda Fuentez.
Comments
crazy132 says...
I am soooo proud of my warriors. Your team accomplished things that people in Victoria thought was impossible for you. Im glad you proved them wrong and won the district title. Congrats on a amazing season.
February 23, 2011 at 2:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )