By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
Following a loss to the district-leading Los Fresnos Lady Falcons on Sept. 30, Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers’ coach Lisa Mares switched her lineup strategy.
She wouldn’t reveal the secrets, but she thinks the adjustment will help put her team in the place it needs to be.
“I thought we played really well (the first round of district),” she said. “We’re 7-1. Who can complain about that?
“But I think we need to push harder in the second round. Everybody’s going to be fighting for those playoff spots. Everyone’s going to be going harder the second half, so we need to do the same.”
The Lady Chargers are in second place in District 32-6A, one game ahead of the Hanna Lady Golden Eagles.
HANGING ON
The Porter Cowgirls won their past two matches to pull to 4-4 in District 32-5A. The record places them in sole possession of fourth place, but it’s too close for comfort for coach Laura Fortner.
“We dropped some matches that we shouldn’t have early in the season,” she said. “We wanted to be secure, but right now any game can move us up or down.”
She still anticipates her team to pull through and lock in to a playoff spot.
“I expect us to win the games we are supposed to,” she said. “If we exceed the goals we set in the first place, I think we’ll be in the playoffs.”
STILL BELIEVING
The Harlingen South Lady Hawks have had a disappointing start to their 2014 campaign. A 2-6 record in District 32-6A isn’t what coach Brian Molina had in mind coming into the season.
“We struggled in the first half,” he said. “There were a couple matches where we were in it, but we just couldn’t close. I think we’ve grown up a lot since then. (Our match against Brownsville Veterans) is an indication of that.”
He hopes his team will continue to compete and possibly sneak into a final playoff spot.
“I expect this team to come out and play hard every night,” he said. “I expect them to come out and try to win every match every single night.
“If they keep giving good effort against the teams in this district, we’re going to make it competitive and hopefully steal a match somewhere down the road.”
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.