By EDWARD SEVERN, Staff Writer
KINGSVILLE — The Corpus Christi London Lady Pirates defeated the Lyford Lady Bulldogs 63-49 in the area round of the playoffs Thursday night.
London grabbed a double-digit lead during the fourth quarter and made clutch free-throws to close out a tough Lyford team.
“Second quarter, we fouled too much,” London coach Sam Odoms said. “They caught up with us from the line. I told them, if we keep them off the line in the second half, we will get it back.”
The Lady Pirates swarmed the Lady Bulldogs during the first quarter. London forced turnovers and hit open looks to go up 24-10 at the end of the frame.
Lyford stormed back in the second quarter. Orchestrating the comeback was senior guards Damaris Bermudez and Emily Gonzalez, as well junior forward Marley Perez.
“It was a great season,” Bermudez said. “We played hard out there and tried our best.”
The Lady Bulldogs got within two points during the quarter, but a 3-pointer by Serena Olivares gave London a 35-30 lead at halftime. Bermudez’s fastbreak bucket to beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter put the Lady Bulldogs within striking range, down 47-43.
“They came out really strong,” Lyford coach Teresa Gutierrez said. “But I know that second-quarter run we had is what the kids have been doing all year. I am more than proud of them because they fought the whole game.”
Coach Gutierrez shouted out her seniors for a tremendous season and for their help in building the program and carrying on the tradition.
“Damaris Bermudez, Emily Gonzalez, Destiny Gonzalez and Alyssa Garcia have all been on the team since they were freshmen,” Gutierrez said. “Savannah Chavez and Yadira Vega were also seniors on the team. It is sad that it had to end today, but those kids went out on a high.”
Lyford will be returning key starter Marley Perez, who performed well and helped bring Lyford back in the game.
“It was a memorable season,” Perez said. “The seniors are leaving but we have some good underclassmen coming up, and I think we will be good for next year.”