By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
Lopez played two very different halves against Edcouch-Elsa.
The Lady Lobos started slowly in the first half and fell behind, but finished strong in the second half. Unfortunately, the deficit was too much to overcome as the Lady Yellowjackets took advantage and defeated the home team 50-32 in a District 32-5A girls basketball game Tuesday at Lopez.
Lopez (1-5 in District 32-5A) struggled offensively in the opening half and Edcouch-Elsa (2-4) used an aggressive defense to gather 19 steals, several that lead to buckets and the Lady Yellowjackets build a double-digit lead that the Lady Lobos couldn’t overcome, despite a much better second half.
“We started off slow for some reason,” Lopez coach Adam Castañeda said. “They seemed to panic with their press. They were very flat in the first half. I think we weren’t ready to play in the first half.”
Edcouch-Elsa’s Samantha Chapa hit a 3 as part of a 4-0 run to start the opening quarter, but Lopez’s Breana Matamoros hit a bucket to stop the run. Kathie Barrientes hit a layup to get the Lady Lobos within 7-4, but Jackie Reyes got a layup and started a 6-0 run to end the quarter for the Lady Yellowjackets and a 13-4 edge.
Edcouch-Elsa started the second quarter with an 8-0 run fueled by a pair of buckets from Nyra Jimenez. Samantha Valdez hit a free throw for Lopez to make it 21-5. The Lady Yellowjackets went on a 7-0 run to finish the quarter highlighted by a three-point play by Jimenez. Zayra Esqueuel got a bucket shortly before halftime, but the Lady Lobos trailed 28-7 at the break.
“It was really important because we really haven’t had quick starts in the last few games,” Edcouch-Elsa coach Daniel Richardson said. “It’s kind of bit us (lately). For us to come out quick … it just set the tone early.”
Lopez started the third quarter on a 7-0 run as Valdez drilled a 3 and Brenda Savoriego had a put back and a steal and a finish to cut the deficit to 28-14. After Edcouch-Elsa’s Jayda Lee hit a 3-pointer, the teams traded baskets and the Lady Yellowjackets led 39-21 after three.
“In the second half, we woke up,” Castañeda said. “It was the tale of two halves … we need to come out and play like that all the time (as we did in the second half). They looked more alive in the second half.”
Matamoros began the final quarter with back-to-back buckets for Lopez, but Maddie Trevino answered with back-to-back baskets for Edcouch-Elsa to keep the lead at 43-25. Miriam De Leon hit a layup for the Lady Lobos to get within 43-27, but the teams traded buckets the rest of the way as the Lady Yellowjackets sealed the victory.
Trevino led the way for Edcouch-Elsa with 13 points, four rebounds and a pair of steals, Jimenez had nine points and seven rebounds and Haylee Villalpando added seven points and six steals.
For the Lady Yellowjackets, a win came at a good time during an up-and-down first half of district play.
“We really needed a win,” Richardson said. “This win is huge.”
Matamoros had eight points and nine rebounds and Nora Espinoza also scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds for Lopez.
The Lady Lobos will look for more balanced play against Pace to finish the first half of District 32-5A on Friday and in the second half that starts next week.
“We need to be consistent,” Castañeda said. “We need to come out and play more consistent.
“We need that to be there to make a push for the playoffs.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.