By EDWARD SEVERN, Staff Writer
RAYMONDVILLE — The Raymondville Lady Bearkats defeated the Roma Lady Gladiators 59-42 on Tuesday in a non-district matchup.
Both teams played a press at times during the first half but the Lady Gladiators found more success with it early, opening a 6-0 lead, forcing turnovers and playing tight defense.
Raymondville ended up breaking the pressing attempts with good passing. The Lady Bearkats got numerous chances early by beating the press and went up 18-10 at the end of the first quarter.
“It was big for us because we played them earlier in the season in a tournament and we had trouble with that press, so we have been working on it and we were able to get some points early,” Raymondville coach Felix Silva said.
The Lady Bearkats also received points from their bench early. Senior Amber Tamez and sophomore Avery Knight both scored some key buckets in the half. Tamez was money from deep.
Roma kept it close, only down 28-23 at the half, as the Lady Gladiators have some quick players that got to the rim well. Senior Dominique Ramirez weaved in and out of the lane and finished acrobatically. Senior Nailea Garza shot well, and sophomore Janaila Johnson also found space for a couple of baskets.
The Lady Bearkats have a great backcourt with seniors Caitlynn Brooks and Zaleah Gardner. Brooks had a good third quarter with a few buckets, helping the Lady Bearkats gain a more comfortable lead. Gardner was immense defensively at the basket with multiple blocked shots.
The Lady Bearkats’ frontcourt also found space behind the press. Seniors Mia Sayas, Marlyssa Mendez and Aaliyah Cantu scored easy buckets while they gained a double-digit advantage late in the third quarter.
“I think this game tonight was one of the best games we played all season,” Silva said. “The last time we played them it went down to the wire. We were able to hit a big 3 in that game. This game was more comfortable, so this was a great performance as we get closer to district.”