By LORI VERMAAS | Special to the Star
Kayla Lowe and Jeno Ochoa certainly know how to run the pick and roll.
“ They have a good combination,” agreed La Feria coach Angel Martinez of Lowe (nine points) and Ochoa, who helped the Lionettes outlast the Santa Maria Lady Cougars 50-39 in one of the Gold Bracket semifinals Friday at Lyford’s Holiday Classic tournament.
“ We weren’t exactly lighting them up from outside, so our inside game was key to our victory today,” Martinez said.
The Lionettes drew first blood during the first quarter, staking a 14-5 lead that included two of Lowe’s multiple assists to Ochoa.
Lowe’s precise passing, which threaded the needle to a momentarily open Ochoa under the basket, slackened some during the second quarter, when the Cougars pinned back their ears and hunkered down on defense, pressing and tightening their coverage. The more intense strategy created a few scoring runs that helped them win the quarter 16-10 and pull them within 3 at the half, 24-21.
But then the Lionettes’ offense stepped up. Ochoa dominated the third-quarter scoring, adding eight of her 19 points to keep the Lady Cougs at bay.
Santa Maria rallied during the fourth, draining three 3-pointers (two by Michelle Alamazan, one by Isabel Gonzales), but failed to solve Ochoa underneath. When she scored again with 3 minutes left in the game, courtesy of a gutsy pass by Aaliyah Stewart, the 12-point Lionettes lead was finally enough to assure them the victory.
“ At the end of the day we were able to outrebound them a little bit, get some putbacks,” but, ultimately, “the girls were able to finish up underneath,” Martinez said, noting the last as “huge.”
The win sets up La Feria for a possible rematch with North Crowley, the tournament favorite, who defeated the Lionettes 55-30 earlier in the day.
“ They’re amazing, well-coached, a 6A powerhouse from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and tied for first place in that district. It’ll be more of a challenge inside, because they’re very fast.”
And tall.
“ We’re not 6-1, 6-2 like them, but our girls are pretty physical. They’re not afraid to bang. It’s going to be a tough one, but we put about 30 points on them, and I think the other teams they’ve played here scored only a total of 12 points.”
Despite his team’s tough loss, Cougars coach Armando Perez remained upbeat.
“ We’re the only 2A school here, so to be able to make the Gold Bracket is a big accomplishment,” he said. “Last year La Feria blew us out, but this time it was much closer. We have nothing to be ashamed of, it was a close game all the way through. I liked the way the girls kept their composure.”
Tournament play like this also has provided some of the girls the opportunity to play different positions than usual, which Perez said “is a good experience for them.”
“ We’ll have a more balanced team as we enter district play after the holidays,” he noted.
The Gold Bracket championship game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Lyford’s Memorial Gym.