By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Sharyland High took a step toward solidifying itself as a playoff team on Friday, knocking off one of the top teams in the Valley and in District 31-5A.
Mission Veterans was missing arguably its top player in Ashley Smith, and the Lady Rattlers were more than willing to seize that opportunity, pulling out a 35-27 win at home.
Smith, who is among the Valley leaders in scoring (15.8 points) and steals (4.4), missed her first game of the season Friday after hurting her knee earlier in the week. She’s expected to be evaluated soon to determine the extent of the injury.
“That made a difference, let’s be honest,” Sharyland coach Dale Whitake said of Smith’s absence. “But the thing is, sometimes that rallies a team to play better. I’m real proud of our girls.
“This helps us out. This puts us in the middle of things.”
The Lady Rattlers (17-12, 4-4) entered the game as the fourth-place team in the 31-5A standings. Mission Veterans (16-11, 5-2), the No. 7-ranked team by RGVSports.com, stood in the runner-up spot.
Friday’s win nudged the Lady Rattlers’ toward their goal of making the playoffs. They put together a strong defensive effort, holding Mission Veterans to just two points during the first quarter and four during the third. And they broke away from a 13-12 halftime edge by outscoring the Lady Patriots 22-15 in the second frame.
It helped cover up for Sharyland’s inability to protect the ball at times. The Lady Rattlers either turned the ball over by throwing it too far ahead, sometimes in transition, or passing it right within Mission Veterans’ reach.
The Lady Patriots, however, struggled to take advantage. They had a forgettable shooting night, clanking or air-balling several attempts. But they made things interesting during the fourth quarter after opening with a 7-1 run that trimmed the deficit 26-23 following a jumper and a 3-pointer by Maria Torres, who poured in a team-high 11 points.
Sharyland’s Natalie Portillo helped put the game out of reach by drilling a baseline 15-footer followed by a layup coming on an out-of-bounds play. Portillo scored five of her game-high 12 points during that final period.
“We shot really bad,” Mission Veterans coach Rafael Cantu said. “We’ve just got to find ways to get the ball in the hole. We score a few of those, it could be a different story.
“We just have to give ourselves that chance.”