Lady Lions pull ahead in 4th for big win
By Donnie A. Lucas
Staying even for three quarters of the Class 2A bi-district battle, the Lady Lions scored 12 unanswered points in the fourth to surge ahead for a 50-39 win over Eldorado on Monday in Bronte.
Albany (21-10) now advances to the area round to take on the Wink Lady Wildcats (17-6), winner of District 6-2A.
The area playoff is set to take place in the Howard College Gym in Big Spring on Friday with a 6:00 p.m. tipoff. Tickets will be $5 for adults and $3 for students, with the usual passes accepted. The Lady Lions won the flip but opted to be the visitors.
“Wink is athletic and pretty big,” head basketball coach Tate Thompson said. “We match up with them athletically, so we need to play very disciplined basketball.”
Wink beat Smyer 54-29 in the first round on Monday.
“I think we are the more battle-tested team because they haven’t played the type of teams we have,” the coach said. “Wink plays more out of control than we do, so discipline will be the key.”
The winner will advance to the regional quarterfinal game against the winner of the Sundown vs. Stamford area game. The third round will be played during a Feb. 24-25 window.
The Lady Lions advanced to the second round of the playoffs last season, falling to Sundown 44-31.
Albany and Eldorado stayed close in Monday’s bi-district game, with the Lady Lions ahead 20-19 at the half and 31-29 after three periods. But the Lady Lions owned the fourth quarter, sparked by a three-point shot by Torie Fuentes that led to a 12-point scoring spree and a 19-10 advantage in the final frame for the win.
“Eldorado hung with us for three quarters,” the coach said. “But we wore them down and were able to go ahead for a big lead.”
Thompson attributed Albany’s fourth-quarter advantage to the tough district schedule that the team has played.
“We are accustomed to intense games that don’t get decided until the last quarter,” he said. “Playing in a competitive district paid off for us.”
The coach said that Eldorado attempted to neutralize the Lady Lions’ leading shooter, Jaleigh Morales.
“They tried to take Jaleigh out, but she still found ways to score, plus the rest of our team stepped up to score,” he said.
Morales said that she was being face guarded throughout most of the game.
“They were guarding me using a box and one, so I concentrated on defense more to contribute that way,” the senior said. “They really got tired in the fourth and tried to just dribble through us, which didn’t work.”
Albany 8 12 11 19 - 50
Eldorado 8 11 10 10 - 39
Scoring for the Lady Lions were Fuentes 12, Alli Hill 13, Sarah Beth Cotter 3, Traci Isbell 1, Carley Green 8, Morales 13.
Albany vs. Haskell
The Lady Lions lost to Haskell 62-48 in the final game of the regular season on Feb. 11. The loss put the team in third place in the district standings with a 6-4 record.
“We went over to Haskell and competed well,” Thompson said. “We knew that we were going to be in third place no matter what, so we focused on making sure that we did things to get ready for the playoffs.”
Morales led the team on offense, while Cotter was named for defense by the coach.
Albany 5 15 4 24 - 48
Haskell 19 8 20 15 - 62
Scoring for the Lady Lions were Fuentes 4, Cydney Nelson 2, Hill 6, Green 4, Morales 22, and Cotter 10.
The JV girls played their final game of the year in Haskell, losing 30-15 to end the year with a 1-6 mark after not being able to put a team on the floor for more than half the season.
“That was a tough last game for the girls,” coach Jamie Wilson said. “They did a great job defensviely by not getting in foul trouble, and they took the ball to the basket well.”
Albany 3 5 2 5 - 15
Haskell 7 8 11 4 - 30
Scoring were Briley Tabor 2, Presley Green 5, Lizzie Chavez 6, and Avery Kleiner 2.
