Young Lady Lions gain playoff experience
The Lady Lion basketball team proved just how far they have come this season, winning a bi-district title and leading at one point Friday in the Region I-2A area playoff before things went wrong.
The season came to a close with a 44-31 loss to Sundown in Colorado City on Friday, but the team posted a 21-10 record – its best season in several years.
Albany beat Eldorado earlier last week, 32-30, in Coleman for the bi-district trophy.
The Lady Lions trailed by seven points at the half, fighting back to take a 22-21 lead midway through the third period. But moments later, an emotional injury to freshman Cydney Nelson shifted the momentum.
The Roughettes went on a 12-point scoring run that expanded their lead to 19 points by the end of the fourth quarter.
“We weren’t really ourselves in this game,” coach Tate Thompson said. “We did some very uncharacteristic things, so I think we were rattled from the beginning. I believe our youth and inexperience in the playoffs caught up with us.”
The coach said the team will use the experience to build on.
“That game gives these girls some of the experience they will need in the future, especially playoff experience,” he said. “I can’t say enough about what these girls accomplished this season, from beating the number three team in the state, to finishing second in one of the toughest districts around, and then earning a playoff trophy.”
He credited the team with bringing tradition back to the girls’ program.
“I’m extremely excited about the future and using what they learned this season as a huge stepping stone for the success of this program,” he said.
The coach said that win over Eldorado was a “true testament to the character of our girls,” adding that it was the first game without one of the team’s key starters.
The coach named Alli Hill as offensive standout in the Eldorado game, while Jaleigh Morales was picked on defense.
“We knew that defense would be what was going to win us this game,” Thompson said. “We struggled to score against Eldorado’s zone, but we made up for it by creating some turnovers.”
Albany 7 6 12 7 - 32
Eldorado 6 6 12 6 - 30
Scorers were Torie Fuentes 5, Jillian Guinn 4, Carley Green 1, Hill 10, Sarah Beth Cotter 2, and Morales 10.
Morales was the leading scorer against Sundown, putting up 13 points. Others were Hill 7, Cotter 4, and Fuentes 4.
Albany 6 8 10 7 - 31
Sundown 7 12 20 5 - 44
