Girl's Basketball: Lady Lions upset State ranked Lady Badgers
Elexis Morado goes up for a floater in the Lady Lions victory over the Bishop Lady Badgers on Tuesday night. (Photo by Frank Cardenas)
The Santa Gertrudis Academy girl’s basketball team (6-1) earned redemption over Bishop in their second tilt of the season Tuesday night, after the contest ended in an upset for the No. 2 ranked Lady Badgers (5-1), 46-35.
Heading into the second battle of the season for the District 30-3A rivals, the Lady Badgers were 16-0 on the season and 5-0 in district play, which earned them a No. 2 ranking in the Texas Girls Coaches Association 3A State Poll.
SGA was right behind the Lady Badgers in the district standings with a 5-1 record.
The previous outing between the two was a high scoring affair, with the Lady Badgers going out on top, 54-51, which handed the Lady Lions their only loss in district play.
On Tuesday night, Azaria Sanchez led the Lady Lions to victory behind her team high 10 points, with Kendra Williams chipping in nine, and Elexis Morado adding eight points of her own.
Williams was also a force down low with 17 rebounds in the contest.
“Last game (we played Bishop) we really struggled with rebounds,” Williams said. “But tonight, we showed out and came out better. I think it played a big part (in the win); being better down low.”
For the Lady Badgers, JayDee Zamora led all in scoring with 11, as Madi Ruiz added 10 points for Bishop.
The game started with both teams trading blows in a back-and-forth effort, with the Lady Lions ultimately taking a lead into the second quarter 12-11.
Ruiz for the Badgers kept the score close between the squads, as she scored seven of her total points in the first quarter of play.
In the second, the defense of the Lady Lions held the Lady Badgers to only six points, with one shot falling for Ashlin Scott, and the other four points earned at the free-throw line by Zamora.
Sanchez and Williams kept the lead for the Lady Lions, combining for seven points in the second quarter.
SGA once again held the Lady Badgers to single digit scoring in the third quarter, which allowed the Lady Lions to remain on top through the remainder of the contest for the victory.
Lady Lions Head Coach Alex Munoz said getting the win was something her girls really wanted after they felt they “sold themselves short” in their previous game against Bishop.
“Coming out and working hard and doing all the things we’ve done in practice to get this win is definitely a super booster for them,” Munoz said.
With the Lady Lions only having a few games left in the season, Munoz said this game was a test to the type of competition they could see in a potential playoff run, should they finish out the season strong.
“We’re always super thankful to have good teams to play against, so it makes us ready to go on to where we need to be (for playoffs),” Munoz said.
Both teams now share a spot at the top of District 30-3A standings, with each team earning a victory over the other for their only district losses of the season.