Sharyland Pioneer Lady Diamondbacks (11-8, 2-0)
The Lady Diamondbacks defeated the Lady Raiders 44-22 Tuesday night at PSJA North High School. Kassandra Garcia, Ebonie Chapman, and Annika Fleischmann were the leading scorers for the game, with Garcia scoring 13 and Chapman and Fleischmann each scoring 12. The Diamondbacks played stingy defense all night, limiting the Lady Raiders to an abysmal seven first-half points.
“I think we did good overall on defense. We’ve been working really hard on defense,” said senior guard Valerie Vela.
The Lady Diamondbacks established a 22-point halftime lead by creating easy points off turnovers and confusing the Lady Raiders’ defense with their rotations and off-ball activity. Their inability to protect the ball, defend the perimeter, and lock down the paint allowed the Lady Diamondbacks to extend their lead despite poor first-half shooting and the game’s deliberate pace. Garcia, Chapman, and Fleischmann exploited the Lady Raiders’ non-existent high post defense by using their size to shoot over smaller defenders and patience to find open looks for teammates off the dribble.
“We played with composure. We weren’t shooting the ball very well, so we found other ways to score. I think that’s huge for us,” Pioneer head coach Nicole Villarreal-Sandoval said following the victory.
The Lady Raiders couldn’t keep pace in the second half and failed to narrow the gap. Their futile comeback attempt was marred as they faced constant pressure on both sides of the ball. The Lady Raiders lost by double digits despite increasing their second-half point total by 8. Timely fourth-quarter baskets from Chapman and Garcia put the game out of reach.
Last year, the Lady Diamondbacks were the 5th seed in the 5A District 31 and missed the playoff by two games. The Lady Diamondbacks are starting this year with more confidence thanks to a renewed focus and momentum from an early season win streak.
“It feels really good to be 3-0 because these past three years, it’s been really hard to go undefeated. We’ve all worked really hard and I hope we go far with this,” junior point guard Kassandra Garcia said.
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