Sharyland Pioneer Lady Diamondbacks
The District 31-5A Champion Lady Diamondbacks’ first trip to the playoffs ended in heartbreaking fashion Monday night as a last minute push and layup from Brownsville Pace put them over the top for a 47-46 win over Sharyland Pioneer at Sharyland Pioneer High School.
After falling behind 18-9 in the first quarter and with sophomore guard Audry Hornaday on the bench in foul trouble, the Lady Diamondbacks managed to fight back into the game with a pair of three-pointers from Danielle Rangel to force a 21-21 tie heading into the locker room.
The Sharyland Pioneer Lady Diamondbacks began to gain momentum in the second half as Hornaday bounced back to score all 10 of her points in the third and fourth quarters, while senior Alicia Martinez poured in eight of her 11 with tough inside play after the break. The Lady Diamondbacks managed to pull ahead 44-40 in the final minutes but shooting 2 of 10 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter came back to bite Sharyland Pioneer as Pace’s Lexy Arce hit a layup with 8.6 seconds left to seal the 47-46 victory.
Although their season may be over, the Sharyland Pioneer Lady Diamondbacks took significant steps forward this year. Head Coach Nicole Villarreal and her girls missed out on the playoffs a season ago by one game and said they wouldn’t let it happen again. The Lady Diamondbacks then proceeded to win a program record 24 games, capture their first district championship and make the school’s first playoff appearance ever in 2018-2019.
Sharyland Pioneer will return 10 players next season, all who now have playoff experience under their belt as the Lady Diamondbacks continue the hunt... Click here to read full article
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