The D’backs entered the final period of play in the midst of a back-and-forth battle with Victoria East that featured two ties and six lead changes up until that point.
That’s when Pioneer returned to what it does best: shoot 3s.
Junior forward Jordan Bravo and senior forward Audry Hornaday combined for 31 points and provided the spark Pioneer was searching for by knocking down three consecutive 3-pointers midway through the fourth.
That barrage of 3s was part of an enormous and electrifying 15-point swing that catapulted Sharyland Pioneer past Victoria East 58-53 on Tuesday night at Corpus Christi Miller High School and into the Class 5A regional semifinals for the first time in school history.
“All glory goes to God at this point. We owe everything to Him because this season has been a blessing from the very beginning,” Sharyland Pioneer head coach Nicole Villarreal said. “We’re just very grateful. I’m extremely proud. (Our girls) were challenged and they stepped up and did exactly what they were supposed to do.”
“It feels amazing,” Hornaday said. “Did you see (Bravo’s) amazing back-to-back-to-back 3s? That was so incredible.”
Pioneer and East jostled for the lead throughout a competitive first quarter.
The Titans looked as if they might race away with an insurmountable early edge after a pair of quick buckets, but the Diamondbacks maintained their composure and fought back.
Pioneer’s lights-out 3-point shooting helped the team mount an 8-0 run to give the team its first lead of the night and bring the crowd to its feet.
The Diamondbacks finished with a 9-for-19 shooting night from deep (47%), its best mark from behind the arc all season.
“We were just keeping our momentum going and not standing and waiting for a shot,” Bravo said. “I just tried to get open so (Audry) could pass me the ball.”
“I told her if you get the ball, shoot it,” Hornaday said. “She got it and shot it, and look what happened.”
The X-factor for Pioneer, however, came in the paint.
Victoria East center Brandalyn Rice was near unstoppable offensively on the low block in the early going.
Rice finished with a game-high 20 points and 14 rebounds, but Diamondbacks senior center Carly Hornaday played her finest game of the season to hold her opponent in check down the stretch.
Hornaday tallied 16 points and five rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting to help Pioneer stretch the floor and stifle East’s inside presence. Together she combined with fellow center Hailey Silva to record five blocks during the second half.
“They knew what they were going to be up against,” Villarreal said. “I told them in practice, ‘If there’s any game you need to step up in, it’s this one.’ Carly did an amazing job on her. She wanted to come out in the fourth quarter, and I wasn’t having it. I said, ‘I’m sorry but you’re sucking it up.’ She stepped in and did an amazing job on that.”
Bravo, Hornaday, junior point guard Natalie Reyes and senior guard Danielle Rangel set up in a full-court press defensively and smothered the Titans with tight man-to-man defense and suffocating ball pressure.
Their stifling defense forced East to commit several costly turnovers and mental mistakes that helped jumpstart the Diamondbacks’ offense late in the game and swing the momentum back in Pioneer’s favor.
“We were applying lots of ball pressure at the top (of the floor),” Bravo said. “And we were ready to intercept the ball.”
“We also had to protect the middle,” Hornaday added. “They had a lot of drives down the middle, so we had to be ready to protect against that and the dump-off.”
The Titans mounted a last-second comeback bid in the final minutes but were unable to close the gap after Bravo and Hornaday’s 3-point barrage.
Bravo finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Hornaday tallied 16 points, six rebounds and team highs in both assists (seven) and steals (five) to lead Pioneer to a regional quarterfinal victory in its first appearance in the third round.
The Diamondbacks now advance to the regional semifinals, where they will face the Georgetown Eagles in the Class 5A Sweet 16 for the chance to advance and play for a regional championship.
“It’s amazing, but I feel like we’re not done yet,” Villarreal sa... Click here to read full article
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