Comeback queens

Posted

CUERO — When the schedule reads Gonzales versus Cuero, the district record doesn’t necessarily matter. With a rivalry as deep as this one, the Lady Apaches or the Lady Gobblers didn’t need extra motivation to take a win in their final game of the season. Both teams were eliminated from postseason contention before this game. But that didn’t matter Tuesday night as both teams scrapped out a tough game with Gonzales forcing overtime after a big comeback late in the game. The Lady Apaches would come out on top, winning 59-58.

“We’ve come a long way,” Lady Apaches’ head coach Valerie Akpan said. “They rose to the occasion and we were ready. They’ve been working for three years and it’s their turn. We’re ready for next season. We’re ready to start now.”

The first half showed that no lead was safe as Gonzales and Cuero answered back and forth with five lead changes. The Lady Apaches would end the half with the 25-21 lead. However, Cuero started out the third quarter with an 8-0 run, finishing the frame on a 17-8 advantage, taking a 38-33 lead.

With four minutes left in the game, Cuero took a 45-33 lead, their biggest lead of the night. Then Amanda Dixson found Sheridan Tate who drilled a three-pointer to cut the lead to 45-36. A few seconds later, Mary Hastings found Dixson open for a bucket to get within seven before Cuero had to call a timeout.

“We learned from our past games,” Akpan said of the quick strikes. “Instead of making a push with the last two minutes left when it’s too late, I’ve been telling them ‘if you do that earlier it’ll be a different story’ and it was.”

After those baskets the Lady Apaches had a two-minute drought without a score. Yet Cuero was unable to take advantage as they only scored two themselves in the time period to go up 47-38. With 2:22 left in the game, Kendra Williams drilled a three herself to cut the lead to 47-41.

Fouls started to become an issue for Gonzales as they sent the Lady Gobblers to the free-throw line too many times in that last quarter. Fortunately for the Lady Apaches, Cuero went 7-of-18 from the free-throw line, keeping Gonzales in the game.

A Hastings’ bucket with 1:52 left in the game cut the lead to 47-43 and after a few free-throws for both teams the game was set at 49-44 with 49 seconds left.

After running a play Keaundra Cray found Tate from beyond the arc. Tate made the three to bring the game within two points with 38 seconds left. On the defensive end, Hastings blocked a big shot, forcing Cuero to inbound the ball. Cray stole the ball after the inbound and brought it past half court to allow the Lady Apaches to call a timeout with 23.6 seconds left in the game.

“They did what they needed to do and when it was time to put pressure and it was time to finish, the girls came out with intensity and finished and we got big buckets that we needed,” Akpan said.

After trying to find someone open, it was Skylea Tatsch who got the game-tying score with 18 seconds left on the clock. Cuero tried to inbound but again Cray forced a turnover and it was Gonzales’ ball with 8.5 seconds left.

Cuero’s center had a huge defensive effort, getting a block with two seconds left. Gonzales was unable to get a shot off, forcing overtime.

“I told [the girls] at the end of regular time, I told them to calm down,” Akpan said afterwards. “We have plenty of time. Now all we got to do is execute, clean it up for four minutes. Good passes, good shots, good defenses and the game was ours.”

The teams again went back and forth with Cuero striking first with a bucket. However, Tatsch having the play the post instead of her usual guard spot found Tate open for a three to give the Lady Apaches the 52-51 lead. Cray then found herself at the free-throw line after making a bucket to go up 55-51 after the made free throw.

Cuero went on a 7-3 run to tie the game at 58-58. But with 7.3 seconds left, Tate was fouled and made one of her free throws to give Gonzales the 59-58 lead. Cuero went down court, shooting a wild shot that ultimately missed, giving the Lady Apaches the 59-58 win.

Even through all the foul calls and scrappiness, the Lady Apaches bench filled with fouled out starters still cheered on the players on the court, something Akpan has harped on for years now.

“It’s us,” she said. “We’re ICE. Intensity, concentration and effort. We are intense if nothing else.”

The win gave the Lady Apaches a 4-8 district record while dropping Cuero to 2-10. Although not in the playoffs, Akpan did see that the program is making huge leaps over the teams in years past that couldn’t win a district game.

When asked if the program has shown improvement, Akpan quickly responded with “absolutely.”

“More than I could ask for because we’ve been saying somebody needs to step up here and somebody does and somebody needs to step up here and some other person does. So the girls have gone above and beyond, they’re serious about it and now there’s a drive in them that is really pushing and the success is coming because they are ready to work.”

“We’re deep,” Akpan continued. “We’re 12 deep. Everybody played when their team needed them to play, we stepped up.”

The Lady Apaches will be losing two seniors in Ericka Hernandez and Keaundra Cray. Hernandez’s size, strength and intensity is something Akpan says the team will miss. Cray’s speed and athleticism will be missed as well, especially on the defensive end.

“Those are four big shoes to fill,” Akpan noted. “We have to really have people fill it in and I think we’re ready.”

Though the season ended for the Lady Apaches, Gonzales was glad it ended with a win over their rivals in Cuero.

Comments