Total team effort as Gonzales knocks off Wimberley for 3rd

GONZALES — The Lady Apaches’ basketball team had one goal in mind going into the season.

Playoffs.

Head coach Valerie Akpan said so herself back in November.

“We’re going to do it,” she said in that interview, “this is it. This is the year. It’s four years in the making. I know it’s going to click. It’s going to click. This is what we’ve been working for, for four years.”

Their final game of the season was a 51-50 win against Wimberley on Feb. 3 to force a tiebreaker. Gonzales beat them one final time Friday night to clinch third place in District 27-4A and theoretically an easier path in the playoffs. With a “total team effort,” as Akpan described it, the Lady Apaches knocked off Wimberley at home, 70-53.

“I am super proud of every girl on the team because everybody did their best and did their job,” Akpan said of the win. “Because of that, the team effort was successful.”

Coming into Friday’s game, the game plan was simple. Play good defense and frustrate Wimberley with their “inside-out” game, meaning feeding their posts and taking advantage of their size early on.

“We were going to play inside-out,” Akpan said. “We knew if we got it to our two bigs that they would have to put pressure on them. Then when they did that, we let our shooters have fun after that.”

Sure enough, Gonzales used that game plan as Devon Williams and Amanda Dixson both got buckets early in the paint to give the team a quick 5-3 lead. Those scores down low allowed the Lady Apache outside shooters to open up as Dixson found Mason Morgan for a three to give Gonzales the 8-3 lead.

Gonzales would end the quarter up 18-9. However, Wimberley began their comeback in the second quarter down 11 as the Lady Apaches started to make mistakes. The Lady Texans would run off 13 straight to take a 24-22 lead, their only lead of the night. But instead of calling a timeout, Akpan shouted instructions, such as telling her girls to relax and the Lady Apaches composed themselves and finished the half on a 10-3 run to go up five.

“I just told them to slow down and relax. That was pretty much it,” Akpan said. “We got a whole lot of game left. Relax and play your game. Let it come to you. Don’t force anything.”

Their defensive efforts as well allowed the Lady Apaches to frustrate Wimberley throughout the game.

“That was the emphasis going in,” Akpan said. “Defense was going to win the game. That’s what I told them before the game even started.”

The Lady Apaches allowed just nine points in the third quarter, then 16 more in the fourth.

The “total team effort” came on the offensive end, as 11 Lady Apaches got on the scoresheet with points. Leading the way was Williams with 12 points, eight rebounds, one steal and a block. Right behind was senior guard Sheridan Tate with 10 points, six assists, two rebounds and two steals. Junior Cameron Kluting had nine points with four rebound and an assist. Skylea Tatsch, a senior, had eight points, four rebound and two assists while Dixson added eight points, four rebounds and an assist.

The Lady Apaches jumped Wimberley in the standings, clinching the third-place slot in District 27-4A. With this win they take on Boerne on Monday in Judson where tipoff is set at 7 p.m.