BASKETBALL: Fourth period drives Lady Apaches to win over Needville

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The Gonzales Lady Apaches used a 14-6 fourth quarter to pull away from and beat Needville, 41-35, on Tuesday, Nov. 16, to improve to 2-1 on the season.

“It was another tough game for us that came down to the fourth quarter, but we want those tests early to see how we respond as a team,” Coach Mike Fowler said.

Needville took an 8-7 lead after the first period, but Gonzales stormed back to take a 24-18 lead into the lockerroom at the break, even though Countessa Elliott was almost a one-woman show with 12 of Needville’s first-half points. She would only end up with 14 points total in the game, however.

“Needville had a player that was extremely skilled on offense (Elliott) and we knew she was capable of scoring points going into the contest,” Fowler said. “She got going a little bit in the first half with 12 points. We made an adjustment at the break and the girls held her to just 2 points in the second half.”

However, while they shut down Elliott, Celeste Aguilar also started scoring for Needville, which turned an 11-3 third quarter into a 29-27 lead with one period left to play. Aguilar would finish with 12 points as well.

That’s when the Gonzales defense shined brightest. The Lady Apaches put the clamps on their visitors and forced Needville to shoot just 29.8 percent for the entire game, while getting themselves to the foul line. While Gonzales only made 38.5 percent of their free throws, the vast difference in number attempted and made (10-of-26, compared to 3-of-4 for Needville) helped put the Lady Apaches over the top.

Gonzales also outrebounded their opponents, 41-28, and only committed 10 personal fouls the entire game. They dominated on points in the paint (22-10) and in second-chance points (13-1).

“For the second game in a row we won the fourth quarter by a significant margin and that has been the difference,” Fowler said. “Our energy on the floor has been fun to watch especially late in games. I told the girls yesterday they should feel pretty confident going into the fourth quarter with a close game on the scoreboard.”

Sydney McCray had nine points and seven rebounds for the Lady Apaches, while Delaini Seger-Gordon also had nine points with six rebounds and three assists. Bella Aguero had eight points, four rebounds and five steals, while Niyahna Lowery had six points and five rebounds. Audrey Martinez had four points and two steals. Madison York had three points and a team-high nine rebounds with two steals and Macy Sample had two points and three rebounds.

Gonzales played Thursday, Nov. 18, against San Antonio Taft and Houston Baptist Academy at the Floresville tournament.

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