BASKETBALL: Lady Mustangs open season with win over Yorktown

The Nixon-Smiley Lady Mustangs kicked off their 2021-22 basketball season with a 56-46 victory over Yorktown on Tuesday, Nov. 9.

“I am very proud of how hard this team came out and fought in our season opener at home against Yorktown,” Nixon-Smiley Coach Jordan Estrada said. “Coach (Valton) Acree always has a pretty competitive team that plays hard both offensively and defensively, so to see my team battle the way that they did was great.”

The Lady Mustangs were led by the trio of senior Greenlee Houseton and juniors Natalee Mendez and Mady Velasquez, who combined for 35 points between them. Houseton led the team with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and went 3-of-4 from the free throw line while also adding four rebounds. Mendez poured in 12 points while grabbing six rebounds and Velasquez had 10 points, with two three-pointers, as well as a team-high seven rebounds and eight assists and three steals.

Sophomore Kendall Amaya contributed eight points, including a pair of treys, while Abby Fox had four points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals. Freshman Deanna Amaya had four points, five rebounds and three steals.

“Most of the girls that I have right now are returners who had a great season last year, and are very excited to pick up where we left off,” Estrada said. “Taking over as the head coach this year, I want to make sure that I do everything that I can to help this team reach their full potential, and I believe that in order to do that we have to keep playing hard like we did against Yorktown.

“I had quite a few girls step up and play a big part in our win, especially our team leaders, Greenlee Houseton, Mady Velasquez, and Natalee Mendez. This group of girls is exciting to coach, and we're looking forward to our games this week against Falls City and Runge.”