A first half that saw Bremond race to a large lead would be too much for Big Sandy to overcome Tuesday in a 77-42 bi-district contest at Lovelady High.
It took most of the first half for Big Sandy to adjust to the game's speed. A full-court press led to many of the Lady Tigers’ points. The few shots Big Sandy was able to get off looked to be rushed, leading to a low percentage.
Near the end of the second quarter, the Lady Cats did connect on a couple of 3-pointers, providing nearly half their scoring output. By halftime, they were looking up at a 41-13 deficit.
“We dug ourselves a hole early in the game, really in the first two minutes of the game,” Big Sandy coach Ryan Alec said. “Their defense really did a great job on our guards, getting out on us and pressuring us. We struggled with that. That is one thing we talked about in practice these past three days, was that this game was going to determine how well we could handle the pressure.
“We turned the ball over a little too much. We kind of got away from our game plan. We didn't want to come down and just try to throw up shots real quick, because that is what they are best at. They want to speed the game up a lot. I thought early in the game we didn't quite settle down as much as I would like to. We didn't shoot the ball well and we had trouble scoring on the inside. Credit their defense; they did well defensively.”
With some adjustments made at the break, Big Sandy looked a bit more relaxed in the second half getting down the court to set up an offense. They went back to what worked well all season.
Yaheira Battise played a big role down low, and the lone Big Sandy senior played a great half of ball. She would score 16 points in the game, all in the final two quarters. Battise was also a force on defense and the boards in her final high school game.
“Yaheira came in as a junior for us last year and we are sure going to miss her,” Alec said. “She does a lot of great things for us and did a lot of great things this year. In the first half of district, she averaged 28 points per game. I was extremely proud of her throughout the course of the year. She stepped in last year and really worked her way into being a leader for our team. She was present every day, is a great kid, is great in the classroom, and we will miss her presence and leadership next year.”
Kaiyah Abbey had eight points behind a few 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and Shanaya Poncho added eight for the game.
Yet, Bremond would be too much. They scored 14 points in the third, but at least 21 in each of the others. Lady Tiger leaders included Armiyah Castilleja with 24 points, Brylee Smith with 22, and Za’Anniea Morrow 15.
The Lady Cats finish the season 20-11 with a 7-3 district record, good for third place in 25-2A.
“As far as experience, we were young,” Alec said. “We played a lot of young players that were inexperienced, and this can only help us in the future. Just so they can get on the floor and get a taste of what a playoff game looks like, we will be OK in the future. We have to develop a lot in the offseason. We have a ton of work ahead of us, but hopefully we can produce some kids that can come up and make us better.”
