Lady Rattlers compete at the TABC Showcase in College Station

SMHS GIRLS BASKETBALL

Coming off one of the best seasons in program history, the Lady Rattlers were back in action at College Station for the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Showcase where San Marcos competed against some of the best teams from across the state.

Head Coach Cooper Haralson was proud of how the team competed at the showcase while also letting the experience be a learning opportunity.

“The girls learned a lot,” Haralson said. “We have a strong group coming back from last year’s team, but we also have new girls that you have incorporated into [the team]. It’s gonna take some time to get everybody together on the same page. At times … we looked really good and at times we didn’t, so it’s just we have to learn and understand their roles.”

The Lady Rattlers defeated Mansfield Lake Ridge 45-43 and dropped two games to The Woodlands [42-41] and Cypress Lakes [53-47].

Though San Marcos left the showcase frustrated with a losing record, Haralson was still proud of the team for competing and still having a chance to win.

“Leaving the showcase, there’s some frustration from the girls at the fact that we did go 1-2,” Haralson said. “But really all three of the games were very competitive. We had a chance to win, and [for] all three of the games you may even say that we should’ve won. … But it’s lessons learned. [One] game we missed 13 free throws, and if we make half of those, we win it. The last game, we didn’t start the game the way we wanted to, so we had to climb out of a hole. We were down with a little over a minute left, and we just couldn’t crawl all the way back into it.”

Despite their mistakes and learning lessons against some of the best teams, Haralson was high on the Lady Rattlers for continuing to not give in when everything was going wrong.

“[I’m proud of ] their effort in the way that they played and continued to battle,” Haralson said. “They could’ve mailed it in when we were down double digits going in the second half, but they had their backs against the wall, battled the entire second half and gave themselves a chance in the end. I’m not surprised, but we are always proud of the girls for their effort.”

Coming into the showcase, the Lady Rattlers are in the process of replacing several key contributors from last year’s team. After the showcase was completed, Haralson saw several returning players be able to fill in those roles, especially in the leadership department.

“We had a lot of leaders last year, but there’s no doubt that Ezra [Tobias] and Ayleceia [Pierson] were two of our main leaders,” Haralson said. “Now that they’ve graduated you need louder voices from other people. With Azariah [Fennell], Melayna [Perkins], and Rileigh [Good], [we need] them stepping up and speaking when they needed to get everybody locked in and focused on what we’re doing. I saw them step up as leaders over the weekend.”

Haralson also saw some of the new players step up their game as well.

“There are some pleasant surprises,” Haralson said. “Leona [Narvaiz] stepped in and fulfilled her role really well. She’s a knockdown shooter, and she impressed me with the way that she took care of the ball and the way that she played defense. I was also pleasantly surprised with Makenzie Markham. She stepped in to guard the biggest girl on the court, and she went in there and battled her tail off.”

Following the completion of the showcase, the Lady Rattlers will now focus their attention on the upcoming 2025-2026 season, looking to build off their regional final appearance last year.

While Haralson isn’t concerned with the results of the showcase, he knows where the Lady Rattlers can improve and continue their goal of becoming a powerhouse in the Austin-San Antonio area.

“I know what we’re capable of,” Haralson said. “While there are some frustrations, it was a learning process. I’m looking forward to continuing to get back to work with them and building on it.”

cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc