GAME REWIND
In the 1992 Class 5A State Championship Game, the Lady Rattlers were on the cusp of history as they faced the No. 1 ranked Duncanville Pantherettes.
It was a historic season for the Lady Rattlers who captured the 5A District 25 title with a perfect district record and a 22-3 overall record.
Facing Converse Judson in the Bi-District round, the Lady Rattlers defeated the Rockets 57-45 and advanced to the Area round.
San Marcos punched their ticket to the regional tournament after beating San Antonio Houston 4036.
The Lady Rattlers then won their first ever regional title, beating Del Rio in the semifinals 4639 then San Antonio Roosevelt 77-43 in the final and advancing to the state tournament.
In the state semifinals, San Marcos made a dramatic fourth quarter comeback to defeat Sugar Land Dulles 54-52 and advance to the state title game.
The first quarter of the state championship was a defensive slugfest, which fit the style of play for the Lady Rattlers who held their playoff opponents to an average of 43 points per game in the postseason. At the end of the first quarter, the game was tied at 6-6.
The Lady Rattlers defensive prowess continued in the second quarter, holding Duncanville to just eight points in the second quarter. San Marcos outscored Duncanville with 11 points and entered halftime up 17-14.
The Pantherette offense picked up in the third quarter only for the Lady Rattler offense to keep up with Duncanville.
Going into the fourth quarter, San Marcos led 31-26.
The Lady Rattlers were on the cusp of winning the state title in the fourth quarter only for Duncanville to make a late game run. The Pantherettes went on a 6-0 run, tying the game to send the contest into overtime.
After trading baskets to start overtime, Duncanville took the lead after hitting a free throw. However, the Lady Rattlers tied the game back up following a made free throw from Patricia Luckey.
With 26 seconds remaining in the game, Duncanville missed the game winning shot, allowing Lisa Green to come up with the rebound. The Lady Rattlers called timeout and strategized to come up with the game winning shot.
On the ensusing possesion, Luckey received the pass in the paint before driving to the basket and hitting the shot with five seconds left in the game.
Duncanville could not answer as the Lady Rattlers rushed the court to celebrate a thrilling 45-43 win over the Pantherettes and secure the program’s first ever state championship.
Luckey finished the game with a double-double, scoring 15 points and nabbing 12 rebounds. Bonnie Byas was second in scoring with nine points followed by April Markle with seven.
The Lady Rattlers outrebounded the Pantherettes 27-22 while forcing 16 Duncanville turnovers. The Lady Rattler defense also held Duncanville to their lowest scoring output after averaging 58.6 points in the postseason.
Head Coach Nate Haynes talks to his players on the bench during the 5A state title game. Daily Record archives
The Lady Rattlers celebrate their state medals following their win over Duncanville. Daily Record archives
Patricia Luckey finished the game with team high 15 points and 12 rebounds including hitting the game winning shot with five seconds remaining in overtime. Daily Record archives
