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History repeats.
Around this time last season, San Marcos beat Austin Crockett on the road to bring its win total to 15. A year later, the Lady Rattlers claimed the same result at home, defeating Crockett, 39-17, for their 15th win.
Tuesday marked the eighth game of the season in which the purple and white have held their opponents to 30 or less in a game. It started with a scoreless quarter by the Lady Cougars.
“It’s just come to be what we do. It’s our style of play,” head coach Veronda Kendall said. “The girls take pride in playing good defense every night. We’re just glad that we’re able to do it. We’re putting the work in and doing what it takes to be able to make that stand defensively.”
Offensively, it was the energizer of the team, senior forward Miranda Lamb, who carried the scoring load in the second quarter. Each of her eight points came after the first break, starting with a pass from the corner to junior forward Faith Phillips on the block which led to a foul. Phillips sank both free throws. Lamb then used an aggressive rip through to drive the baseline and using her body to finish at the rim, pushing the hosts’ lead to 12-2. Lamb’s explosive second quarter gave her team a 21-9 lead heading into the locker room.
“They’re playing off of everyone, not just me, so I felt like if we drove to the basket, we could’ve had more points, which we did,” Lamb said. “They weren’t playing tight defense, so it was easy for me to find the gaps.”
San Marcos extended its 1-2-1-1 trap to half court after halftime. Sophomore guard Vivian Hernandez sat at the top of the trap forcing the ball to the weak hand of the opponent, allowing junior guard Kayla Presley to anticipate passing lanes for uncontested transition layups. The hosts caused three straight turnovers with 1:30 left in the third, all of which resulted in scores.
Crockett didn’t allow the scoreboard to affect them. Lady Cougars junior forward Ani Villarubia stretched the floor with a three from the right wing, slicing the lead down to 12. But Phillips responded immediately by driving through the defense and finishing inside. The Lady Rattlers executed a play in the half-court set, leading to a Hernandez trey at the top of the key that sealed win No. 15 for the Lady Rattlers, 39-17.
Kendall and her players felt they had some open looks at the rim but the shots just weren’t falling. Hernandez believes their defense is what gets them going on offense.
“It’s just about the team effort,” Hernandez said. “The team keeps you up the whole game. Defense as well. Once you do good on defense, you do good on offense.”
Lamb also finished with seven rebounds and three steals to go with her eight points. Phillips had a game-high nine points, seven rebounds and two steals. Presley had some tough finishes, driving to the rim for eight points, and her defense at the top of the zone generated five steals to add to her stat line.
The Lady Rattlers will wrap up their non-district schedule on the road against San Antonio Cornerstone at 6 p.m. on Friday. The girls are anxious to keep it going and start competing for the district title.
“We’re excited,” Lamb said. “We’ve worked hard this whole time with Coach (Kendall) pushing us and our intensity in practice and on the court during the games. We’re just excited to finally be able to get ready for playoffs.”
