Lady Rattlers grind out first district win over New Braunfels Canyon

Everyone in the gym can hear it.

“Hands up! Get your hands up! Hands!”

The booming voice is San Marcos head coach Veronda Kendall’s, clamoring at least once every defensive trip for the Lady Rattlers to raise their palms. The team kept their hands up and active on Friday holding New Braunfels Canyon to just four field goals in the first half and defeating the Cougarettes 32-27 inside the Snake Pit.

“We’re a defensive team,” Kendall said. “So it is important for us to have our hands up. We get a lot of steals that way, we get deflections. I’ll say it a lot.

“(That takes) a wholehearted commitment by all the girls. Which, I think they know that’s one of our staples, that’s one of our goals. And I think they take pride in it. I think they have fun playing D.”

San Marcos began the game in a full-court press that converted to a 2-3 zone once Canyon crossed half court. The Cougarettes didn’t score until the final minute of the first quarter, canning a three from the left wing.

The visitors did a bit better navigating the defense in the second quarter, sinking another shot from outside to go along with two inside. But by halftime, the Lady Rattlers had held them to 10 points.

“(That takes) tremendous effort, honestly,” junior wing Miranda Lamb said. “Coach (Kendall) really instills in us, ‘defense, defense, defense.’ So, I feel like that translates on the court because we really try to hold our opponents to not a lot of points.”

The hosts still had offensive struggles of their own. The Cougarettes protected the rim with a physical man-to-man defense, giving up just two field goals to San Marcos. The Lady Rattlers did a better job of getting to the line, though, hitting 7 of 12 foul shots. 

At the end of the second quarter, the team led by one with 11 points.

“I guess I’m saying the same thing I’ve been saying as far as offensive production,” Kendall said. “We hit those spells where we just go dry.”

San Marcos switched to man-to-man in the second half, generating more turnovers that led to transition baskets, but also allowing more looks inside for Canyon.

The Lady Rattlers took a 22-16 advantage by the end of third quarter, but the Cougarettes used a 9-0 run at the start of the fourth to take their first lead of the game with 4:25 left on the clock.

“(We knew) that we need to pick it up,” Lamb said. “When we came back in the huddle, we just decided that we needed to get it together. And we came together as a group and we came out with the win.”

Senior wing Abigail Pena made a pair of free throws on the next possession, and Lamb dropped in a jumper a minute later on an assist from freshman guard Angelina Sotelo to take back the lead.

Sotelo made one more free throw before the Cougarettes made their last shot of the game, a fastbreak layup with 57 seconds left. Still down by one, Canyon intentionally fouled for the rest of the game, but were never able to find the bottom of the net again. San Marcos sank four of eight shots at the line to stay in front and seal the victory, 32-27.

“We knew we had to make the free throws,” freshman guard Vivian Hernandez said. “Even though we’re tired, we have to fight through it in a close game like that.”

Hernandez led the team with nine points, followed by Lamb with eight. The win moves the Lady Rattlers to 16-5 on the season and 1-1 in district play.

San Marcos will host East Central on Tuesday inside the Snake Pit. Kendall said that while she’s proud of her team’s defensive effort, she plans on making some changes to help make things easier on the offensive end.

“We need a post game. We’ll probably look at that first,” Kendall said. “And then some sets where we’re getting probably a little bit more movement. Maybe more help from screening. Because we hit those lulls and just go cold. So that’s my biggest concern I think, right now.”