Lady Rattlers take third place at Hays CISD Classic

The Lady Rattlers are getting better.

It’s hard to notice sometimes. It’s easy to forget what the team looked like at its starting point and even easier to judge the players solely on their most recent game.

But San Marcos made its improvement obvious at the Hays CISD Classic. After defeating Killeen Shoemaker at home on Nov. 20, 55-39, the Lady Rattlers beat the Lady Wolves again in pool play on Thursday at Buda Hays, 54-20.

The team had already won a game over Round Rock Stony Point earlier in the day, 52-42, and the two victories qualified the team for the gold bracket of the tournament. Another 42-30 win over Kyle Lehman on Friday advanced San Marcos to the semifinals.

Kerrville Tivy proved to be too tough a challenge, though. The Lady Rattlers fell 63-50, snapping a six-game win streak that lasted nearly two weeks.

The loss moved the team to the third place game in the final round of the tourney against Buda Hays. San Marcos easily shrugged off the loss, draining eight 3-pointers and taking home the bronze over the Lady Rebels, 62-31.

“Our girls played very well this weekend in the Hays tournament, particularly defensively,” head coach Veronda Kendall said. “We bounced back Saturday morning defeating Hays. I feel everybody on the team played well and contributed to our overall third place finish out of 24 teams.”

Miranda Lamb established herself during the weekend. She led the team in scoring in three of the five games, averaging 12.6 points during the tournament. The junior guard also racked up nine assists, 11 steals and two blocks and was named to the All-Tournament Team.

“Miranda Lamb played solid the entire tournament,” Kendall said. “She was active on the defensive end of the court. She showed toughness, grit and leadership, heart and passion. She has raised the level of her game and displayed great energy.”

The Lady Rattlers are now 14-3 on the season and will head to Austin on Tuesday to face Crockett at 7:45 p.m.