Posted by
Mark Kusenberger on February 13, 2010 at 7:18 am
Smithson Valley’s 66-65 victory puts Lee on brink of elimination
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer
Ty Etheridge converted three free throws in the final minute, lifting Smithson Valley to a 66-65 victory over the Lee Volunteers Friday afternoon at Robert E. Lee High School.
Lee led 62-60 with a minute left after Paul Garnica’s 30th point on a free throw. Smithson Valley (14-19, 5-10 in 26-5A) scored the game’s next six points, tying it on a driving layup by Trey Mitchell, his only points of the game. Etheridge made one of two free throws to give the Rangers a 63-62 lead, then when Garnica fouled out with 39.5 seconds left, Jordan Pierce made one of two free throws to expand the lead to 64-62. Etheridge and Parker Taylor followed with key rebounds to provide crucial stops in the final minute.
The Volunteers, who suffered big losses in their last two games against MacArthur and Madison, appeared much more energetic in their home gym. Lee led 17-8 late in the first, led by five points from Garnica and threes from Rudy DeLeon and Joe Uribe.
Smithson Valley, however, responded with a 12-0 run, during which five Rangers scored. They built the lead to 37-27 early in the second half before Garnica picked up the Volunteers on his back. Garnica ignited a 13-2 run which gave Lee the lead, after which there were two lead changes and four ties, setting up the closing drama.
Lee (28-8, 8-7 in 26-5A) has lost six of their last nine games, a streak which began with their first loss at Smithson Valley. Friday’s loss, combined with Reagan’s later victory, drops Lee to fifth place in 26-5A, one game behind Reagan. To advance to the postseason, Lee must defeat Churchill next Tuesday and Reagan must lose to Madison; this would create a tie for fourth place, forcing Lee and Reagan to play a tiebreaker game.
The Ranger victory gives Smithson Valley a sweep of Lee this season. Smithson Valley climbed into a tie for seventh place with Roosevelt after Friday’s action. Smithson Valley hosts Roosevelt next Tuesday; the winner will finish the season in a sixth place tie with Johnson, which completed their season Friday night.
Quarters
SMITHSON VALLEY 15 19 10 22 - 66
LEE 17 10 16 22 - 65
SMITHSON VALLEY SCORING: Aaron Rios 18, Danny Leal 11, Ty Etheridge 11, Austin Blue 8, Jordan Pierce 6, Parker Taylor 5, Carlos Canfield 5, Trey Mitchell 2, Josh Garrison
LEE SCORING: Paul Garnica 30, Joe Uribe 9, Jeremy McKracken 9, Michael McPherson 6, George Cardenas 4, R.P Scott 4, Rudy DeLeon 3, Abel Mota, Patrick Ybarra, Jose Chapa
Posted by
Mark Kusenberger on February 11, 2010 at 8:28 am
Three-pointers, free throws lead to 72-48 victory
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer
Madison’s dominant first quarter keyed by a trio of three-pointers propelled them to a 72-48 victory over the Lee Volunteers Wednesday evening at Littleton Gym.
Madison clinched a playoff berth for the fifth year in a row with the win, their nine in their last eleven games.
Topher Campbell led all scorers with 16 points at the half, breaking the scoring ice with a three to start the game, then hitting another three in the second on his way to 13 second quarter points. After outscoring Lee 19-7 in the first quarter, Madison (20-12, 11-3 in 26-5A) outscored Lee 20-12 in the second quarter.
Madison coach John Valenzuela was particularly impressed with his team’s free throw shooting. The Mavericks converted 26 of 29 attempts for a Larry Bird-like 89.7%. Madison committed 25 fouls to Lee’s 18, but Lee only made 16 of their 30 free throw attempts. Starters Rudy DeLeon and Abel Mota fouled out for Lee (28-7, 8-6 in 26-5A).
The contest was a rematch of the game where Paul Garnica set the city’s career scoring record. While Lee won that game in a thrilling finish, this game proved to be a mismatch from the start. Garnica, who missed Lee’s game against MacArthur Saturday due to a knee bruise, played and appeared healthy, but made no field goals, scoring two points on 2 for 5 free throw shooting. Michael McPherson, who returned to the starting lineup after his minutes had limited for several weeks while he recovered from injury, led all scorers with 25 points.
Freshman Brandon Hawk played his first varsity game for Madison Wednesday night. He debuted in the second quarter and seemed to struggle with the speed of the game, but returned in the third quarter, scored a three-pointer for his first basket, and was much more effective from there on out.
After Wednesday’s results, Madison remains tied with MacArthur for first place in district with two games to go. Each team has a game remaining against Reagan; Madison also faces Roosevelt, while MacArthur also hosts New Braunfels. The teams split their district meetings.
The Lee loss, combined with Reagan’s win over Johnson, created a tie for fourth between Lee and Reagan; each team is one-and-a-half games behind third place Churchill. Reagan must play district co-leaders MacArthur and Madison in their last two games; Lee faces Smithson Valley and Churchill. Lee and Reagan split their district meetings. Lee has lost five of their last eight games since Garnica set the career scoring record.
Quarters
LEE 7 12 13 16 - 48
MADISON 19 20 21 12 - 72
LEE SCORING: Michael McPherson 25, George Cardenas 8, Rudy DeLeon 6, Abel Mota 4, Paul Garnica 2, Abel Mota 2, Joe Uribe 1, Jeremy McKracken, Christian May, Christian Trujillo, Chris Canedo, Jose Chapa
MADISON SCORING: Topher Campbell 18, Tyler Wood 12, Philip Brown 8, Jamal Johnson 7, Andre Scott 7, Taylor Henry 7, Emilio Trejo 4, Vincent Taylor 4, Brandon Hawk 3, Ron Olmos 1, John Davidson 1, Jacob Petry
Posted by
Mark Kusenberger on February 7, 2010 at 8:31 am
Lee without Garnica falls 71-38 to MacArthur
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer
A month ago, when MacArthur met Lee in the first round of district play, Paul Garnica sank two free throws with 2.8 seconds left to give Lee a 64-62 victory.
This time, Garnica, who scored 33 in Wednesday’s victory over Johnson, was out due to injury. MacArthur took advantage for a 71-38 victory Saturday afternoon at Littleton Gym; the Brahmas have won eight straight since the loss to Lee, defeating all eight of their district rivals along the way.
MacArthur used its passing game to draw defenders to the perimeter, time and again opening up Jordan Pratt under the basket for layups. MacArthur also had a pair of three-pointers from Matt Gramling and one from Victor Dlugosz. MacArthur led 20-13 after one quarter, then outscored Lee 21-6 in the second to take a 41-19 lead into the locker room. Pratt finished with a career-high 21 points and Matt Gramling tied his career high of 16, set against Lee a month ago. John Lind tied his career high of six points, set against Stevens on November 21st in the North East Tournament; all Lind’s points were scored in the second quarter.
Such was MacArthur’s dominance that a pair of Brahmas were also able to break long scoring droughts. Ben Lytle, younger brother of Brahma standout Tim Lytle, scored in the fourth quarter for his first tally since the Highlands game on November 21st. Michael Flores scored for the first time since the Jefferson game on December 19th in the Harlandale Tournament.
Jeremy McKracken was the only Lee starter to score in the first half; McKracken scored eight in the first half and finished with 11. After Mac starter Josh Simmons committed his second foul with 5:01 remaining in the first quarter, he did not return to action until the second half. He wasn’t needed.
After Saturday’s action, Madison and MacArthur are both 10-3 in district and split their regular season meetings. The Brahmas can clinch a playoff berth with one victory in their last three games or one Reagan loss.
Lee, at 8-5, is tied in the loss column with 9-5 Churchill, while Reagan sits one game behind in at 7-6. Reagan split with both Churchill and Lee; Churchill has one win over Lee, and the Chargers and Volunteers will meet again for their last regular season game.
Quarters
MacARTHUR 8 10 16 14 - 48
LEE 13 13 18 9 - 53
MacARTHUR SCORING: Jordan Pratt 21, Matt Gramling 16, Victor Dlugosz 8, John Lind 6, Josh Williams 6, Michael Flores 4, Chris Parker 4, Chris Gramling 2, Josh Simmons 2, Ben Lytle 2
LEE SCORING: Jeremy McKracken 11, Michael McPherson 8, Patrick Ybarra 6, George Cardenas 5, Joe Uribe 3, Abel Mota 2, Chris Canedo 2, Rudy DeLeon 1, Christian May, Jose Chapa
Posted by
Mark Kusenberger on January 10, 2010 at 11:03 am
Thirty point effort leads Madison to 66-49 victory over Lee
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer
In the fourth quarter of Madison’s 66-49 victory over Lee Saturday afternoon, CeCe Harper took a rebound coast-to-coast for layup. Along the way, she seemed to pass within arm’s length of every other player on the floor.
A frustrated Lee fan pleaded to the defense: “Trip her!”
We doubt he was serious, but if we can’t justify his suggestion, we can understand his frustration. Harper, a Kansas commit, scored 30 points in leading Madison (10-15, 2-6 in 26-5A) to victory. Harper also scored 30 points in Madison’s other district victory over MacArthur.
Lee (8-16, 0-8 in 26-5A), which started a junior and four sophomores, began the game solidly, shutting out not only Harper, but all her teammates as well, for the first 4 minutes of the ballgame. The Lady Volunteers led 3-0 on two free throws from Mariah Silva and one from Lauren Gutierrez. Then Harper had a 6-0 run – two of her own baskets sandwiched around an assist to Briana Jones – staking Madison to a 6-3 lead.
A three from Serena Reyes – her first of four on the afternoon – tied the game at six before Madison closed the quarter on an 8-2 run; Madison led 14-8 after one quarter.
The Lady Volunteers played Madison within a point in the second and fourth quarters, and within 28-23 with six seconds left in the second quarter. But Harper’s free throws with 5.8 seconds left in the half proved to be the beginning of a 12-1 run which sealed Madison’s second district victory of the 2009-10 season.
Although Madison coach Tracy Hastings did see to it all her players participated, Harper played essentially the entire game, scoring her last basket with about a minute left. Therefore, it would be more accurate to consider Lee’s competitive performance in the second and fourth quarters a sign of promise rather than having taken advantage of their opponent’s bench.
Madison got 37 of their 66 points from seniors: 30 from Harper, 7 from Ashton Gulczewski.
No seniors scored for Lee.
MADISON SCORING: CeCe Harper 30, Briana Jones 11, Ashton Gulczewski 7, Monica Perez 7, Genevieve Morales 4, Crystal Valero 3, Lauren Tucker 2, Shelbi Rodriguez 2, Casey Wallace, Brittany Vasquez, Dominique Hunter, Sonja Haga
LEE SCORING: Serena Reyes 14, Lauren Gutierrez 9, Sara Gomez 8, Leslie Rosales 7, Mariah Silva 7, Deziree Prado 3, Gio Alvarez 1, Claudia Molina, Mary Bustamante, Jessica Goodman
Posted by
Mark Kusenberger on January 9, 2010 at 11:06 am
Free throw with 0.6 seconds left is difference in 58-57 win over Madison
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer
Photos by Antonio Morano
SAsports.com Senior Photographer
Paul Garnica’s three-pointer with 6:40 left in the game was important. It broke a tie with West Campus’ Devin Brown and gave him the city’s career scoring record with 2767 points.
More important, perhaps, was point #2770, a free throw with 0.6 seconds left to break a tie and give Lee a 58-57 victory over the Madison Mavericks Friday night at Littleton Gym.
Almost lost in the hoopla over Garnica’s chase of Brown’s record was the fact that the game’s winner would take over first place in 26-5A. Lee (25-2, 5-1 in 26-5A) now leads Churchill (5-2) by one-half game and Madison (13-11, 4-2 in 26-5A) by one game in district play.
Garnica led off the scoring in characteristic fashion, sinking a long three-pointer in the face of tight defense. Then Madison used their height advantage early to build a 13-10 lead, led by Phillip Brown’s six points. Lee closed the quarter on a 6-0 run, including four points by Garnica, and led 16-13 after one.
Emilio Trejo kept the Mavericks in the ballgame with nine second quarter points, including seven during a 10-0 run that briefly gave Madison at 27-25 lead. Garnica sank another three to put Lee back ahead; Madison tied the game twice more in the half before Jeremy McCracken’s ice-water-in-his-veins driving layup with 2 seconds left gave Lee a 34-32 lead at the half.
Garnica’s 15 first half points left him four short of the record. His free throw on a three-point play tied him with Devin Brown midway through the third quarter, then Garnica, conscious that the Madison defense was fixated on him, found Michael McPherson wide open for an easy layup. Lee held Madison to seven third quarter points, and led 43-39 after three.
Garnica’s record breaker came in transition after Trejo found Tyler Wood for a basket to make it Lee 45, Madison 44. In the blink, Garnica was across halfcourt, open for an NBA-length three. When it went in, the crowd roared their appreciation, and Lee head coach Tommy Hines called a 30-second timeout, allowing the fans to savor the moment.
Of course, in the midst of all this, Madison was still trying to win the game. After another Garnica three, Madison went on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 54; the run featured a pair of Lee three-point attempts from the right corner which were swatted by Madison defenders into the seats, and was capped by a tying putback from Wood with 2:59.
With the ball back, Lee went to a stall, then a four-corners offense. After two minutes were drained off the clock, Garnica found Abel Mota again in the right corner. This time, Mota was wide open, and he sank a go-ahead three.
Madison responded quickly with a layup from Andre Scott, then Wood stole a baseline pass with 36.9 seconds left. Wood got open under the basket and received the pass; while he couldn’t make the layup, he drew Michael McPherson’s fifth foul, and went to the line with 13.6 seconds left and a chance to put Madison in the lead.
Wood missed the first free throw, but made the second to tie it at 57. After a foul in the backcourt turned the ball over from Lee to Madison, Lee got the ball back, and Garnica drove to the hoop, drawing a foul. Initially, the foul appeared to be at the buzzer, but the officials put 0.6 seconds back on the clock.
Garnica missed the first free throw, but made the second, and Lee was ahead once more 58-57. Trejo’s three-quarter-court inbound pass went to Jamal Johnson at the left wing; although he didn’t field the pass cleanly, he still managed to guide the ball to the backboard, stopping heartbeats throughout the gym.
But Johnson missed, and Lee won.
A post game ceremony honored Garnica. North East Associate Athletic Director Karen Funk presented the game ball to Garnica and Hines. It was announced that the game ball will be set aside until the end of the season, when it will be inscribed with Garnica’s final career point totals and put on display at the Lee gymnasium.
In the fall of 2006, Lee coach Tommy Hines decided to put a freshman named Paul Garnica on the varsity, seeing – sensing – that Garnica had a special talent that could lead to great things for himself and the program.
At the time, Lee had a downtrodden basketball program that hadn’t made the playoffs since 1992, so almost nobody noticed.
On January 8th, 2010, after a thrilling victory, the Lee Volunteers were 25 and 2, state ranked, and alone in first place in a district which has sent three teams to the state tournament in the last five years. And Garnica had scored more points than any high school basketball player in the history of San Antonio.
On this date, when Garnica hugged his head coach after accepting the game ball celebrating the record, an entire city noticed.
They noticed. And they applauded. And they cheered.
MADISON SCORING: Topher Campbell 14, Emilio Trejo 11, Jamal Johnson 9, Tyler Wood 9, Andre Scott 8, Philip Brown 6, Ron Olmos 2, Jacob Petry, John Davidson
LEE SCORING: Paul Garnica 25, Michael McPherson 13, Jeremy McCracken 8, Abel Mota 6, George Cardenas 3, Rudy DeLeon 3, Joe Uribe, Chris Canedo, Jose Chapa
More photos are available for viewing:
www.moranomemories.photoreflect.com
amorano@satx.rr.com
Posted by
Mark Kusenberger on January 7, 2010 at 6:01 am
Scoring record must wait, but Lee keeps share of first with win over Mac
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer
The MacArthur Brahmas limited Lee’s Paul Garnica to 7 points in the first three quarters, including a scoreless third.
But even with Garnica stifled, MacArthur couldn’t shake the Volunteers, and were clinging to a 42-41 lead after three quarters.
Then when the game was on the line, Garnica hit an NBA-distance game-tying three with 24 seconds left, got a midcourt steal, and drew a foul with 2.8 seconds left. Garnica’s free throws gave Lee a 64-62 victory over the Brahmas Wednesday night.
Garnica’s fourth quarter three echoed the trey he scored late in the first half to tie the game at 30, as Lee went on an 11-2 run to close the half.
MacArthur (17-6, 2-3 in 26-5A) made it clear that someone besides Garnica would have to provide the scoring early. Garnica was double team the instant he crossed midcourt, if not sooner. This approach allowed MacArthur to build up nine points leads in the first and second quarters, but Lee’s aggressive in running the floor led to foul trouble for Josh Simmons and Jordan Pratt, helping Lee produce their comeback runs in the first half.
First, Lee (24-2, 4-1 in 26-5A) had a 9-0 run which extended three minutes into the second quarter, tying the game at 19, then an 11-2 run to close the first half, tying the game at 30. Matt Gramling led the Brahmas with 12 points in the first half, while Josh Williams added 7. Although Garnica was limited to seven points, Michael McPherson produced 10 and Jeremy McCracken poured in seven to keep the Volunteers competitive.
Even with Garnica shut out in the third quarter, MacArthur could only outscore Lee 12-11. Keys scores from Abel Mota and Rudy DeLeon kept Lee in the ball game long enough to set the stage for Garnica’s fourth quarter heroics.
Going into Wednesday’s game, Garnica needed 37 points to pass West Campus’s Devin Brown for most points scored by an area player. A script for a postgame ceremony was prepared and shelved until at least Friday. Garnica scored “only” a game-high 18, so the record must wait.
No one at Littleton felt cheated by the evening’s turn of events.
LEE SCORING: Paul Garnica 18, Michael McPherson 14, Jeremy McCracken 10, Rudy DeLeon 8, Jose Chapa 3, George Cardenas, Joe Uribe, Chris Canedo
MacARTHUR SCORING: Matt Gramling 16, Josh Williams 15, Chris Gramling 13, Jordan Pratt 7, Josh Simmons 7, Chris Parker 4, Michael Flores, Zach Collins, Victor Dlugosz, John Lind
Posted by
Mark Kusenberger on December 30, 2009 at 9:02 am
New Braunfels dominates start to finish in 50-35 victory over Lee
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer
An aggressive press led to several easy baskets and a 50-35 victory for the New Braunfels Unicorns over the Lee Volunteers at New Braunfels Tuesday night.
New Braunfels (19-3, 5-1 in 26-5A) remains tied in the loss column with Smithson Valley and Churchill for the district lead. Churchill faces Johnson Wednesday afternoon at Littleton Gym; Smithson Valley plays at MacArthur Wednesday evening.
Becca Knudson led all scorers with 13 points. Knudson converted two steals into layups in the first quarter, and converted another into an assist to Julie Dirienzo in the second quarter.
Unofficially, New Braunfels had 11 steals in the first half and 17 for the game. The Lady Unicorns, leading 33-16 at halftime, ceased their full-court press for the second half.
New Braunfels outscored Lee (8-13, 0-5 in 26-5A) by 17-6 in the first quarter on their way to building a 28-8 lead. Lee did manage to shrink the lead to 33-16 at the half, thanks largely to 6 points from Deziree Prado. But Knudson led a 10-0 run to built the lead to 43-18. Despite abandoning the press, New Braunfels held Lee to four third-quarter points. The Unicorns built the lead to 50-24 in the fourth quarter before Lee closed the game with an 11-0 run.
New Braunfels post player Sophie Thomas was injured with 2:31 remaining in the first quarter and did not return.
Mariah Silva led the Lady Volunteers with nine points; Serena Reyes contributed six points and six blocked shots.
LEE SCORING: Mariah Silva 9, Deziree Prado 6, Serena Reyes 6, Sara Gomez 5, Gio Alvarez 4, Lauren Gutierrez 2, Genesis Gallardo 2, Leslie Rosales 1, Claudia Molina, Mary Bustamante, Jessica Goodman
NEW BRAUNFELS SCORING: Becca Knudson 13, Julie Dirienzo 8, Caitlin Gillum 6, Katie Hittle 6, Alysa Garza 5, Kristin Guerrero 4, Brandi Peters 4, Emily Fisher 2, Heather Hewitt 2, Arie Hernandez, Ashley Pipper, Sophie Thomas
Posted by
Mark Kusenberger on at 8:54 am
Unicorns win 66-60 in Volunteers’ second loss of season
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer
Danny Oldani’s 16 points led the New Braunfels Unicorns to a 66-60 upset victory over the Lee Volunteers Tuesday night at New Braunfels.
The loss drops Lee out of a tie for first with Churchill and into a four-way tie for second in the loss column with Johnson, Madison, and MacArthur. Churchill, the only undefeated team in 26-5A play, faces Johnson Wednesday, while MacArthur plays Smithson Valley. The win was New Braunfels’ first in district play this season, leaving Roosevelt as the only winless team in 26-5A play; Roosevelt plays Reagan Wednesday evening.
New Braunfels (7-10, 1-3 in 26-5A) received support from all over the floor, holding Michael McPherson to 5 points, barely one third his season average. The Unicorns also used their team height (New Braunfels played seven players at 6’2 or taller; Lee played two) to pass over aggressive defenders for breakaway baskets.
David Norris scored the game’s first 5 points, giving New Braunfels a lead that Lee would challenge, but never take away. Norris also defending Lee’s Paul Garnica for most of the first quarter.
Lee (22-2, 2-1 in 26-5A) fought with five points twice in the second quarter, but P.J. Anderson helped fend off the Volunteers with eight second-quarter points.
Danny Oldani’s hot shooting in the third quarter – 10 points including two three-pointers – spurred the Unicorns to a 50-33 lead. Lee then took off on an 11-0 run, including 5 free throws by Jeremy McCracken, and appeared to be headed to the fourth quarter down 50-44. However, the Volunteers were whistled for a foul at the third quarter buzzer, and Kyle HIttle made two free throws with no time on the clock to send New Braunfels to the fourth quarter leading 52-44.
Dylan Dhase contributed the highlights of the fourth quarter. With McPherson headed for an apparent breakaway layup, Dhase blocked his shot. Later, when free throws by Garnica pulled Lee within 62-55, Dhase’s two-pointer pushed the lead back up to nine. Lee pulled within six at the end thanks to Garnica’s layup just before the buzzer.
LEE SCORING: 22-2, 2-1 Sat Johnson – Paul Garnica 28, Jeremy McCracken 17, Michael McPherson 5, Rudy DeLeon 4, Jose Chapa 4, Abel Mota 2, George Cardenas, Joe Uribe, Chris Canedo
NEW BRAUNFELS SCORING: Danny Oldani 16, P.J. Anderson 11, Dylan Dhase 9, Tyler Hirsch 9, David Norris 7, Christian Cantu 4, Kyle Hittle 4, Nate Green 3, Reed Edwards 2, Calob Castilleja 1, John Simmons, Aaron Underwood
Posted by
Mark Kusenberger on December 23, 2009 at 10:29 am
Paul Garnica’s 54 points lead Lee to 89-77 victory over Reagan
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer
Lee’s Paul Garnica had his biggest scoring night ever against the Reagan Rattlers Tuesday night at Littleton Gym.
Bear in mind, Garnica set a pretty high standard for himself with games of 53 and 37 points in last year’s meetings.
Yet he outdid himself, scoring 54 points, including 22 in the fourth quarter, in leading Lee to an 89-77 victory.
Lee (22-1, 2-0 in 26-5A) joined Churchill as the only undefeated teams in 26-5A play. Reagan (13-6, 1-2 in 26-5A) emerges from the game tied with Smithson Valley and Roosevelt in the loss column for 6th in the district.
Garnica made six three-pointers and shot 6 of 10 from the free throw line. At least three of his three pointers were six feet beyond the arch, and were contested by defenders. At least a dozen of his two-point baskets were contested at the rim, but Garnica would fake once, or even twice, in midair before making the basket. He has now scored 144 points in his last three games against Reagan, averaging 48 a game – or 12 a quarter. Garnica is also 91 points short of Devin Brown’s city scoring record.
Reagan actually led 21-16 after the first quarter. Max Yon’s 8 first quarter points, including a three at the buzzer, led the way for the Rattlers.
But Lee responded with tenacious defense in the second quarter, establishing that despite Garnica’s heroics, the Volunteers win with a team effort. Lee limited Reagan to 5 points for the quarter, all by Yon. The Volunteers started the quarter with a 10-0 run, and finished it with a 7-0 run. Lee led 36-26 at intermission; Garnica supplied eight of the points, and Michael McPherson scored seven.
The Rattlers did close within five at the end of the third, thanks to a stunning offensive display by Tre Demps. Demps scored 18 in the quarter, including 12 of Reagan’s points on the 16-8 run that closed the frame. Reagan appeared have momentum, having pulled within 57-52.
But Lee, thanks to strong offensive rebounding and more threes that Garnica seemed to shoot from the gas station at Bitters and Jones Maltsberger, started the quarter with an 23-7 run, cementing the outcome.
Tre Demps and Max Yon, two of the four juniors starting for Reagan, scored 31 and 26, respectively in leading Reagan.
Combined, they outscored Garnica by 3 points.
REAGAN SCORING: Tre Demps 31, Max Yon 26, Matt Medell 6, Bryan Hardy 6, Darrious Hamilton 4, Connor Knight 2, Brad Coulter 2, James Henderson
LEE SCORING: Paul Garnica 54, Michael McPherson 21, Jeremy McKracken 8, Rudy DeLeon 3, Chris Candeo 3, George Cardenas, Joe Uribe, Jose Chapa, Michael Tyler
Posted by
Mark Kusenberger on December 22, 2009 at 6:18 am
Jessica Kuster dominates in 62-30 victory
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer
Twelve points. Six rebounds. An assists and a steal.
Yep, Jessica Kuster had a pretty good first quarter against Lee.
Led by Kuster, Reagan dominated start to finish in their 62-30 victory Monday night at Littleton Gym.
Kuster played the first three quarters, in which Reagan outscored Lee 17-3, 18-6, and 19-8. She finished unofficially with 26 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, a steal and a blocked shot.
Amanda Westwood added 14 points, 11 in the first half. She scored two three-pointers, both in the second quarter, one off an assist from Kuster. Marissa Rodriguez added 12, 10 in the seconds half.
Deziree Prado scored Lee’s only first quarter points on a three-pointer which cut the Reagan lead to 6-3. Reagan answered with an 18-0 run before Mariah Silva scored to make it 24-5. The Lady Rattlers scored the next 10 points before Lee closed the half on a 4-0 run to make it 35-9 at intermission.
Lee did more to contest Kuster in the third quarter, but this only meant she had to score from the free throw line rather than the field. Kuster scored eight in the third, going 4 from 4 from the line; she finished 6 of 6 from the line for the night.
Lee’s roster includes only two seniors; neither start, and only Jessica Goodman played; she did not score. Junior Serena Reyes led Lee with 8 points, including two trays. Mariah Silva scored six for Lee and doled out several assists.
With the victory, Reagan (14-7, 3-2 in 26-5A) becomes tied with MacArthur and Roosevelt in the loss column for fourth place in 26-5A. Lee, after the loss combined with Madison’s victory over MacArthur earlier in the day, is now the only team in 26-5A without a district win.
REAGAN SCORING: Jessica Kuster 26, Amanda Westwood 14, Marissa Rodriguez 12, Lauren Hernandez 3, Rachel Kottler 2, Malorie Dyer 2, Samantha Zumbro 2, Linda Kuster 1
LEE SCORING: Serena Reyes 8, Mariah Silva 6, Leslie Rosales 5, Gio Alvarez 4, Deziree Prado 3, Sara Gomez 2, Mary Bustamante 2, Lauren Gutierrez, Jessica Goodman
|
