By JOE R. BOWLING, JR.
Special to the NEWS
ALICE – The San Benito Lady Greyhounds took their fans on one last final exciting ride as they took to the road in Alice, Texas in a regional final game against Laredo Alexander.
A team that has beaten them by 26 points earlier in the season found that this Lady Greyhound team was nothing like the one they faced in November. From the word go, the Lady ’Hounds dug deep with the defense that had brought them through the season and into history.
In a November meeting after a quarter, San Benito trailed by 16. On Friday night, after the first eight minutes, they led by one.
Up 10-9, the team had sent a clear message that they would be there all night. Behind the inside play of Kassandra Sanchez, and the outside play of Amanda Garza, Sarah Garcia, and Alex Cerda, the team received contributions once again from nearly every player that hit the floor.
A second quarter saw each team score eight points and San Benito clung to an 18-17 halftime lead. The Lady ’Hounds shot 50 percent from the field in the first half and held the Lady Bulldogs, much to the strength of the zone defense, shot just 36 percent from the field.
In the third quarter, Alexander, a squad which came into the game with a 31-4 record, displayed the traits of a team that knew how to win when facing adversity. They clamped down on San Benito, outscoring the Lady ’Hounds 13-7 and forced multiple turnovers as they took control.
San Benito wasn’t quite finished.
In the fourth quarter, again behind the gutsy play of some seniors who refused to quit, San Benito battled back and eventually took a lead late in the game when Angelita “Bubba” Rodriguez hit a short jumper. For the next two minutes, the game hung in the balance before a couple of steals for Laredo allowed them to regain the lead and hold on for an eventual 43-37 win.
The Lady ’Hounds were led in scoring by Garza, who played her final game scoring nine points and taking down seven rebounds. Garcia finished with eight points, and Sanchez finished with seven and as many boards. Cerda also finished the game with seven points.
“This team took us on a heck of a ride,” said Head Coach Clarisse Arredondo, “And I couldn’t be prouder of what they accomplished. There is no way we played anywhere near the same as that we did in November, and that team over there that beat us knows it. The future looks bright.”
The San Benito Lady Greyhounds finished the season going 26-9 and winning the school’s first ever District 32-5A and Bi-District championships.
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