The Brownwood Lady Lions’ scrappiness was on full display Saturday afternoon at Warren Gym as they controlled the second half en route to a 57-51 triumph over the Class 2A No. 10 Cisco Lady Loboes.
“We played extremely hard for four quarters,” said Lady Lions 12th-year head coach Heather Hohertz. “We made some mistakes but we didn’t let that bother us. We had a next play mentality.”
Fresh off a 48-35 win at Goldthwaite Friday night, the Lady Lions (5-6) came one point shy of matching their season-high in points Saturday.
“Friday night was a big confidence booster, it’s like we were in a rut and couldn’t get out of it” Hohertz said. “Last night really helped and that momentum fed over to today. I told them Cisco played last night, too, so there’s no excuse to be tired, and for four quarters they stepped it up and came out and played a really good ball game.”
Brooke Price paced the Lady Lions with a career-high 25 points followed by Lindsey Larose with 14 and Tessa Goodwin also finished in double figures with 10 points. Alexa Arreola chipped in four points, Kynslee Walker added two and Mady Pyle and Naysa Leach finished with one point apiece.
“Those two seniors stepped up and it’s go time for them,” Hohertz said. “They don’t have many games left in their senior season and I thought they were both huge for us. Lindsey was a big key getting (Cisco leading scorer Sophia Hurtado) in foul trouble, along with Tessa attacking the basket. I was proud of how they performed, how they shot the ball and how we played defense.”
The Lady Lions also knocked down 23 of 32 free throws, including 17 of 23 during the first half. The two teams combined to attempt 41 free throws in the first half alone, and 56 for the game.
“Both of us were fouling a whole lot, and we haven’t been too good at free throws, but we shot 71 percent,” Hohertz said. “I’d like to see it up to 80 percent, but I’ll take 23 points any day.”
The Lady Lions trailed 13-9 after one quarter, but surged in front, 24-19, with 2:59 left in the half on a three-pointer by Arreola. Despite 14 points in the quarter by Price, the Lady Lions witnessed their lead dwindle as Cisco (5-2) grabbed a 33-30 advantage at halftime.
In the third period, however, the Lady Lions seized control, outscoring Cisco 18-8 to build a 48-41 cushion.
Trailing 41-35 with 4:56 left in the third period following a three-pointer by Hurtado, who led Cisco with 16 points, the Lady Lions scored the final 13 points of the quarter.
Two buckets inside from Larose, who then added a pair of free throws, allowed Brownwood to draw even at 41 with 2:54 left in the third period. Hurtado also picked up her fourth foul of the game during that stretch.
Then, at the 2:21 mark of the third, the Lady Lions took the lead for good on a three-pointer by Price. Larose and Goodwin added buckets before the quarter ended to boost the lead to seven points.
“I talked to them in the locker room about the first four minutes of the second half being the biggest key of the game,” Hohertz said. “That was going to determine whether we put ourselves in a position to win or not. We started the half with a turnover, but we bounced back after that. They played well, all nine of them. Whether they scored points or they didn’t, they found ways to help the team be successful and that’s all I’ve been trying to ask from them.”
In the fourth period, the Lady Lions led by no fewer than eight points. When Hurtado fouled out with 3:05 to go, Goodwin sank two free throws to boost the lead to 55-44. Brownwood was still in front by 11 points with 36 seconds left, but Cisco recorded the final two buckets, including a three-pointer.
Justice Fox and Brooklyn Hurtado joined Sophia Hurtado in double figures for Cisco with 15 and 11 points, respectively, but the Lady Loboes committed 22 turnovers.
Brownwood converted 33 percent (15 of 46) of its shots, sinking four three-pointers, while grabbing 33 rebounds, snatching 11 steals, dishing out 10 assists and finishing with 19 turnovers.
The Lady Lions will shoot for a third straight win at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday as they battle Midland Greenwood in Merkel.
