Lady Loboes Improve District Record to 2-0
    By Randy Hogan, Staff Writer ~ The Monahans News, December 20, 2005

The Lady Lobo basketball team pulled away from Pecos in a tight district game at the Jerry Larned Complex Friday night, dominating the second half to remain undefeated in conference play.

The Lady Loboes picked up 37 rebounds and kept Pecos off balance with a solid team shooting performance to remain atop the District 3-3A leaders.

"We ran the floor well tonight and really rebounded well against a bigger Pecos team," Monahans Coach Treasure Thaggard said.  "I am really excited to be 2-0 in District at this stage."

Monahans (3-7 Season, 2-0 District), led 14-4 after one period of play, but ended the first half tied as Pecos turned up the heat and made it a game going into the intermission.

The Lady Eagles scored 14 points of their own in the second period to close the gap and used solid defense to silence the MHS shooters.

Pecos (3-10 Season, 0-2 District), tied the game in the closing minutes of the first half as Chantelle Mazone took an inside pass and filled the net to knot the score at 16-16.

The Lady Eagles actually took the lead 18-16 on a quick move to the basket by Olga Medoza, after a big defensive stand by PHS.

However, Lauren Fuentes stole an Eagle pass and pushed the ball up court to Kym Madrid.  Madrid shot the ball beautifully over Vanessa Valeriano on a lay-up under the basket, tying the game at 18-18 just before the intermission.

"We were out of position several times.  That cost us some points, but I think the new system is finally starting to fall into place," Thaggard said.

Coach Thaggard is in her first season at Monahans, bringing valuable playoff experience.  She collected a state championship ring at Seagraves last year, before coming to MHS to lead the Lady Lobo program.

Pecos took the court with a different mindset in the second half, stopping Monahans on the opening possession.  Mendoza missed on her jump shot, but Mazone pulled down the rebound and went back up with a strong move to the basket.  The big Lady Eagle powered the ball over Monahans' defenders for the two points.

Leading 20-18, Mazone forced a Monahans turnover and immediately drove the ball up court.  But the quickness of Chelsea Cartwright interrupted Mazone's concentration handling the ball, and the Green regained control on the turnover.

Cartwright tied the game at 20-20 with 5:36 to play in the third period, as she banked the ball off the backboard for the score.

Madrid demonstrated her defensive skills, stealing the ball on the Eagles' next trip up the court, followed by a lay-up to give the Lady Loboes a two-point advantage.

PHS Coach Lisa Lowry called timeout to regroup her Eagles with 5:08 to play in the period.

Monahans went back to work instantly as play resumed.  Catherine Cutbirth took the ball into the key, looked off the defender, and sank the open jump shot to give MHS a 24-20 lead.

Moments later, Madrid stole the inbound pass and put it in the hoop, completing an outstanding turnover conversion for the Green.  Madrid's points off the steal gave Monahans a 26-20 lead that would eventually prove to be more than PHS could overcome.

"We have struggled with scoring, Coach Lowry said.  "We get some good looks, but we are making too many mental mistakes and turnovers."

The momentum had clearly taken a swing in MHS' favor, as Jordan Latham tied up Mazone, and gave Monahans possession once again with 3:50 to play in the third period.  Madrid finished the trip for the Lady Loboes with a jump shot good for two points, increasing the MHS lead to 28-20.

Monahans would complete the game-breaking, ten-point swing, as Madrid drove the lane.  On the play, Madrid split Mendoza and Hinojos on her way to the goal.  Her basket came with 2:58 remaining in the third period, and gave Monahans an insurmountable 30-20 lead.

Mazone broke the MHS run, taking an offensive rebound off the board and putting it back up for two points.  Mazone's bucket narrowed the deficit to 30-22 with 2:16 to play in the third, but more importantly ended a four-minute scoring drought by Pecos.

Dina Ortiz was all business in the game against her former teammates, sinking a jump shot from the left side of the key to move the game back to a ten-point margin.

Ortiz would contribute eight total points for the night, but it was her defensive play that made the all-star athlete shine.

Pecos made a short run at the Lady Loboes late in the period, picking up a free throw by Rayes, and a field goal by Mendoza to close the scoring gap to 32-25 with 24 seconds to play in the third period.

Madrid, the Green's leading scorer with 16 points, took an offensive rebound and converted it into a score with only seven seconds remaining in the period.

On the play, Madrid also drew the shooting foul, but the free throw attempt was unsuccessful.

Monahans held an impressive 34-25 lead going into the final period.

After surrendering a free throw to the Eagles, Monahans sophomore Jordan Latham took control of the fourth period.  Latham's field goal with 7:21 to play in the game gave MHS a 36-26 lead.

Ortiz immediately followed with a steal, racing the length of the court and completing the play with a classic lay-up.  Ortiz' basket stretched the lead to 12 points at the 7-minute mark on the game clock.

Latham began to force her will, driving the ball into the Pecos defense.  She sank two free throw attempts, giving Monahans a huge 40-26 lead midway through the fourth period.

Mazone drew the foul and went to the line for PHS, sinking the first of the two free throw attempts.  The second rattled off the rim, and Latham pulled down the rebound.

Monahans pushed the ball up court.  Latham once again handled an offensive rebound, and quickly put it back up for two-points.

Pecos' shooters began to find their rhythm, cutting into the double-digit deficit.

Latham would later add another free throw to complete her 12-point night for Monahans.

Cutbirth followed with a drive down the lane for a field goal to give Monahans a 45-33 lead with 38 seconds to play.

Mazone completed her game high 17-point scoring effort, with a field goal to bring the game to 45-35 with just 27 seconds to play.

Cutbirth sank two free throws, and Valeriano closed the evening's scoring for the Eagles with a field goal in the closing seconds of the game.

"We are young, inexperienced, and we get frustrated at times," Lowry said.  "We are improving and I think headed in the right direction.  We had it going and just shot ourselves in the foot.  I give credit to Monahans, they are a good team too."

Monahans walked off the court with a decisive 47-37 victory over long-time rival Pecos, but more importantly moved their district record to 2-0.

"We are beginning to believe in out new offensive system," Coach Thaggard said.  "I really like the chemistry of our team, and I think we will compete well in district."

Keyed by Melissa Ramirez, Senior