Ladies Top Pecos, Drop Game to Midland Christian
    Staff Writers, The Monahans News ~~ December 5, 2006

The early-season strengths and weaknesses were switched up for the Monahans Lady Loboes over the weekend, at their annual Sandhills Tournament .

"We flip-flopped.  We had been playing pretty good on offense and struggling on defense, but today we struggled on offense," head coach Treasure Thaggard said, after her team lost in the title game of the tournament to the Midland Christian Mustangs by a 46-29 score.

The loss came a day after the Loboes held Pecos under 30 points, defeating the Eagles in the tournament semifinals by a 38-28 final score.  And Saturday's game was closer than the final score indicated, as the Loboes trailed by only a 27-26 score with 61/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter, before Midland Christian went on a 19-3 run to end the game.

"We've been working on our defensive looks in practice, and it looks like we turned that around for the most part.  But Midland Christian's defense just shut our offense down," Thaggard said.  "Once we start putting both parts of our game together, we'll be all right."

Neither team held more than a four-point lead until the Mustangs' Allie Gerlach scored on a rebound lay-up and was fouled by Bethany Willmon with 11 seconds left in the third period. She completed the three-point play to put Midland ahead 27-22, but Monica Ortega hit a rebound lay-up an Catherine Cutbirth scored on a side jumper to open the final period and narrow the lead to one.

However, Candace Kohm answered with a jumper from the foul line, and then the Mustangs began getting inside and getting fouled by the Loboes.  Catlin Michael and Jordan Schwarz hit three of four free throws, Hope Hellmans followed with one of her four 3-point jumpers, and after Kohm missed the front end of a 1-and-1, Michael rebounded the miss scored and was fouled by Cutbirth.  She missed her foul shot, but the basket gave the Mustangs an 11-point lead with under three minutes to play.

Monahans' biggest lead was early, at 6-3, on a pair of free throws by Willmon, a rebound lay-up y Dina Ortiz and a foul line jumper by Cutbirth.  Hellams first 3 pointer had gotten Midland on the board, and they would eventually take a four point lead in the second period at 14-10, after a lay-up and foul shot by Kohm.

Two baskets by Cutbirth tied the fame, and Jordan Latham would tie it again just before halftime, at 16-all, on two free throws after a basket by Gerlach.  Consecutive baskets by Latham and Cutbirth in the third period would give Monahans their last lead, at 20-19, but a 3-point jumper by Hellams put Midland Christian ahead to stay.

Cutbirth was the lone Monahans player in double figures with 10.  Hellmans led Midland Christian with 16, while Kohm finished with 11, and all three were named to the all-tournament team.

On Friday, the Loboes trailed only once, at 2-0, after a game opening  basket by Chantel Mazone. but the Eagles' post would get into foul trouble shortly after that, while the Loboes would use their full court press to shut Pecos; offense down for most of the evening.

The game was tied at 4-all when Willmon scored on a rebound lay-up, Ortiz hit a 3-pointer then hit two of three foul shots after being fouled by Jasmine Rayos  on another 3, to give Monahans an 11-4 lead.  A basket by Claire Weinacht broke the streak as the period ended, but Latham would hit two free throws and a short jumper and Cutbirth would score on a rebound side jumper to push the margin to 11 as the second quarter opened.

Two baskets by Amalie Herera and a 3-pointer by Rayos would cut the lead back down to six, but the Loboes would end the half and open the third period with baskets by Kellie Almanza and Willmon off passes by Cutbirth for a 23-13 lead.

Pecos' biggest run came after that, as Mazone, Adrianna Armendariz and Herrera would score seven straight points to make it 23-20 with three minutes left in the third period.  But the Loboes would shut out the Eagles for the rest of the quarter and managed only give points in the fourth period.  Two baskets by Latham and a pair of foul shots by Willmon closed out the quarter, and Cutbirth scored on a rebound basket as the fourth quarter opened to make it 31-20 game.

Latham led Monahans with 14 points while Cutbirth had eight.  Herrera and Armendariz had six points apiece to lead Pecos.

Monahans opened tournament play on Thursday, defeating Presidio by a 47-44 final score. The improved Devils kept things close throughout, trailing by just two points at halftime and by a 24-20 score at halftime.  Monahans led by five after three quarters, and got 13 points apiece in the game from Cutbirth and Ortiz, who also had the game's only two 3-point shots.  

Pecos had defeated Big Spring earlier on Friday, in a game moved back a day due to icy conditions that closed Interstate 20 on Thursday between Big Spring and Stanton. The Steers were then defeated by Presidio, which lost in the consolation finals to Alpine, 62-30.

Pecos lost the third place game to Midland Classical, 51-37, after the Knights were edged on Friday by Midland Christian in the other semifinal, 40-37.

"I'm real proud of the girls.  They've never made it to the final of their tournament before," Thaggard said.  The 2-1 weekend improved Monahans to 3-5 on the season going into Tuesday night's game at Reagan County against the Owls.  Monahans then goes to the Abilene Wylie Tournament, where they'll take on Lubbock Cooper Trinity in pool round play on Friday.

Monahans' junior varsity also played in the tournament, losing their opening game to Midland Christian by a 48-11 score, then falling on Friday to Alpine, 51-23.

Latham and Kristy Holly off the Loboes' JV joined Cutbirth in being named to the all tournament team.  The rest of the squad was made up of Alpine's Brittany Simples, Presidio's Mindy Ortiz, Pecos' Rayos, Midland Classical's Melanie Watson and Big Spring's Heather Sheppard.

Keyed by Daisy Corrales, Senior