Lady Rebel forward Jaleasa Jones makes a steal and heads down the court for a layup in Hays’ 47-45 victory Tuesday afternoon at Lehman. (Photo by Judy Cooper)
by MARK CAUL
When junior guard Amara Smith’s desperation half-court heave fell just short of its mark, Hays head coach Danny Preuss breathed a sigh of relief as the final buzzer sounded.
The Lady Rebels hung on for a 47-45 victory at Lehman and Preuss was able to escape the gym of the program he helped build for the previous six years with a victory.
“I tried to use my old office but they wouldn’t let me,” joked Preuss. “It was a little strange at first but once everything started it was just another game. I’m just glad we won because it was a game we really needed.”
Both teams are now 1-2 in district.
With former Hays head coach Donny McDonald looking on from the stands, the Lady Rebels sprinted out to their customary quick start against Lehman.
Hays guard Nicole Alcantara scored seven of her team-high 14 points to give the Lady Rebels an early 10-2 advantage in the first quarter.
Both teams struggled mightily from the field for much of the second quarter, but the game’s most pivotal play came with less than a few seconds left in the first half.
After Lehman had battled back from a six-point second quarter deficit to close the gap to 23-21, Lehman’s Catherine Gonzalez was fouled going to the basket by Javon Saucedo.
But after Gonzalez missed the front end of a one-and-one, Alcantara cleared the rebound, then tossed a pass down court to Shannon Peace, who drained a 25-foot bomb as time expired to push the Lady Rebels ahead 26-21 at intermission.
“It was probably the biggest play of the game,” Lehman head coach Jamie Coy said. “It was a lucky shot that went in and stretched their lead out after we had started to close the gap a little bit.”
When Jaleasa Jones, who finished the game with 13 points, connected on a short jumper to give the Lady Rebels their biggest lead of the game late in the third quarter at 39-27, Hays appeared to be in control of the game.
But Smith, who led all scorers with 21 points, spearheaded a furious Lehman rally that saw the Lady Lobos creep within 47-45 with only six seconds to play.
After Alcantara missed a free throw for Hays, Ariana Gallegos gathered the rebound and shoveled an outlet pass to Smith, who launched a shot from mid-court that glanced off the rim as time expired.
“I knew the Lehman girls were going to come out and battle,” Preuss said. “They really wanted to win this game. The next one should be fun.”
The rematch is Jan. 25. at Hays.
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