By Jay Plotkin
A 29-point second half surge wasn’t enough for the Lehman Lobos boys basketball team to earn it’s first district win of 2014.
With a passing display more usually seen at Cavalier Stadium, the Lake Travis Cavalier boys basketball team held off Lehman 69-54 on Friday.
Friday’s loss marks the fourth straight year Lehman has dropped it’s first two district games of the season. Lehman started 0-2 in 27-4A play last season en route to a 5-9 finish.
The pass-happy Cavaliers (14-2, 2-0 in District 14-6A) dished out 17 assists on their 23 baskets, including seven from senior guard Tate Searle, in the win. Searle had three of his assists during a 15-2 run that extended the Cavaliers’ lead to 53-35 late in the third quarter.
Lehman High senior Robert Salinas kept the Lobos within striking distance with a big second half, scoring 16 of his 19 points after the break. JR Torres and Ivan Melendez scored 15 and 14 points for Lehman, respectively.
Blake Watkins, who had a pair of early assists himself, was the beneficiary of Lake Travis’ third quarter unselfishness. He scored nine straight Cavalier points, all off passes from teammates.
“We just started attacking the rim,” Watkins said of his run. “I was just doing my job. Getting easy points really helps. That kind of starts a run.”
Lake Travis head coach Clint Baty said Watkins and D’Marcus Lacy both made key contributions off the bench.
“Blake gave us a big lift in the third quarter,” Baty said. “D’Marcus did the same thing in the first half, though he didn’t get off to a great start.”
Upon entering the game in the second quarter, Lacy threw away an inbounds pass and committed a foul. But he made up for it quickly. With the game tied, he hit a three off a feed from Christian Seidl, then stole the ball and made a driving layup. Jake Budde followed with a steal and score, and when Seidl made two free throws, the Cavaliers led 32-20.
The Cavaliers led 32-25 at halftime.
Searle led a balanced attack with 14 points. Seidl added 13 and Watkins had 11. Rivara and Budde added nine and eight points, respectively, and Budde’s dunk off a coast-to-coast drive helped spark the Cavaliers’ third quarter run.
Baty said Lake Travis’ balance helps lead to unselfish play.
“The kids know that we have lots of players who can score,” he said, “so they are very willing to share the ball with each other.”
Lehman (3-7, 0-2) hung tough in the second half. Lake Travis outscored Lehman 37-29 in the final 16 minutes, with Lehman outscoring the Cavaliers 17-16 in the final quarter.
“I know they had not won a district game coming in, but if they play like that again, they will beat some teams,” Baty said. “They shot the ball very well. For us to win a game by 10 or 15 points when the other team shoots as well as I think they did tonight, that says something about us.”
The Lobos host the Del Valle Cardinals on Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lobo Den. It’s followed by a road contest against St. Stephen’s on Dec. 23. The Lobos will participate in the Boerne Tournament on Dec. 29-30 to close 2014.
