By Mike Blackwell
Seven single-digit district losses are tough for any basketball team to accept, especially for one that clearly brings maximum effort to the court each game.
And while Lehman boys coach Thomas Acker isn’t happy about enduring those kinds of wrenching defeats, he’s certainly appreciative of his team’s will in the midst of a difficult season.
The Lobos’ latest tough loss came Friday at home against Lake Travis, that pushed past Acker’s hard-working group for a 44-35 win.
It was another case of Lehman playing well for a period of time – the Lobos outscored the Cavaliers 22-20 in the second half – but not well enough to win.
With the loss, Lehman’s overall record fell to 5-8 and 1-9 in district play. Lake Travis improved to 20-4 overall and 8-2 in district.
Lake Travis jumped to a 13-6 first-quarter lead, then stretched the advantage in the second quarter to lead at halftime 24-13. The Lobos started slowly offensively, a start that dug them a hole out of which they couldn’t escape.
“They took away our post presence in the first half,” Acker said. “Really, I thought they out-toughed us. They were more physical than we were, and they had really good ball movement. That’s a really good team, too.”
Lehman’s offensive struggles were apparent in the boxscore. Aaron Rodriguez and Robert Salinas led the Lobos in scoring with eight points, while Rey Gonzalez and Ivan Melendez scored six apiece. All of Melendez’s points came in the second half.
The Cavaliers, who made 12 of 17 free throw attempts in the game, were led by Tate Searle’s nine points, and teammate Christian Seidl scored eight points.
The Lobos cut the lead to five at one point in the third period, when their defensive effort held the Cavaliers, who might very well be a playoff team, to just six points in eight minutes. Lake Travis outscored the Lobos 14-13 in the fourth period to finish their task.
“It’s tough,” said Acker, whose team includes five sophomores, “but I never question whether or not this team is going to bring it. Ever.”
