By Moses Leos III
A 4-1 mark over a five game span last week was enough for the Hays Lady Rebels to claim second place overall in the ten team Drip Classic Tournament in Dripping Springs.
But for Lady Rebel head coach Danny Preuss, the tournament helped give him a much clearer vision of his team heading into district play.
“Prior to this tournament, I didn’t know what my team was like. Now I do,” Preuss said. “We’re a good team. We have the potential to be a very good team.”
Hays’ run at the Drip Classic Tournament saw them go through pool play unscathed. The Lady Rebels rolled past all four of their pool play opponents by an average of 15 points per win. Hays’ closest pool play game came in a 52-45 victory over Pflugerville Connally Friday.
For Preuss, taking on the likes of proven opponents such as Connally, New Braunfels and Smithson Valley was beneficial.
“We’re talking three good, quality programs, and we won handily in each of those games,” Preuss said.
Lady Rebel senior Amanda Benjamin said pool play success “felt good” and that the team is further ahead from where they were at this point in 2014.
Benjamin cited improved communication as the focal point for the team’s improvement.
“This year, we’ve communicated a lot better,” Benjamin said. “Last year, the communication was hard to get through. I think the bonding of this team is a lot better this year than last year.”
The Rebels closed the tournament in the championship game where they faced off against A&M Consolidated Tigers.
But a furious third quarter rally by A&M Consolidated allowed the Tigers to defeat Hays 62-53.
Hays kept pace with Consolidated, trailing by only a point at 18-17 after the first quarter.
But the Rebels rallied back in the second frame, outscoring the Tigers 13-2 in the quarter.
The Lady Rebels led 30-20 at halftime. But the Tigers overpowered Hays in the second half, outscoring the Rebels 42-23 in the final 16 minutes. A&M Consolidated helped their own cause by outscoring Hays 24-11 in the third quarter.
Preuss said the Tigers’ had playmakers that changed momentum. Despite the loss, he said Hays played its best game of the season thus far.
Benjamin said Consolidated was the “hardest team we’ve played.” She added that their play correlates with what they may see in teams such as Lake Travis in district.
“I think we’re doing a lot better than last year. I think we’re going to do a lot better this season,” Benjamin said. “Those (district) games will be tough, but we’ll get through them a lot easier than last year.”
