By Moses Leos III
Bowie Lady Bulldog senior forward Kianna Ray was too much for the Lehman Lady Lobos to handle Tuesday at the Lobo Den.
Ray’s 30 point effort paved the way for Bowie to roll past Lehman 59-37 in both teams’ district opener.
A pair of Lady Lobos tallied double-digit point totals on the night. Freshman Makayla Coy led the team with 16 points, while junior Crystal Montoya finished with 13 points.
Bowie junior Savannah Ralph scored 15 points in the game.
The Lady Bulldogs wasted little time in going to Ray, who scored 18 of her 30 points in the first quarter alone.
Bowie jumped out to a 4-2 lead before closing the quarter on a 21-2 run. Bowie led Lehman 25-4 after the initial eight minutes.
Lady Lobo head coach Jamie Coy said the team attempted to limit the interior presence of Ray. She said the team “packed the paint” and forced Ray to shoot from the perimeter.
“We had to keep her out of the paint and force her to take the low-percentage three,” Coy said.”
But Lehman struggled to corral Ray, who used her size and speed to gain access into the lane and score easy buckets.
On the defensive end, Bowie used its overall size and speed advantage to force Lehman into a plethora of first quarter turnovers.
The Lady Lobos committed eight turnovers in the first quarter, and finished with 14 turnovers in the game.
But Lehman rectified those issues in the second frame, as it scrapped its way back into contention.
Guided by Makayla Coy, Lehman worked to close the gap, eventually cutting Bowie’s lead to 38-16 at halftime
According to Coach Coy, the Lady Lobos were able to generate a much more aggressive stance on offense. She said the team’s ability to not allow Bowie to dictate the pace of play led to some success.
“I told them to go ahead and attack the basket. Don’t’ be afraid of getting the shot blocked,” Coy said. “It’s better to attack the basket and score, than to not attack at all.”
But Lehman also battled inexperience on the court as well. Lehman’s starting lineup featured four juniors and a freshman. In addition, Coy said the Lady Lobos brought up sophomore Maggie Castillo from the junior varsity team to provide depth.
For Castillo, who played in her first varsity game, the experience was initially daunting.
“I was scared because it was my first varsity game,” Castillo said. “But since we worked as a team, we all pulled through.
But Castillo said Leh-man’s ability to improve ball movement, along with playing as a team, allowed for more success in the second half. The Lady Lobos outscored Bowie 13-12 in the third frame.
Despite the youth, Coy said her group played Bowie “better this year than we did last year with eight seniors.”
She also said Tuesday’s game was a “big step” for her team to build confidence.
“We have three juniors, two sophomores and a volleyball player…that hasn’t played basketball since her 7th grade year,” Coy said. “I can’t really be upset with them, because they went out there, they worked hard and tried.”
Lehman travels to play at Cedar Creek on Friday, then goes on the road to Akins Monday at 7:30 p.m.
