A hard-fought early second quarter run couldn’t keep the Lehman Lady Lobos afloat in a 48-24 loss to the Westlake Chaparrals Friday at the Lobo Den.
But as the Lobos (8-19, 0-6 in 25-6A) ready for the second round of district play, head coach James Halatin hopes to foster progress as the season winds down.
“Now it’s what do we do to improve,” Halatin said. “Every game there has to be improvement, so this program, however the season ends, can say, ‘when we see ...
A hard-fought early second quarter run couldn’t keep the Lehman Lady Lobos afloat in a 48-24 loss to the Westlake Chaparrals Friday at the Lobo Den.
But as the Lobos (8-19, 0-6 in 25-6A) ready for the second round of district play, head coach James Halatin hopes to foster progress as the season winds down.
“Now it’s what do we do to improve,” Halatin said. “Every game there has to be improvement, so this program, however the season ends, can say, ‘when we see these guys next year, we’re going to be better.’”
Halatin lauded the Lady Lobos’ effort Friday, which allowed them to orchestrate a critical second quarter run to close a substantial points gap.
Lehman utilized their pressure defense to take an early 4-0 first quarter lead before Westlake stormed right back. A 14-3 Westlake run allowed the Chaparrals to take a 14-7 lead early in the second frame.
The Lobos responsed by going on a 6-0 scoring spurt to close the Chaparral lead to one point at 14-13. Westlake powered ahead for a 7-0 run to close the first half with a 21-13 lead.
Halatin said a spotlight was placed on effort following the team’s loss to Lake Travis. Lehman’s run in the second quarter was the “most effort in a game we’ve seen since district started,” Halatin said.
Forcing Westlake to adjust to their effort, rather than the Lady Lobos adjusting to Westlake’s game plan, was a sign of progress, Halatin said.
“The girls were excited at halftime. They had a bounce to them. I told them, ‘this is what games should feel like. We’re down by seven, but who cares, you’re playing and you’re in the mix,’” Halatin said.
But Westlake’s size advantage, along with Lobo shooting woes, provided the Chaparrals momentum to pull away in the second half. Westlake claimed a 34-21 lead at the end of the third quarter, followed by outscoring the Lobos 14-3 in the final frame.
Halatin said Westlake was active and attacked the glass in the second half. He told his team they needed tenacity and “to borrow from Gregg Popovich, we had to ‘bring the nasty.’”
“That’s a cultural thing, we just don’t’ have that grit,” Halatin said. “I’m not going to say we don’t have fight, but we don’t have the tenacity to slam into that girl before she gets the rebound.”
Despite the struggles, Halatin said the Lady Lobos are “getting there” as far as tenacity and grit goes. He said the team is “battling at this point,” which he said what coaches are asking for.
Working on some of the little things, such as continuing to build a cohesive basketball IQ, continues to be a point of progress for the team. Halatin said working to simplify halftime adjustments to allow players to play freely has been successful.
“We’re learning though, that’s the beauty of this game,” Halatin said. “Every day is a learning experience and the girls are getting better at that.”
Lehman will attempt to snap a five game losing streak at Leander Friday before hosting Vista Ridge Jan. 24 at 7:00 p.m. at the Lobo Den.