The focus for San Marcos is avoiding a repeat of the last couple of seasons: finding success during regular season play then ultimately falling short of the playoffs once again. Unfortunately for the purple and white, they dropped their second straight loss this season against Austin Westlake, 51-43, on Tuesday night inside the Snake Pit.
After starting the season on an impressive four-game win streak, senior forward Faith Phillips said the record was great but would mean nothing if they repeat a 4-10 record in district play. Head coach Veronda Kendall expressed how close the team is to finding a rhythm in their next few games.
“We know that we’re right there on the verge of being much better and getting better. We know that right now it’s just about seizing the opportunities,” Kendall said. “When they happen in the game. you have to seize those opportunities on both ends — on the defensive end and then on the offensive end and in our offensive execution.”
As bad as another loss looks, most of the Lady Rattlers’ wounds were self-inflicted as they turned the ball over 11 times due to Westlake’s pressure up top. Kendall described the turnovers as forced as a result of the team’s failure to keep their composure after adversity. That gave the Lady Chaparrals (6-4, 2-0 district) a 21-15 advantage heading into halftime.
It seemed as if a moment to seize an opportunity bypassed the hosts by missing the front of end of a one-and-one. The score sat 26-24. That miss led to a fastbreak, as Steph Curry-like sophomore guard Peyton Freiermuth hit her fourth triple of the game. A seven-point swing pulled the momentum in Westlake’s favor, 33-24, before the Lady Rattlers called timeout.
The game plan was to keep Freiermuth from getting hot from outside. But once she did, the middle of the floor parted like the Red Sea, leaving driving lanes unguarded for Westlake’s speedy guards.
“We wanted to make sure that we closed out on that particular shooter. And we wanted to make sure that we kept the offensive players in front of us. Unfortunately, they started attacking down hill and we had a little bit of trouble adjusting,” Kendall said.
San Marcos was able to cut the lead down to two with 7:18 left in the game after Phillips knocked down two free throws but they failed to capitalize in key situations down the stretch. Missed free throws, as well as turnovers, cost the Lady Rattlers their first district win.
San Marcos (4-2, 0-2) gets another chance to get its first district win at home against rival Buda Hays (8-3, 1-0) this Friday inside the Snake Pit at 7 p.m. After a 4-0 start to the season, this is the first taste of losing for this team. Kendall doesn’t want her players to get rattled by these first games in district.
“We talked to them about keeping their focus, staying positive right now and looking at how we can get better,” Kendall said. “I mean, that is something you have to do quickly. We don’t get any nights off in this district, so we have to go back to the drawing board and look at ways we can improve.”
