Experience is the best teacher.
Head coach Veronda Kendall didn't inform San Marcos’ younger players that they would be tossed into the starting lineup in a non-district matchup against San Antonio Christian on Friday night.
Couple that with a week in between games and it can be difficult to adjust but in a year like this, adjusting continues to be a running theme. Kendall put together a starting five of players who need to gain experience playing at the varsity level to help the Lady Rattlers make a run in the district.
“We wanted to get the younger guys some experience and I think they got a good taste of what is to come and what it takes to be successful, you know, when you don't have that experience, how important it is,” Kendall said.
And how important it was in the fourth quarter. Senior guard Kayla Presley scored 10 of her 15 points in the moments she's been playing in since her sophomore year. That time led to learning how to execute in these situations.
Kendall’s explanation of the difference between her upperclassmen and her newcomers displayed itself throughout the game but in the end, the mixed play from youth and vet came together in a grind-it-out 31-25 win over the Lions.
“I would have to say that the experience matters when you have experienced guards on the floor,” Kendall said. “And then our efforts towards offensive execution and knowing certain situations, I-it matters. I think the experience is big, though.”
One of those first-time starters was freshman Bailey Guzman, who found out she was starting 30 seconds before the game.
“I was so nervous, oh my gosh,” said Guzman. “But then I got it just whenever the game started and it was just normal and then everything was fine … First time, starting in the big gym on the varsity team was kinda scary, but it was fine once the game started.”
Guzman kickstarted the offense with a dime to another first time starter — senior center Amiya Moore — who filled in for senior forward Faith Phillips, who was not dressed out. The new combination of players took some getting used to as San Marcos scored its season-low point total in a half with a 13-10 lead at intermission.
San Antonio Christian (3-2) preyed on the hosts' weaknesses and hesitance to shoot the ball from the perimeter with a 2-3 zone. It held the opposition from reaching double-figures in consecutive quarters. Guzman broke down what made it tough for them in the middle quarters of the game.
“We couldn’t have too much movement at the top, everything was happening at the bottom, and everything was just so set. It was just all compacted in the middle,” Guzman said. “It was a little rough, but we figured it out and pulled through.”
Eventually the purple and white would solve what the last two opponents have shown them. Presley hit perimeter shots from both sides on the floor to extend San Marcos’ lead 24-17. The Lions retaliated with a 8-2 quick run that cut the lead to two with 1:39 left in the fourth. In no rush to score, the Rattlers held the ball until it landed in its veteran point guard’s hands. The senior finished on the left side of the rim with ease, sealing the game.
San Marcos’ defense continues to be one of the most stifling in the area, not allowing double digits in any of its past six quarters played. Over the break, the coaching staff realized if their flaws are offensive execution, they can make it up by frustrating their opponent. The Lady Rattlers responded by stopping the Lions’ last three possessions in the win.
Presley, with her experience, had a team-high 15 points with three steals and two rebounds. Junior guard Angelina Sotelo added seven points, five rebounds and a steal.
San Marcos (6-2, 1-2) jumps back into district play next week but has one less day than usual to prepare for a road test against Austin High (7-1, 2-0) on Monday. The Maroons have won their last six and are undefeated in district play. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Kendall said one less day of practice shouldn't affect the performance of the team.
“We’ll adjust. I mean, we don't like to make excuses,” Kendall said. “So it's an afternoon game at 1:30. And we will prepare and make sure we're rested going up there Monday and we'll be ready.”
