The Lady Cats’ varsity basketball team dropped a nail-biter to the Floydada Lady Wind on Thursday afternoon, 54-50, in their second game of the day at the 2023 Roosevelt Basketball Tournament.
With the loss, the Lady Cats fall to 1-1 in tournament play, 5-3 overall on the season.
Katelynn Ramirez opened the game with a three from the top of the key for Floydada, but on the other end, Ari Castillo was fouled on an attempt, earning a trip to the free throw line. She split the free throws, and Arianna Cruz followed it up with a three from the right elbow to give the Lady Cats the lead, 4-3, with 6:15 to play in the opening quarter.
Zay Santos picked up a steal and dished it to Ramirez, who dropped in a lay-up to regain the lead for the Lady Wind, 5-4. Kennadi Hanlin would knock down a three from the left elbow to give Littlefield the lead, 7-5, with 3:44 to play in the quarter, but Sierra Snowden answered with a lay-up to tie the game, 7-7.
With 2:10 left to play in the quarter, Hanlin dropped in a floater from the left baseline, making the score, 9-7, but the lead was short-lived, as Analise Perez buried a three from the left elbow to make the score, 10-9, in favor of Floydada. Santos drove to the basket, dumping the ball off to Snowden for a lay-up, but with under a minute to play in the quarter, Jazmine Rosalez dropped in a lay-up, drawing an and-one foul on Snowden. She missed on the free throw, trimming the lead to, 12-11, as the first quarter came to a close.
Marysa Saenz opened the second frame with a jumper from the right wing off of the assist from Castillo, giving Littlefield a onepoint advantage, but on the other end, Santos was fouled on an attempt, earning a trip to the line. She converted one-of-two shots from the line to tie the game, 1313, as Floydada took a time out with 6:46 to play in the first half.
Out of the break, Santos knocked down a jumper from the right elbow and on their next possession, Ramirez lobbed a pass over the top of the defense to Snowden, who finished the play with a lay-up to put Floydada in front, 17-13.
Rosalez drove to the basket, bouncing a pass to Amiah Elizondo for a lay-up to trim the lead, but on the other end, Santos was fouled on the fast- break attempt by Rosalez, sending Santos to the line for free throws. She made one-of-two shots from the line, as Littlefield took a time out with 2:34 to play in the half, trailing, 18-15. With time winding down in the quarter, Elizondo knocked down a jumper from the right wing to beat the buzzer, cutting the Floydada lead to one point, 18-17, going into the locker room at halftime.
Hanlin picked up a steal and took it the other way for a fastbreak lay-up to claim the lead for Littlefield, but on the other end, Snowden knocked down a jumper from the free-throw line, making the score, 20-19, as Floydada regained the lead. Santos and Ramirez dropped in back-to-back lay-ups, but Castillo drained a three from the left wing off of the assist from Hanlin, cutting the lead to, 24-22, with 4:26 remaining in the quarter.
Ramirez fired right back with a three from the right elbow for Floydada, but Cruz answered with a lay-up, making the score, 27-24, as Floydada took a time out with 3:56 to play in the quarter. Out of the break, Snowden scored backto- back buckets for the Lady Wind, but Cruz answered with a jumper from the top of the key, off of an assist from Castillo, making the score, 31-26, with under two minutes to go in the third.
Santos was fouled on an attempt by Elizondo and sank both free throws, but Cruz answered with back-to-back threes for the Lady Cats to slice the lead to one point, 33-32. However, Callie Brittain would drop in a lay-up to close out the third quarter with Floydada in front, 35-32.
Ramirez scored on a back-door cut for a lay-up, but Saenz answered with a three from the right elbow off of the assist from Castillo, making the score, 37-32. Castillo followed it up with a layup off of the inbound play, drawing an and-one foul on the play. She converted the free throw to give the Lady Cats the lead, 38-37, and Cruz followed it up with a three from the right wing off of the assist from Hanlin, pushing their lead to, 41-37.
Santos drew a shooting foul on Cruz and made one-of-two shots from the line to trim the lead to, 4138, with 5:40 to play in the game. Santos would followed it up with a deep three from the top of the key to tie the game, 41-41, and Wickware dropped in a fast-break lay-up to put Floydada back in front, 43-41. Floydada took a time out with 4:02 to play in the game and out of the break, Santos finished through contact for a layup, but Saenz responded with a three from the right elbow to make it a one-point game, 45-44, with 3:25 remaining in the contest.
With under three minutes to play, Perez buried a three from the left elbow off of the assist from Ramirez, pushing their lead to, 4844. On their next possession, Perez was fouled on an attempt by Hanlin; she would split the free throws to stretch the lead to, 4944, as Littlefield took a time out with 2:13 to play. Out of the break, Castillo banked in a runner from the right side to make it a threepoint game, 49-46. Cruz knocked down a jumper from the right elbow to cut the lead to one point, but with 1:13 remaining, Santos was fouled on the floor by Cruz, earning a trip to the line. She converted both free throws to push the lead back out to, 5148. With under a minute to play, Rosalez drove the lane kicking the ball out to Saenz for a jumper from the left wing, making it a one-point game, 51-50, as the Lady Cats called for a time out.
Out of the break, Floydada would go three-for-six from the free throw line to put the game away, as Littlefield fell to the Lady Wind, 54-50.
Cruz led the Lady Cats in scoring with 18 points, to go along with three rebounds, three steals and one assist. She was joined in double-figures scoring by Saenz, who tallied 11 points, three rebounds and one assist. Castillo chipped in eight points, 10 rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks, while Hanlin contributed seven points, five rebounds, four steals, three assists and one block.
Elizondo taliied four points, eight rebounds and one steal, while Rosalez added two points, three steals, two assists and one rebound and Saldana added two rebounds and Jouett finished with one assist.