LADY WOLVERINES COME UP SHORT AGAINST DUMAS

The Springlake-Earth Lady Wolverines’ varsity basketball team came up short in their Wildcat Classic Tournament-opener, as they fell to the Portales Lady Rams, 58-42.

Halee Tosscano opened the game with a three from the left elbow for the Lady Wolverines, but Portales quickly answered, as Adrianna Garcia dropped in a lay-up to make the score, 3-2. Sayler Beerwinkle responded with a lay-up, off of the assist from Mahalia Delgado, but Portales again had the quick answer, as Taris Rippee took the ball to the hoop for a lay-up to make the score, 5-4, with just under five minutes remaining in the opening quarter.

Beerwinkle knocked down a jumper from the right wing, off of the assist from Toscano, but Rippee and Garcia answered with back-to-back lay-ups to take the lead, 8-7. With 2:36 left to play in the quarter, Beerwinkle was fouled on an attempt by Garcia; she split the free throws to tie the game, but Portales quickly answered, as Garcia dropped in a baby hook in the lane, drawing an and-one foul on Deglado. She missed the free throw, leaving it a one-possession game, 10- 8.

Taytum Goodman found Beerwinkle for a lay-up to tie the game, but it was short-lived, as Rippee knocked down a jumper from the right elbow to put Portales back in front, 12-10. With just over a minute remaining in the quarter, Rippee drew a blocking foul on Beerwinkle, earning a trip to the line. She sank both free throws, but in the closing seconds of the quarter, Beerwinkle scored a put-back off of her own miss to make it a one-possession game, 14-12, as the first quarter came to a close.

Goodman tied the game with a layup to open the second quarter, Kylyie Paden answered with a lay-up and Riley Shillings followed it up with a jumper from the left elbow to stretch their lead to, 18-14. Garcia kept it going for Portales with a lay-up, but on the other end, Beerwinkle ended the run with a lay-up to trim the lead to 20- 16, as Springlake-Earth took a time out with 3:22 remaining in the half.

Out of the break, Beerwinkle scored a lay-up off of the inbound pass from Goodman and Toscano followed it up with a pull-up jumper from the right wing to tie the game, 20-20, with 2:31 left to play in the first half. Paden dropped in a lay-up, drawing an andone foul on Beerwinkle; she sank the free throw to make it a three-point game, 23-20. However, in the closing seconds of the half, Goodman banked in a tear drop in the lane to cut the lead to one-point, 23-22, going into the locker room at halftime.

Delgado opened the second half with a lay-up in transition off of the assist from Beerwinkle to put the Lady Wolverines back in front, 24-23. Rippee was fouled on an attempt by Toscano and converted both free throws to regain the lead for Portales, 25-24.

The back-and-forth match continued, as Beerwinkle knocked down a jumper in the lane off of the assist from Goodman, but Rippee answered on the other end with a lay-up to make the score, 27-26, with 5:49 left to play in the third quarter. With just over five minutes to play in the quarter, Teagan Faust dropped in a lay-up, drawing an and-one foul on Goodman. She missed the free throw leaving the score, 29-26.

Rippee took a charge on Toscano, but Portales was unable to capitalize on the turnover and with 4:14 remaining in the quarter, Toscano was fouled on an attempt by Rippee. She split the attempts at the line to make it a onepossession game, 29-27.

Shillings hit Rippee for a lay-up on the two-on-one break and the Lady Rams took a time out with 3:19 remaining in the third. Out of the break, Rippee drove the lane for a lay-up and Paden followed it up with a put-back off of her own miss, making the score, 35- 27. Emma Samaron was fouled on a put-back attempt and split the free throws to cut the lead to, 28-35, with just over one minute remaining in the quarter.

Toscano and Paden each converted a pair of free throws to make the score, 39-30, with Portales in front heading into the final quarter of play.

Rippee went coast-to-coast for a lay-up to open the final frame, but Sydney Furr answered with a lay-up off of the assist from Goodman, making the score, 41-32. Faust drove the paint for a lay-up, but on the other end, Goodman, took the ball to the basket, kicking it out to Beerwinkle for a jumper in the lane, making the score, 43-34, with just under six minutes to play in the game.

Paden dropped in a lay-up off of the assist from Shillings and Paden followed it up with a short jumper in the lane to extend the Portales lead to, 47-34. Shillings tacked on a lay-up off of a steal, but Beerwinkle ended the scoring drought with a lay-up, off of the assist from Goodman to trim the lead to, 49-36.

Audrey Paden scored a lay-up off of a turnover for Portales, as Springlake-Earth took a time out to talk things over with 3:55 left to play. Out of the break, Kylyie Paden dropped in a lay-up off of the assist from Shillings and Shillings followed it up with a lay-up on the right side, making the score, 55-36, with 2:45 remaining.

Kylyie Paden was fouled on an attempt by Toscano and split a pair of free throws, but Toscano answered on the other end with a lay-up, trimming the lead to, 56-38, with under two minutes to go in the game. Portales took a time out and out of the break, Goodman dropped in a lay-up to make the score, 56-40.

After a Springlake-Earth timeout, their defense forced a five-second call on the inbound play, however they could not capitalize. Kylyie Paden scored a lay-up off of an assist from Gyria Aguirre and Toscano knocked down a pair of free throws to close out the game, as Springlake-Earth fell to Portales, 58-42.

Beerwinkle led the way for the Lady Wolverines with 19 points, and she was joined in double-figures scoring by Toscano, who netted 12 points. Goodman tallied six points, while Delgado and Furr each added two points and Samaron finished with one point in the contest.