Lady Cats bounce Squaws, 90-22

The Littlefield Lady Cats’ varsity basketball team cruised to victory on senior night on Friday at Wildcat Gym, as they took down the Friona Squaws, 90-22.

With the win, the Lady Cats improve to 22-6 overall, 11-0 in district play.

Yaselene Faudoa opene the game with a put-back for Friona off of her own miss, but Amiah Elizondo quickly tied the game with a jumper from the left wing, making the score, 2-2. Danica Jouett picked up a steal and got it ahead to Kennadi Hanlin on the fast-break, who finished the play with a lay-up, putting Littlefield in front, 4-2, with 5:25 left to play in the opening quarter.

Hanlin hit Arianna Cruz for a three from the left elbow, and Jasmine Castillo followed it up with a steal, getting it ahead to Cruz in transition for a lay-up, stretching their lead to, 9-2, with 4:33 remaining in the quarter. Hanlin knocked down a jumper from the right elbow and on the next play, Ari Castillo was fouled on an attempt by Faudoa, earning a trip to the line. She converted both shots to stretch the lead to double-digits, 13-2.

Marysa Saenz kept the rally going with a put-back off of a miss by Cali Saldana and on the next sequence, Cruz dished the outlet pass down court to Jazmine Rosalez, who buried a three from the right elbow, extending the lead to, 18-2. With under a minute remaining in the first quarter, Aaliyah Padilla dropped in a fast-break layup off of a steal to end the scoring drought for Friona, making the score, 18-4, as the first quarter came to a close.

Rosalez was fouled on a putback attempt by Faudoa, her third, to open the second frame. She made one-of-two shots from the line, pushing the lead to, 19-4. On their next possession, Ari Castillo was fouled on an attempt by Stephanie Cruz. She converted both free throws, stretching the lead to, 21-4, with 7:31 left to play in the half.

On the defensive end, Elizondo took a charge on Padilla, and Cruz followed it up with a three from the right wing, off of the assist from Hanlin, making the score, 244. Hanlin followed it up with a jumper from the free-throw line off of the assist from Jasmine Castillo and Cruz kept it going on the next play with a drive to the basket, knocking down the floater and drawing an and- one foul on Stephani Cruz. She converted the free throw to extend their lead to, 29-4, with 5:06 to play in the half.

Jasmine Castillo pulled up for a three from the top of the key and she followed it up with a lay-up on the next play, making the score, 34-4, as Friona took a time out with four minutes to play in the half. Out of the break, Ari Castillo dropped in a lay-up off of a steal on the fast-break and Cruz hit Saldana with an outlet pass for the fast-break lay-up, stretching the lead to, 38-4, with 3:05 to play in the half.

With 2:24 remaining in the half, Nevaeh Esquibel was fouled on an attempt by Padilla; she made one-of-two shots from the line, pushing their lead to, 39-4. Saldana drove to the basket, kicking the ball across to Jasmine Castillo in transition for a lay-up, but on the other end, Padilla was fouled on an attempt by Jouett, earning a trip to the line. Padilla sank both free throws to end the scoring drought for Friona, trimming the lead to, 41-6.

Saldana picked up a steal and knocked down a jumper in the lane, but Padilla answered with a layup for Friona, making the score, 43-8, with under a minute to go in the half. Saenz was fouled on a three-point attempt by Padilla, who picked up her third foul of the game. Saenz made the first two attempts at the line, but missed the third, leaving the score, 45-8. Saenz would drop in a put-back off of a miss by Rosalez to close out the first half, with Littlefield in control, 47-8.

Padilla was fouled on an attempt by Cruz to open the second half; she sank both free throws to trim the lead to, 47-10, but Ari Castillo answered with three consecutive buckets to push their lead to, 5310, with 5:56 remaining in the third quarter. On the next play, Padilla was fouled on an attempt by Cruz, who picked up her third foul of the game. She split the attempts at the line and Saenz answered on the other end with a three from the top of the key for Littlefield, off of the assist from Hanlin, making the score, 56-11.

Ari Castillo used a euro step to get into the lane for a lay-up and Saenz followed it up with a three from the top of the key off of the assist from Elizondo, stretching the lead to, 61-11, with 4:38 to play in the quarter. Esquibel picked up a steal and got it ahead to Ari Castillo on the break for a lay-up and Jasmine Castillo followed it up with another lay-up off of a steal, making the score, 65-11.

Faudoa banked in a three from the left elbow, but Jasmine Castillo responded with a three from the top of the key, off of the assist form Ari Castillo, pushing the score to, 68-14, with 3:11 to go in the quarter. Reese Steelman knocked down a jump-hook in the lane for Friona, but Jasmine Castillo buried a three from the right wing, extending the lead to, 71-16. With under a minute to go in the third, Jouett knocked down a jumper from the left elbow and Esquibel closed out the third quarter with a lay-up off of the outlet pass from Jasmine Castillo, making the score, 75-16, going into the final quarter of play.

Rosalez opened the fourth quarter with a drive to the basket for a lay-up, but Friona responded, as Leslie Ortiz dropped in a put-back off of a miss by Faudoa, trimming the lead to, 77-18. With 4:47 left to play in the game, Elizondo drained a three from the left elbow off of the assist from Saenz, but Friona answered, as Padilla dropped in a lay-up off of the inbound pass from Caydee Humphrey under the basket, making the score, 80-20.

Esquibel knocked down a layup off of an assist from Saldana and Jouett followed it up with a put-back, drawing an and-one foul on Steelman. She missed the free throw, leaving the score, 84-20, with just over three minutes to play in the contest. Padilla banked in a runner from the left side, but Jasmine Castillo and Esquibel closed out the game with back-toback threes from the elbow, as Littlefield took the contest, 90-22.

The Lady Cats were led by Jasmine Castillo, who tallied 18 points, to go along with six rebounds, six steals and five assists. Joining her in double-figures scoring was Ari Castillo, who tallied 16 points, eight rebounds, six steals and two assists, while Saenz chipped in 12 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal, and Cruz contributed 11 points, fours teals, three rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Esquibel added eight points, three steals, two rebounds, one assist and one block, while Rosalez tallied six points, three rebounds and two steals, and Hanlin contributed six points, four assists, three steals and one rebound. Elizondo added five points, four rebounds, two steals and one assist, while Saldana tallied four points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists, and Jouett finished with four points, three steals, two rebounds and one assist.

The Lady Cats’ closed out the regular season on Tuesday on the road against Muleshoe. Results were not available at press time. Their first round play-off matchup is TBA.