Gaining their first lead of the game with under 30 seconds remaining, the Chaps needed just a few more points to propel them to a signature win over the 12th ranked Bears.
The Bears began to full court press the Chaps, hoping for easy points off a turnover. However, senior forward Tamia King exploited the press and sent the ball past halfcourt to junior guard/forward Wynn Thorne. From there it was one-on-one to the basket where Thorne got two points with help of the backboard.
“I really just trust my teammates,” Thorne said. “I know that’s what we have to do to win. We can’t keep it back [court], so just having trust was really big.”
Thorne’s two points along with a few free throws gave the number one ranked Chaps varsity girls basketball (19-0) the edge over the number twelve ranked San Antonio Brennan Bears (15-4) 52-49, in the final out of division matchup for the both squads. The Chaps consistently found ways to break down the defense and find points.
The Chaps exploited the defense all night long for quick points in transition. Especially due to the fact the Bears were full court pressing, quick ball movement up the court was crucial to triumph the strict defense. They practiced distributing the ball in practice so seeing it come into the game was “awesome.”
“When we finally played to win, they gambled on some things,” Benson said. “And we capitalized in transition.”
However the press did also force the Chaps to be thoughtful with the ball, and when the Chaps got “hesitant”, turnovers happened, leading to points for the Bears.
The quick, upcourt ball movement allowed for a big game from Thorne as she sat in the post and fed off size mismatches to end her night with eight points and four stemming from breaks in the press.
“I really just think the preparation and everything I’ve done [allows me to be dominant in the paint],” Thorne said. “I trust my teammates that there’s not a big girl behind me, and I just do what I know I can do.”
The points fell from inside for the Chaps but by no means did they come easy. Added to the fact they were behind nearly the whole game, they had to fight for every point.
“We’ve had 10-0, we’ve had 9-0 games, we’ve had 12-0 games,” girls basketball head coach Vickie Benson said. “Just getting the girls to understand [that] we’re at the top of the range, we’re ring number one…everyone is gonna bring their best, and they’re gonna come out swinging, and sometimes we have to weather that storm…”
When the game slowed down and points inside became crucial, the Chaps were on top of it due in part to the size of their team. Freshman forward Geralynn Byers-Veal and King added six crucial points from inside down the stretch. One two from King gave the Chaps their first lead of the night.
“We play a lot of middle-third-action because it’s hard to guard. And with G and Tamia being all over 6 ‘1”, it’s just a matchup nightmare for anybody,” Benson said. “Brennan has some size but they don’t have three [six-footers], so we’re able to get some things in there that a lot of teams can’t get.”
However, it wasn’t all twos from the Chaps. Junior guard Molly Frazer nailed two major threes in the fourth quarter, including one that improved the lead to four with under a minute and 50 seconds to go. Those points from beyond the arch gave the Chaps the separation they needed to hold onto their number one spot in the rankings.
Now finished with the out-of-district portion of the year, the Chaps turn their attention to conference play, starting with Akins. But before that stretch, the Chaps will get some “much deserved” rest during their bye week.
“This was our last big thing,” Benson said. “We’ve been going at it for weeks, just grinding and grinding, and I keep telling them, ‘After Friday, we get a little bit of rest.’ So we get some breathing room.”
