KINGSVILLE — Lyford’s late rally in the fourth quarter against Aransas Pass came up short as the Bulldogs were eliminated from the Class 3A playoffs in the area round Thursday night in Kingsville.
The Bulldogs lost 42-39 after entering the fourth quarter down 33-25.
“It is tough,” Lyford head coach Teresa Gutierrez said. “I told them, I appreciated their hustle and how they fought at the end. That is all I ask them to do every game.”
Gutierrez mulled over the missed opportunities to narrow the score. Aransas Pass missed some free throws to give Lyford the late chances, but a couple of costly turnovers hurt the Bulldogs.
“I really wished we could have hit a couple of more shots,” Gutierrez said. “Way beyond proud of what we did.”
Gutierrez said not many people outside of Lyford gave them a shot to even make it to the second round and capture a share of the District 32-3A title.
“The ride was amazing, but we ran out of time,” Lyford senior Heather May said.
May was a go-to player down low for the Bulldogs this season. May scored a team-high 15 points and helped provide a spark in the second half after foul trouble had her miss the second quarter.
“We had a good start, it kind of drifted away a little bit, but the fight – I could not have asked for a better one,” May said. “It was a pretty big gap to close.”
Lyford senior guard Kendra Coleman hit four 3-pointers, helping keep the Bulldogs in the game in the fourth and gave her team a lead in the second before Aransas Pass would go on two runs in the second and then the third quarter.
“I felt very helpful,” Coleman said about her shooting. “Like I added something to the team.”
Coleman praised her teammates, especially May, for the memorable season for the Bulldogs.
Lyford had an early 9-0 lead, but Aransas Pass slowly chipped away and eventually tied the game at 16 before going on a 16-2 run that went from the second to the third quarter.
Aransas Pass was led in scoring by Jocelyn Cole, who finished with 21 points.
