SAN BENITO — The San Benito Lady Greyhounds had their hands full against the La Joya Palmview Lady Lobos on Tuesday as the two teams duked it out on the basketball court in a phenomenal contest.
La Joya Palmview definitely had the height advantage in the matchup, but San Benito’s stifling defense proved to be the key in their 37-35 victory.
Lady ’Hounds head coach Abel Moreno knew what the Lady Lobos were capable of after already facing them earlier in the season.
“We had played them in a tournament a few weeks back and knew we were going to have to rebound the ball in order to win,” Moreno said.
Although the Lady ’Hounds were undersized, that didn’t stop them from playing their aggressive style of defense. The Lady ’Hounds finished the first half with four steals and two blocks, which helped them establish an 18-17 lead early on.
However, the Lady Lobos pushed back, taking a 35-34 advantage with 1:05 remaining in the game. But with just seconds left on the clock, San Benito’s Emilee Barraza hit a basket to put the Lady ’Hounds back on top 36-35.
With San Benito clinging to the one-point lead, the game came down to a jump ball call that gave the Lady ’Hounds possession. After being fouled, San Benito’s Haley Lopez sank a free throw to seal the victory.
“I got a little excited after the shot and I almost didn’t get back on defense,” Barraza said. “My teammates definitely helped me keep my head up when I missed some free throws, but they had my back.”
Lopez and Barraza lead the charge for the Lady Greyhounds combining for 16 points.
The Greyhounds improved to 11-3 on the season and will host PSJA North on Saturday afternoon at 2:30.
