By N. Waddell
The Hayden High School Lobo and Lady Lobo basketball teams opened the basketball season with a scrimmage against the highly regarded Pima High School basketball teams.
The Lady Lobos took the court first taking on the always tough Lady Roughrider team that seems to be in the state playoffs every year. The Lady Roughriders did not disappoint!
The young Lady Lobos, with only seven available players due to illness, were no match for the run and gun of the Lady Roughriders and coupled with the three-point shooting the Lady Lobos would have been in a big hole if the score book had been kept. The Lady Lobos will come back knowing what has to be worked for their next game against the Lady Monsoons of Mesa Prep.
The Lobo basketball team gave the Pima boy’s team all they could handle playing them even for most of the game behind the play of Julian Gomez, Michael Rabago and Adrian Ochoa. This group of Lobos will be a tough assignment for the teams on the schedule and the first team to take them on will be the Mesa Prep Monsoons.
The Mesa Prep varsity teams were on the Hayden court on Tuesday Nov. 20 with the Lady Lobos on the court first taking on the tall Lady Monsoon team. The height of the Lady Monsoons did not bother the Lady Lobos playing the Monsoons even for most of the game.
The first quarter had the Lady Lobos ahead by one point with the second quarter belonging to the Monsoons as they went into the locker room with a one point 17 to 18 lead over the Lady Lobos at the half.
The Lady Lobos took the lead again at the end of the third quarter leading by one point, 25 to 24.The fourth quarter was a hard fought affair with the trips to the free throw line making the difference.
The Lady Lobos could not sink any of the four shots they got while the Lady Monsoons sank five of seven free shots to claim a hard fought win over the young Lady Lobo team with a score of 32 to 34.
Freshman Cheyanne Gaona led the Lady Lobo scoring with 12 points followed by 11 points from Melinda Marinez. Angelica Cabrera scored five points with Ashley Cruz and Kyana Garcia scoring two points apiece.
The Lady Lobos will next be in action this coming weekend traveling to Globe High School to play in the Globe Girls Basketball Tournament on Nov. 29 to Dec.1.
The Lobo basketball team took on the unknown Mesa Prep team and what a game it turned out to be. It started out slow with both teams having a hard time finding the opening to the basket with the first quarter ending in a 7-7 tie. The scoring got a little better in the second quarter with the Lobos breaking out to a 21 to 16 lead at the half time break.
The scoring again went cold in the third quarter with both teams only able to find the bucket for six points apiece in the quarter with the Lobos protecting their five-point lead.
The scoring got better in the fourth quarter as the Monsoons fought back to tie the score late in the game. With both teams unable to score on a couple of possessions, the game came down to two free shots on a foul to Roman Padilla with about six seconds left in the game.
Padilla missed the first shot with the score tied at 37 apiece but hit the second shot to give Hayden the one point lead. The Monsoons came roaring back with six seconds left but were not able sink their desperation shot as time ran out giving the Lobos a hard fought 38 to 37 win over the Mesa Prep Monsoons.
Julian Gomez led Lobo scoring with 15 points followed by 12 points from Adrian Ochoa. Michael Rabago scored six points, Rodney Ortiz had four points and Roman Padilla scored one point with his point the difference in the game.
The Lobos will be in action again on Dec. 4 when the Tigers of Globe High School come to Lobo Gym for three games starting at 4 p.m. with the JV squads taking the floor. The Lady Lobos will take on the Lady Tigers at 5:30 p.m. with the Lobo boys’ varsity team on the court at 7 p.m.
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