“We talked a lot about doing simple things, like putting two hands on the ball on loose balls,” first-year Lady Eagles coach Randy Henderson said. “We lost a lot of loose balls that led to fouls or second-chance points for Jarrell.”
Salado responded and used a strong second half to blitz Jarrell for a 62-37 victory that kept the Lady Eagles unbeaten in District 25-2A. The win also extended Salado’s district winning streak to 16 games.
The Lady Eagles’ suffocating defense turned a one-point halftime advantage into a second-half blowout.
Salado (11-6 overall, 2-0 25-2A) held Jarrell (10-8, 0-2) to just 12 points and 23-percent shooting from the field. Twice the Lady Cougars had scoreless stretches of 4˝ minutes or longer, and they also committed 17 turnovers.
“I think my kids just came out a little flat,” Jarrell coach Marlena Brown said. “We played hard we just turned the ball over and just seemed to get rattled.”
Salado opened the second half with a 12-0 run, including a pair of 3-point baskets by Danielle Hazzard, who finished with 14 points.
“In the first half, we just shot whatever was open,” Hazzard said. “In the second half, we took our time and worked it and shot.”
The Lady Cougars cut a deficit that had ballooned to 13 to just eight with less than a minute left in the third quarter.
Salado answered to put the game away for good on a pair of free throws by Jenna Sebek and a buzzer-beater by Hadley Joiner.
Joiner heaved a shot from the far corner toward the basket, a shot she figured would simply hit off the side of the backboard.
Her 3-pointer went in to give Salado a 45-32 lead heading into the fourth.
“I totally just chunked it and hoped it’d go in,” Joiner said.
Joiner scored 11 of her game-high 20 points in the second half.
Brittny Schwertner and Nancy Juarez each had a team-high eight points for Jarrell.
The Lady Eagles begin play in the Thorndale Tournament on Dec. 29. The Lady Cougars host San Saba on Dec. 30 before both teams resume district play in January.
rschneider@temple-telegram.com
