By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Missed opportunities told the story of Del Rio’s first district loss Tuesday.
The Queens missed several shots from inside the paint and turned the ball over often against a Laredo United team that took advantage. That combination helped sink the Queens, 58-31, in front of the home fans at the Carl P. Guys Memorial Gymnasium.
Del Rio’s defense was quick to the challenge early on. Sydney Ballard had a pair of steals in the first quarter, and Joselyn Gonzalez registered a steal of her own, but those stops didn’t translate into points as the Queens could not find their range from in close.
The Queens’ only basket of the first quarter came on a 3-pointer from Ballard, and Del Rio trailed United, 11-5, after the opening stanza. The deficit could have been greater, but Laila Betancourt swatted away a United shot near the end of the quarter.
United opened up from long range in the second quarter, hitting three 3-pointers in the period including two from Ashley Vallin, to extend its lead to double digits.
Del Rio’s points in the second quarter were split between the floor and the free-throw line. The Queens hit two baskets in the second, and went 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. Del Rio was on target from the line, hitting 7-of-8 free throws for the game.
By halftime, though, the Lady Longhorns had a commanding 30-13 lead.
The third quarter belonged to United as they outscored Del Rio 18-2 in the period. Del Rio’s only basket came from Delanhi Padilla, who was making her varsity debut.
Jesslynn Jalomo paced the United attack in the third, zipping past defenders and scoring almost at will. She had nine points in the third and helped the Lady Longhorns take a 48-15 lead into the final quarter of play.
Despite being down by 33, Del Rio didn’t raise the white flag. Instead, they turned to their experienced post player Betancourt.
After being held scoreless for three quarters, Betancourt erupted for nine in the fourth quarter. She also had another block and strong put-back that led to a three-point play that she converted.
Del Rio’s defense also stepped up. Allie Rodriguez came away with a steal, and then found Gonzalez for a basket. The two also worked a nice give-and-go that resulted in another Gonzalez score.
Karolina Alderete also notched a steal that eventually found its way to Alexia Muñiz, who buried a 3-pointer.
Betancourt and Gonzalez finished with nine points each to lead Del Rio. Muñiz and Ballard each had three points, Alderete, Padilla and Rodriguez each had two points, and Marina Jimenez had a point. Annette Betancourt had a block for the Queens as well.
United’s Jalomos and Sarah Torres each had 13 points to lead all scorers.
Del Rio is next scheduled to travel to Fort Stockton Thursday, Dec. 30, for a 2 p.m. game there.
The Queens’ next home game will be Friday, Jan. 7, when they host the Laredo Alexander Lady Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
