By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Del Rio girls basketball fans will be Laredo United South fans as well Tuesday night.
The Queens have a chance to qualify for the postseason for the first time since the 2015-16 season if they can beat Eagle Pass Tuesday in the regular season finale for both teams.
Del Rio needs a win over Eagle Pass and Laredo United South to beat Laredo LBJ in order to end its seven-year playoff drought.
The Queens moved one step closer to that goal Friday night with a tough 43-37 win over the Laredo Alexander Lady Bulldogs. The win was Del Rio’s third district win of the season and moved them into a tie for fourth place with LBJ which lost to Laredo United Friday night, 89-36.
Alexander started the game strong, building a five-point lead on the shoulders of Ariana Bustamante whose speed was no match for Del Rio defender Karolina Alderete whose job it was to slow Bustamante down. But Del Rio head coach Marisa Soto made a defensive adjustment and Bustamante scored just two more points the rest of the way, opening the door for Del Rio’s comeback.
The Queens took an 11-10 lead on a 3-pointer by Alexia Muñiz, but a free throw by Alexander’s Samantha Quijano sent the two teams into the second quarter tied at 11 points each.
Del Rio took control in the second quarter, using a 7-0 run to start the quarter and build a lead the Queens wouldn’t relinquish. Alexander’s Emily Buitron would snap the run with a basket of her own, but Del Rio eventually outscored the Lady Bulldogs 12-5 in the quarter to take a 23-16 lead into halftime.
The Queens used their own speed and sharp passing to cut through Alexander. It seemed that every Del Rio drive to the basket resulted in Alexander converging on the ball handler and leaving a Queens player wide open. The ball would wide up in their hands and an uncontested shot was usually the result.
It also helped that Del Rio went 4-of-7 from the free throw line versus Alexander’s ice cold shooting from the stripe where the Lady Bulldogs went 1-for-9 in the quarter.
The third quarter was more Del Rio dominance from the field as six different Queens scored to keep the team out in front. The Queens defense also continued to shine with Allie Rodriguez notching a block and the team holding Alexander to just four baskets from the field en route to a 37-27 lead headed into the fourth quarter.
But just 35 seconds into the fourth quarter the Queens suffered a huge blow to its lineup as senior Marina Jimenez went down with an apparent knee injury. Jimenez, who had scored 10 points up to that point, went up for a shot and suffered a non-contact injury. She fell to the floor and was eventually helped to the sidelines. She returned to the team later on crutches with her right knee wrapped.
Without Jimenez and floor leader Joselyn Gonzalez on the floor, the Queens offense struggled. Gonzalez was one of three Queens in foul trouble in the second half, forcing Soto to be creative with her lineup.
Alexander tried to take advantage. Alexandria Lopez attacked the basket repeatedly, drawing fouls and making at least one free throw each time. A 3-pointer by Jacqueline Recio inched the Lady Bulldogs even closer as Del Rio’s only points in the fourth at that point came from a Nelly Robles free throw.
With less than three minutes to play, and nursing a 38-35 lead, Soto called a timeout and rallied her team, urging them to play smart and not let the pressure of the situation get to them.
The team responded in a big way.
Robles got a perfect feed from Gonzalez and scored to make it 40-37 with 45 seconds remaining. On Laredo’s next possession, Alderete stepped up with a big block to turn away the Lady Bulldogs.
On the next trip up court, Muñiz was fouled to stop the clock. She missed both her free throws, but on the second miss Robles leapt to grab the rebound and was undercut by a Laredo player. She was able to make one of two free throws to give Del Rio a 41-37 lead.
The Queens got the ball back and missed on a shot, but Alderete grabbed the rebound and fired it out to Makayla Lewis with less than 10 seconds to play. Alexander tried to foul Lewis to stop the clock, but Lopez couldn’t slow down fast enough and plowed through Lewis, sending Lewis to the free throw line and giving Del Rio the ball.
Lewis calmly sank both free throws and Del Rio inbounded the ball without a challenge to run out the final seconds and hold on for the win.
Jimenez’s 10 points led the Queens. Gonzalez had nine points, Robles had six points, Muñiz had five points, Aylie Hernandez and Rodriguez each had four points, Alderete and Lewis each had two points, and Dariela Mijangos had one point.
Lopez finished with 12 points to lead Alexander.
With one game left to play, the district playoff race will go down to the last day. Laredo United and Laredo United South are tied for first at 8-1. Alexander is third at 5-4 and Del Rio and LBJ are tied for fourth at 3-6. United will face Alexander, LBJ and South will tangle and Del Rio and Eagle Pass will meet Tuesday at Eagle Pass at 7 p.m.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
