Sports – Page 14 – The Devine News

Lady Pirates clicking at the right time as playoffs loom closer

Varsity Lady Pirate #23 Loudyn Perez looks to pass the ball from the corner during Lytle’s win against Natalia. Perez made some impactful days on defense during Lytle’s double overtime win against Cotulla. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
The Lytle Lady Pirates continue to separate themselves in the district standings to ensure their post season seeding. With the double overtime victory over Cotulla, 69-64 and the loss to Hondo, 24-74 the Lady Pirates have placed themselves two games ahead of Poteet, securing the fourth spot in district.
During their dramatic double overtime victory against Cotulla, the Pirates were down 15 at one point before having a resurgence in the fourth quarter where they outscored the Cowgirls 35-15 in the period. Head coach Lori Wilson praised Aliana Cardenas’ poise under pressure. With three seconds left Wilson drew up a play for Cardenas, where she got fouled and sent to the line.
“With no time on the clock,…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Horses defeat Pearsall, chase playoff positioning

Varsity Warhorse #0 Christian Beaver swings on the rim after the emphatic dunk during warmups before Devine’s game against Somerset. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
Devine went 1-1 over the last week, not counting their February 3rd monumental tip against Floresville on Sessions Court. The Horses were sitting firmly in fourth place in District 27-4A after defeating Pearsall on January 30 and could theoretically move up in the standings if they pulled out a win against the visiting Tigers.
A Devine win would put both teams at 6-3 and even in a tiebreak situation. A Floresville win would put them at 7-2 and drop the Horses to 5-4 with the Tigers holding the 2-0 tiebreak if they happen to finish with identical district records.
Devine lost to Somerset on January 27, dropping to 0-2 against the third place 5-2 Bulldogs and giving them the tiebreak advantage. Carrizo Springs and Pearsall need some sort of unfathomable magic to have any hopes of joining the state playoffs.
The Horses are primed…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Arabians roll two wins over Somerset, Pearsall as playoffs loom

Varsity Arabian #15 Kenadi Marek ascends for the block during Devine’s dominant win over Pearsall. Marek had nine points in the game, five of them were scored in the fourth quarter. Photo by Brigid Howard.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
Arabian Head Coach Hannah Thompson and her crew of basketball players took care of business over the last couple of games as they stayed in the thick of a playoff berth with consecutive wins over Somerset and Pearsall.
Devine played Floresville on February 3, and finish league play against Uvalde on Sessions Court on February 6 then travel to Carrizo Springs for their finale on February 10.
Prior to tipoff versus the Jaguars, Devine sat in third place tied with Somerset whom they split their season series at 1-1. Both teams were 5-4 with the Lady Bulldogs more than likely defeating winless Pearsall on February 3.
Carrizo Springs pretty much has…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Lytle Tennis shows out in Somerset

JV Lady Pirates Robin Alvarez and Emma Hemenway captured first place in the Girls doubles during the Somerset tournament. Photo from Julie Cameron.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
The Lytle JV and Varsity Tennis squads traveled to Somerset for their next tournament of the season. Head coach Julie Cameron said the team showed “heart, hustle, and Pirate pride” as they had multiple athletes advance through multiple rounds.
Varsity
Cameron said Varsity brought energy and grit to the court to ensure they got to stay on the court as long as possible.
“Frank Ng made an impressive run to the quarterfinals in Boys Singles, while Jazzy Carillo and Rosendo Gonzalez fought their way into the Mixed Doubles Consolation Finals,” Cameron said.
Janelle Young and Marlen made it to the…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Somerset squeaks by freshman Horses

Freshman Warhorse #21 Stephen Caballero muscles his way to the baseline during Devine’s thrilling game against Somerset. Caballero secured one board during this game. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The never-say-die freshman Horses tried their best making a valiant comeback attempt versus the visiting Somerset Bulldogs on January 27. After falling behind by 14 points in the first half, Devine closed to with three points going into the final quarter.
However, time ran out for the Horses and Coach Zachary Robles in their 45-33 setback to Somerset.
Brian Martinez led Devine with 11 points followed by Collier Paige who had 10 points.
Martinez and Paige were also the…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

JV Horses lose to Pleasanton

JV Warhorse Nick Vasquez concentrates on the rebound during Devine’s game against Pearsall. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The turnover bug and ineffectiveness at the free throw line ultimately cost Devine a victory in their 60-58 loss in Pleasanton on January 20. The Horses committed 26 turnovers that led directly to 17 points for the Eagles. Devine only made 3 of 11 from the charity stripe (27%) in the two-point defeat.
Things looked good for the Horses early as they had leads of 14-13 at the end of the first period and 29-25 at the break.
Devine still led by 45-42 going into the final period but cold shooting by the Horses (21%) and the Eagles points off turnovers (6) and their 10-0 run eventually led to the 60-58 final score.
Jace Alegria had…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Arabians down Pleasanton, jockey for playoff positioning

Varsity Arabians #14 Madi De La Garza, #30 Kalli Bedford, #20 Caroline Suhr and #15 Kenadi Marek leave the huddle during Devine’s game against Pearsall. Photo by Brigid Howard.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
Devine got an all-important win in Pleasanton to begin the second round of District 27-4A action as the Arabians took down the Lady Eagles rather easily 45-23. Devine lost to Pleasanton in the first round, so this evened things up between them in case any tiebreakers are needed at the conclusion of district play on February 10.
Kenadi Marek had a tremendous night scoring 20 points including 7 in the fourth quarter as Devine solidified their victory.
Kyrie DuBose scored all 8 of her points in the first half and Karsyn DeLeon nailed her 6 points all in the first frame as the Arabians bolted to a 27-12 halftime advantage. Caroline Suhr scored 6 of her 7 points in the second half.
Devine’s defense was tenacious all evening, limiting Pearsall to only six points in each of the first three periods then lowering that number to 5 in the fourth.
Madi De La Garza scored 4 points while Devine also got major contributions from Gigi Madrid, Lily Owen, Kalli Bedford, Hali Carroll, and Aaliyah Moralez.
vs Carrizo Springs
The Arabians had a difficult time keeping up with the…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Mustangs keep hopes high

Varsity Mustang #30 Andrew Monreal laces the corner three in front of Crystal City’s bench. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
The Natalia Mustangs have had a rough two weeks as they battle to cement themselves as one of the top teams in the district. The Mustangs have dropped their last four games: Lytle they fell 30-81, lost to Hondo 56-58, lost to Crystal City 36-83 and then dropped their game to Cotulla 42-59. At time of press, the Mustangs are in sixth place in district with a record of 3-4. They are one game behind Cotulla who sits in fourth. With the season coming to an end, head coach Justin Welsh said the team is excited to climb back up the district standings and secure a spot in the postseason.
“Our kids understand what’s at stake, but more importantly, they’re focused on competing the right way every night,” Welsh said. “If we take care of our preparation and play with energy and discipline, we like our chances to put ourselves where we want to be as we move into the final seven games of district.”
In their matchup against Lytle, Welsh said the Pirates played with more energy than they did and kept them out of rhythm.
“Lytle did a good job of jumping on us early and never really let us settle into the game,” Welsh said. “We rely on one end of the floor to build consistency on the other, and when you’re not getting stops or scoring, that can make it difficult to get anything going. This loss gives us something to learn from and the biggest thing is putting it behind us and attacking the next one with the right mindset.”
During the matchup against Hondo, Welsh felt they had control over the game for…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Natalia Basketball: Community is their identity

Varsity Lady Mustang #3 Ashley Lopez locks in defensively at the top of the key during Natalia’s game against Crystal City. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
The Natalia Lady Mustangs fell to Crystal City 28-76 and then dropped one against Cotulla 19-37. The Lady Mustangs are currently seventh in the district ranking with an overall record of 9-22.
Despite the outcome, head coach Steven Spangler said he was pleased with the squad’s performance against Crystal City. Spangler tipped his hat to the Javelinas, stating “they are just a really good team, and sometimes that’s what you face.”
“Cotulla however, I felt like we fell into a rut and couldn’t get out of it,” Spangler said. “Nothing would fall and that just turned into quick sand on the court.”
Despite the rough stretch of games, the Lady Mustangs have continued to elevate their overall skill level each week. Their ball handling and ability to initiate the offense has drastically improved compared to the beginning of the season. Spangler attributes the team’s development to their diligent work in practice stating the “harder they go” during practice, the more confident they will be in the game.”
“We have them work on it every day and encourage them to get out of their comfort zone in practice so that they can understand their limitations in games.”
With high school basketball on its last leg of the season, the Lady Mustangs’ playoff hopes are dim. However, Spangler emphasized that…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Lady Pirates fend off Wolves, 55-32

Varsity Lady Pirate #20 Zabella Garza brings the ball up during Lytle’s thrilling game against Natalia. During their win over Dilley, Garza dropped a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
The Lytle Lady Pirates continued their resurgence through district, taking down the Dilley Wolves 55-32 on Tuesday, Jan. 20 then losing a close one to Poteet 38-35. At time of press, Lytle sits fourth in the district with an overall record of 7-19, but have a district record of 5-4. With the season coming into its final stretch, the Lady Pirates will continue to fight and punch their ticket to the post season.
“We are so proud of all of the girls they keep stepping up when we need it the most,” Head coach Lori Wilson said.
Vs. Dilley
Although Lytle had control for most of the game, Wilson said they were off to a slow start, but…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!