Lometa Hornets head toward playoff berth

PHOTOS BY CHERI JAY-WIENECKE Lometa's David Cruz scores two of his team-high 13 points in the Hornets' 53-52 road win against Rochelle on Tuesday.

After winning three straight games, the Lometa High School boys' basketball team has assured itself at least one game beyond what was on its schedule.

The Hornets (18-8 overall, 6-4 in District 29-1A Division II) beat Lohn last Friday and Rochelle on Tuesday to assure at least a tie for third place in the district.

The Hornets play host to Eden at 6 p.m. today in the regular-season finale. If they win, they'll pull into a second-place with Eden, forcing a playoff with Eden for second place at Rochelle on Tuesday. If they lose, they'll fall into a third-place tie with Rochelle, forcing a playoff play-in game against Rochelle at San Saba on Tuesday.

After falling to 3-4 in district with a loss to Richland Springs on Jan. 25, the Hornets have caught fire, beating Cherokee, Lohn and Rochelle. They hammered Lohn, 63-41, at home and held off Rochelle, 53-52, on the road.

"We're playing our best basketball of the season right now," Lometa head coach Wendell Bradley said.

Taylor Bradley drives the lane against Rochelle. Bradley finished with eight points in the Lady Hornets' 65-33 seasonclosing loss.

A big reason for the surge has been the play of junior guard David Cruz. Cruz's play cooled off in the middle of the district slate, but he provided much of the spark that led the Hornets to its last two wins.

Cruz scored 12 points against Lohn and recorded 13 points and five steals against Rochelle.

The result: With the addition of Cruz's contribution, four Hornets scored in double figures in each of the past two games.

Lohn's strategy was to crash the inside game of the Hornets, forcing Lometa to beat them from the perimeter. They did, canning seven 3- pointers in the first half and nine in the game.

With Lohn's attention redirected to the outside, the inside game came alive in the second half. Brandon Faubion scored 11 of his 12 points in the second half, and Toby Davis scored eight of his 10 after the intermission.

Joe Michael Rivera finished with 12 points, and Bubba Salinas scored eight. Faubion also contributed seven rebounds, four steals and four assists. Davis grabbed nine rebounds.

Against Rochelle, the Hornets led by seven points at the half. Their first-half strategy of pressing and running put Rochelle in foul trouble, helping the Hornets thwart a second-half rally.

"We scored 23 points in the second quarter and kind of fell off in the second half because we were tired," Bradley said. "But we were able to get to their bench, and that strategy worked because we felt like our bench was stronger than theirs."

TJ Rolan tied Cruz with 13 points and nabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. Rivera finished with 10 points, and Faubion recorded 10 points and three steals.

Lometa Girls

The Lometa High School girls' basketball team split its final two games of the season, beating Lohn 51-34 last Friday and losing to Rochelle, 65-33, on Tuesday.

In the win against Lohn, Jeanette Rosales led the Lady Hornets with 12 points. Taylor Bradley and Maria Jasso scored eight apiece, Kylie Bradley registered seven, and Patricia Viera added six. Maribel Reyes, Marcy Garcia and Nayla Rosales scored two each.

"The team came together and played a great game," Lometa coach Brandy Eckermann said. "It's unfortunate we didn't perform this way from the beginning (of the season) because we'd probably be in the playoffs right now. It was good to win because it was our last home game, and it was Parents Night."

Against Rochelle, Jasso and Taylor Bradley led the team with eight points apiece. Garcia scored five, Nayla Roslaes four, Reyes three and Elisha Whisenhunt one.