Espinosa sisters help Hale Center girls stake claim as district's best squad
HALE CENTER — There's no sneaking up on anybody this year for the Hale Center girls basketball team.
The Lady Owls snagged a share of the district championship a year ago, catching some by surprise. Returning just about everybody, head coach Alfonzo Franklin knew his team was going to have to believe in themselves to keep moving forward.
A speed bump seemed on the horizon after one quarter of their District 4-2A home game against Sudan. Entering the contest, the two teams were tied atop the standings, both with unblemished marks in league play.
The Nettes had the distinct size advantage, and the know-how in big games like Friday night presented. Hale Center was sped up on offense, turning it over left and right. The few shots the Lady Owls managed in the first eight minutes were lucky to hit the rim.
"We were forcing everything," guard Mariyah Espinosa said of Hale Center's two-point first quarter. "We were not really in control of ourselves. And we're gonna have times where we need to settle down, and I think that's when we really got together and said this is going to be our game."
An 18-1 run catapulted Hale Center to a halftime lead, and the scrappy defense took the Lady Owls the rest of the way to a 48-41 victory for sole possession of first place.
To Franklin, a victory like Friday's anticipated encounter is the next step for the Lady Owls, who have already tied last year's win total.
"I think when the girls believe that there's an expectation and there's people that believe in them, they understand that I don't want to let those people down," said the second-year coach. "I've come in here since Day 1 and I've told these girls, 'I believe in you. When you start believing in yourself, we can be special.' So they know that people believe in them. They don't want to let them down, and they're starting to believe in themselves."
Makayla Espinosa is a four-year varsity player for the Lady Owls (19-5, 5-0). She's seen quite a bit in her time and noticed a shift in the team's mentality last year.
"I feel like in earlier years we had a few players who weren't fully committed, so it was hard for everyone to click," Makayla said. "Now, everyone's committed. We're all in and everyone wants the same goal, so it's easier to get there."
Younger sister Mariyah has been putting up impressive scoring numbers throughout her career, but came through in a different way Friday.
After having to wrap her wrist due to a cut she sustained earlier in the game, Mariyah picked up her fourth foul with 5:27 left in the final quarter, Hale Center holding on to a 33-27 lead.
Sudan trimmed the deficit to four by the time Mariyah got back on the floor. On her first possession, she hit a cutting Lorena Espinosa — her cousin — for a bucket then found Makayla for an open jumper, pushing the lead back to seven, which wound up as the final margin.
It was a battle of teams that won their respective districts a season ago — Hale Center shared the crown with Floydada. With first place on the line, the Nettes couldn't match the Lady Owls down the stretch, thanks to a rough shooting night.
"They brought the fight to us," Sudan coach Benny Lockhart said. "They fought hard and got after it. Alfonzo does a great job with his team there. They got after us, but we've got to knock shots down."
Lockhart noted that Sudan missed 23 attempts from 3-point range and 25 shots from inside the paint. Stevi Lockhart, who had a game-high 21 points, was unable to get her mid-range jumper to fall with any consistency. Landree Gonzales (nine points) was the only other Nette to hit more than two shots.
Meanwhile, the Lady Owls relied on its deep array of scoring threats. Mariyah Espinosa and Jazzlynn Guerra each had 11 points, with Lorena Espinosa adding eight and Makayla Espinosa six.
The victory is a stamp for the Lady Owls that the process is coming along, but there's more work to be done.
"It all goes back to practice," Mariyah Espinosa said. "One thing Coach always tells us is never take it easy on each other, because no one's ever gonna take it easy on the court. So it's all up to us to push each other and get each other better during practice."
District 4-2A
Hale Center 48, Sudan 41
Hale Center 2 21 7 18 — 48
Sudan 6 8 11 16 — 41
Hale Center (19-5, 5-0) — Jazzlynn Guerra 11, Lorena Espinosa 8, Jaydee Castillo 4, Reba Holloway 3, Mariyah Espinosa 11, Layla Juarez 2, Makayla Espinosa 6, Kandace Franklin 3.
Sudan (15-8, 4-1) — Stevi Lockhart 21, Landree Gonzales 9, Melo Rodriguez 3, Gracyn Shultz 4, Edette Herrea 2, Elaine Martinez 2.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Espinosa sisters help Hale Center girls stake claim as district's best squad
