Post threat Bella Stevens making most of first season with Klondike girls basketball
KLONDIKE — Bella Stevens wanted to get the most out of her final year of high school. That just so happened to include joining the Klondike girls basketball team for the first time.
The Lady Cougars are glad to have her.
The 6-foot volleyball standout has been a welcome addition, teaming with fellow senior Maya Howard to form a punishing duo down low. Klondike used that advantage Thursday to pick up a key 49-48 win over Sands at Cougar Gymnasium.
Stevens and the 5-9 Howard helped the Lady Cougars control the boards, adding 22 points combined.
"Sometimes we don't really know how tall we are," said Stevens, who led Klondike with 16 points. "We don't always play to that advantage, but being able to rebound and stuff, the height definitely helps."
It was a problem Sands almost overcame for the second time this year, but the reigning Class 1A state champions couldn't connect on a dramatic game-winner. The No. 4 Lady Mustangs (23-6 overall, 7-1 district) missed a pair of shots in the paint in the final 5.24 seconds. Sands had just pulled within one after two free throws from an intentional foul.
Tuesday's height disparity is something Lady Mustangs coach Ben Connell is used to, and one the team has managed well most of the season.
"It's big time. Their offensive rebounds are what killed us," Connell said. "It made the difference in the game because they're able to get the offensive rebound, put it back in. That's something we're going to have to deal with, and we're going to deal with it because we're gonna be the smaller team most times when we play."
The fourth quarter featured six lead changes, with Grace Stevens' 3-pointer giving No. 24 Klondike a 46-43 edge with 1:48 left. Elysa Martinez, who scored a game-high 23 points, hit a transition 3 to bring Sands within 47-46, but the Lady Mustangs never regained the lead.
The Lady Cougars (18-3, 7-1) celebrated the much-awaited victory, players jumping and embracing after the buzzer. The result avenged a 56-51 loss Jan. 13 at Sands.
"It's always been a big goal of ours to beat Sands," Bella Stevens said. "They put in the (local) newspaper at the beginning of the year that it's looking good for Sands to get first place again in district. Being able to prove everybody wrong and working hard for the girls, it's huge. We're all excited for it."
Klondike and Sands are now tied for the District 8-1A lead with two games left. Both coaches agreed the high-stakes contest would serve them well ahead of what they hope is a path that leads them back together for the Region I-1A final.
"I think Klondike's one of the best teams in the region," Connell said, "so it's good to have to be pushed to that level of play. I think it was a good experience. We learned some stuff here. … Even when you lose, there's still some stuff out of that you can take away and learn."
Klondike coach Kelsey Canavan hopes her team learned from the win, too. She's aiming for a deep playoff run to extend her only season with Bella Stevens, who plays while dealing with complex regional pain syndrome and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.
"She really has to battle through all this pain," Canavan said. "We keep having conversations like, 'You let me know when it's no longer worth it.' But she said, 'It's worth it to me.' For her to go through what she goes through on a daily basis just to be a part of this team is so special to me. That's why I just want to go as far as we can, make it last as long as we can."
District 8-1A
Klondike 49, Sands 48
Sands 11 16 7 14 — 48
Klondike 15 9 11 14 — 49
Sands (23-6, 7-1) — Savannah Barnes 4, Bianca Plata 7, Taylor Wall 2, Aubree Blissard 7, Elysa Martinez 23, Chloe Gillespie 3, Hayley Connell 2.
Klondike (18-3, 7-1) — Bella Stevens 16, Fallon Warren 7, Grace Stevens 10, Izabella Arismendez 4, Raeleigh Bellows 5, Maya Howard 6, M'Kynleigh Barron 1.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Bella Stevens making most of first season with Klondike girls basketball
