8th Lady Mules vs. Friona Squaws (1-13-14)

8th Lady Mules vs. Friona Squaws (1-13-14)

The eighth grade Lady Mules utilized a monster second period to defeat the Friona Maidens 32-10. The first period ended in a 4-4 tie but then the Lady Mules caught fire. They put 18 points on the scoreboard in the second quarter. 

“All the girls hustled and made good passes,” said Lady Mule coach Edie Niblett. “All the girls played very well and did not give Friona many opportunities to score. Conley Niblett made several long passes down court to start fast breaks for easy lay ups.” 

Brianna Velasquez finished a fast break to open the game but Friona scored quickly to tie the game. Melody Moran fed the ball to Cassidy Cage to again put the Lady Mules on top but the Maidens scored before the period ended in a 4-4 tie. 

Conley Niblett made the long pass down court to start the fast break early in the second frame. Brianna Barron pulled in the throw and finished the break to put the Lady Mules in front to stay. Niblett made a steal and drove the floor for a lay up. 

Friona made a pair of free throws for their final points of the first half. Yvonne Diaz fed Niblett the ball on the blocks. Niblett turned and shot over her defender to give the Lady Mules a 10-6 lead. 

Barron was fouled while shooting and made a free throw. She the gathered up a loose ball on the floor and scored. Diaz put back and offensive rebound as did Niblett. Niblett then drove the left side for a lay up. Diaz made a post-to-post pass to Niblett and she scored easily.  Diaz was fouled while shooting and made a free throw to end the half with the Lady Mules leading 22-6.

The Lady Mule defense held Friona to two points in each of the final two periods. 

Niblett led the Lady Mules with 12 points. Barron added five points and Cage and Velasquez dropped in four points each. Diaz finished with three points. Lili Barrera and Valarie Ambriz chipped in two points each. 

The B-team 1 Lady Mules defeated the Friona Maidens 29-11. 

“This was their first game since coming back from the holidays and it took a little bit to get going,” said Coach Niblett. “But the girls pulled it all together very nicely and won the game.”

Madison Lutz led the Lady Mules in scoring with 10 points. Laura Chavez added six points and Ricarda Elizalde dropped in five points. Marki Stearmer finished with four points and Haley Hunt and Maddison Price had two points each. 

The Lady Mules played in the Levelland Tournament and fell victim to Idalou by a single point 20-19. Niblett scored eight points to lead the Lady Mules and Hallie Myatt added five points. Diaz, Barron and Barrera each chipped in two points. 

“It was a very aggressive defensive game,” said Coach Niblett. “This was a hard loss to take but we had every opportunity to win the game. Free throws cost us the win. We have to be able to make those count.” 

“Our team did not stop fighting for the ball and trying to score until the final buzzer. We have never had so many fouls called (23) but we have to learn to adjust while still setting the pace of the game. I am proud of the girls effort.” 

The Lady Mules bounced back with a 49-19 win over the Littlefield Lady Cats. Barrera and Niblett led in scoring with 10 points each. Barron added eight points and Diaz dropped in seven. Velasquez, Myatt and Moran finished with four points each and Ambriz chipped in two points. 

“The girls played hard right from the tip” continued Coach Niblett. “Everyone helped stop Littlefield on defense with great traps and steals. When our defense is working we are able to push the ball quickly down the court and score.”

The Lady Mules won Consolation by defeating the Levelland Loboettes 49-19. Barron led the charge with nine points and Barrera and Niblett added seven points each. Velasquez finished with six points, Barron had five and Noa Rojas made four. Diaz and Myatt chipped in three points each. 

“Two games back-to-back but the girls wanted to end the tournament on a winning note,” said Coach Niblett. They brought home the Consolation plaque and I was proud of their effort and for each of them for making this team what it is.”

The eighth grade B-team Lady Mules lost two games in the Whitharral Tournament that was held at the same time as the tournament in Levelland. The Lady Mules lost to Whitharral 19-3 in the first game. Michelle Reyes led the Lady Mules with two points and Liliana Martinez chipped in one. 

Morton also defeated the Lady Mules 25-21. Martinez led the Lady Mules with six points and Kayla Torres added five points. Reyes finished with four points. 

The Lady Mules traveled to Olton Monday evening to play the Fillies and return home January 27 to host the Dimmitt Bobbies. The Lady Mules will play that game in the new high school gym.