Indians bait the Redfish

    The Ganado Indians faced the Tivoli Redfish at home Tuesday, Dec. 30, and won with a final score of 43-40. More than a few Ganado fans took their time during winter break to support the Indians in this surprising win, including the majority of the Maidens basketball team.
    #10 senior captain Cody Morales said the team communication was what brought them over the top. “Being motivated after a such a big lead from the other team, and everybody talking helped,” he said. “Everyone was getting excited.”
    The first half started out not too good for the Indians: the Redfish were on their game and wanted everybody to know it. Aggressive moves were being made by the opponents, and by the end of the first quarter they were leading, 18-8. The three senior captains: Austin Alford, Morales and Jonathan Martinez put some numbers on the board, with Morales landing his first three-pointer of the game. At the end of the second quarter, the Redfish still had a lead, 31-22.
    Martinez said the second half of the game allowed the team to shine. “We were communicating even more and we were actually making shots, not like the first half,” he said. “They were making more shots than us and that kept them in the game.”
    The Indians came alive and started fighting for their balls, and trying to steal their opponent’s balls as well. The fans of both sides were getting louder and with full reason. At the end of the third the Indians were up by two points with a score of 36-34. The score became tied at the beginning of the fourth quarter and nearly stayed that way for the next six minutes. With two minutes left in the game Ganado pushed forth and led the score with 43-40, and kept it that way fighting until the end.
    Alford said the team will be ready for district play when the spring season starts. “We’ll be using our time to get back into shape, battling hard and making all of our shots, rebounds and boxing out. We’ll be ready.”
    The Indians’ next game will be on Tuesday, Jan. 6, against the Palacios Sharks, there.