Sports

The Ganado Indians played in a tension-filled game that stretched into a four-minute overtime again the Shiner Comanches, and pulled out a victory with a final score of 42-39.

Indian Matt Bridges said although the team was down by a few points, they never gave up. "Our good defense led to a lot of fastbreaks and easy points," he said. "We outplayed them in the second half."

And that statement was very true. The Indians started slow in the first half, with Kameron Smith scoring and Jonathan Martinez and Austin Alford putting away a free throw each, they were losing 4-11 at the end of the first quarter. Alford, Martinez and Smith scored again in the second quarter, with the score only 13-20 in Shiner's favor at halftime.

In the third, the Indians started to catch up. Caleb Thedford added to points Alford, Martinez and Smith scored in the third, making the score 26-30, still in the Comanches' favor.

The Ganado Maidens lost to Shiner's Lady Comanches tonight at home with a final score of 36-54. Maiden Desirea Vasquez said even though the team lost they did what they needed.

"We didn't give up," she said. "It was a tough game but I'm proud of my team."

The game started with Sarah Novak putting away the first points of the game, although Taylor Mirelez made up the difference in the first quarter. The score was 9-21 in the Lady Comanches' favor.

Mirelez and Novak were the ones to bring up their team's score in the second quarter, with Novak sinking a three-pointer. Score was 19-34 at halftime, in Shiner's favor. The third quarter wasn't much different, being that Novak and Mirelez were the only scorers again, and Novak dropping another three-pointer. Still in Shiner's favor, the score was 25-48.

    The Ganado Maidens battled and won against the Flatonia Lady Dogs in an overtime basketball with a final score of 49-48.
    Coach Bryan Branch said it was a rollercoaster of a game, although the team never trailed the entire time, and had complete control. He said it was all about their rebounding effort. “When we would go a run of points was when we only allowed them to get one shot and we were crashing the boards and getting multiple shots,” he said. “When we stopped rebounding then they would score.

Industrial 58, Tidehaven 15
Halftime: 31-6, Cobras
Record:17-9
District Record: 2-1
Kelsey VanPelt 20 points 2 three-pointers
Savhannah Kitchens 11 points
Jessica Martin 10 points
Cassidy High 6 points
Lauren Brogger 4 points
Taylor McGinnis 3 points
Morgan Gabrysch 2 points
Reagan Doyle 2 points

Industrial 68, Bloomington 33
Brandon Alexander 19 points, 1 three-pointer
Kyle Alexander 16 points, 1 three-pointer
Jay Sandoval 9 points, 2 three-pointers
Trevor Ressman 7 points, 1 three-pointer
Brady Karl 6 points
Hunter Goyen 2 points
Brock Werckle 2 points

Industrial 46, Tidehaven 20
B. Alexander 16 points
K. Alexander 11 points
Manny Munoz 8 points, 2 three-pointers
Sandoval 6 points
Ressman 3 points, 1 three-pointer

Edna Varsity 34, Hallettsville 67
Edna      5    2   12  15
Halletts. 16  17  21  13
Kacey Nidey 17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 7 steals, 4 deflections, 2 assists
Tamara Mathis 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 3 steals
Sierra Pruitt 5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 assist
Kamryn Roman 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 block, 1 steal
M’kayla Barnes 1 point, 1 rebound, 1 block, 2 steals, 1 deflection
Kim Ortolon 3 rebounds, 1 steal
Ashley Soto 1 rebound
Rylee Morrow 4 rebound, 3 blocks
Bailey Brown 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 steal

Ganado Indians 49, Rice Cons. 36
Kameron Smith 20 points
Jonathan Martinez 17 points
Caleb Thedford 10 points
Jorge Campuzano 2 points

Ganado Indians 32, Shiner 39
Smith 11 points
Matt Bridges 6 points
Thedford 5 points
Cody Morales 3 points
Campuzano 3 points

Ganado Maidens 23, Shiner 49
Ganado 5   7   4   7
Shiner  14  4  15  16

Ganado 21, Weimar 58
Ganado  5   2   6   8
Weimar 18  14  14  12
Taylor Mirelez 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals
Cheyenne Galindo 5 points, 1 rebound, 2 blocks
Sierra Salazar 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 6 steals
Sarah Novak 2 rebounds, 1 steal
Desirea Vasquez 2 rebounds
Haley Kelly 1 assist
Lizzie Callis 1 rebound

    Industrial Cobra Kelsey VanPelt has basketball in her blood. She said her grandparents, Judy and Bobby Nicholson, and her parents, Shelly and Clay VanPelt, have taught her much of her basketball education, and that has continued as she grew older.
    “My grandmother and my mother taught me my fundamentals and how to play the game on our driveway every chance they could get,” she remembered fondly. “My dad also coached me in YMCA and Upward basketball when I was just starting to grab ahold of the concepts of the game. My grandpa taught me the meaning of toughness and how working hard leads to success on and off the court.”
    Kelsey added that although she’s had many coaches who have inspired her to become a hard-working player, her family has always taken her to a gym to develop her necessary skills. “They have helped all of us, no matter how old, grow in skill as well as creating a family feel throughout the team.”

    Senior Kacey Nidey learned much of her basketball education from her dad, Coach Brett Nidey, and she practices a lot with her twin brother, Cowboy Brandon Nidey.
    “Brandon and I play together a lot, our dad would take us to the gym while he coached basketball at a previous school when we were smaller,” she said. We’d practice drills, and play against each other. We were very competitive and still are,” she smiled.
    Kacey said her father taught her fundamentals and how to handle the ball. “I guess he still teaches me now but I think I know a lot because of what he’s taught me,”she said. “It’s not like he can teach me anything else becaue he’s taught me so much, so it’s me doing my thing and him telling me what specifically I need to work on.”

    Industrial Cobra Brandon Alexander has played basketball with his younger brother Kyle since they were kids. Their dad, George, taught them both the game of basketball and was their coach when Brandon and Kyle played in Victoria’s YMCA league as children.
    “When I play, I focus on getting my teammates involved and doing what’s best for us to get a win,” Brandon said. “I think as a team we are playing really well, and I think we have to keep playing Cobra basketball in order for us to succeed as a team.”
    Brandon is the son of Carol and George Alexander. He has been playing Cobra varsity basketball since he was a freshman, and this is his third year playing on the team, under the direction of Rusty Roe.
    “Coach Roe has taught me and the team how to fight through adversity, especially this year,” he said. “I wouldn’t want another coach to coach me in my high school career other than him.”

    Ganado Indian Kameron Smith plays basketball with hidden wings in his feet. His hang-time is at least double of his teammates, and Kameron believes the gift is part natural, but part hard work as well.
    “The team works hard in the weight room, and I think it has to do with that,” he said.
    Kameron is consistently one of the top players on the Indian team and is also one of their captains, along with the other seniors: Jonathan Martinez, Austin Alford and Cody Morales.
    “He is a great kid who shows up everyday with a great attitude and works hard,” said Coach John Armstrong. “He leads by example and is very unselfish on the basketball court, almost too unselfish at times because I wish he would shoot more than he does.”
    Kameron said Coach Armstrong has taught him a lot about fundamental and that has helped him improve his game. He said Armstrong has also helped him learn life lessons and how to be a great person on and off the court.