Just over a minute separated the Edna Cowgirls from handing No. 2-ranked Tidehaven its first loss Friday night.
Senior Shanti Guerra’s free throw with 1:09 remaining had boosted the Cowgirls back in front, 57-56, their first lead since late in the third quarter.
But Tidehaven senior post Mykah Riddick’s jumper with 56.49 seconds left gave her team the lead to stay as the Tigerettes held on for a 58-57 district win.
The Tigerettes’ fullcourt pressure and overall defensive effort led to multiple Edna turnovers and limited their second- chance shots, leading to a hard-fought, tight ball game.
“We’ve talked about (turnovers) ever since this game was on the schedule,” Edna coach Dustin Durham said. “We’ve got to make sure we take care of the basketball. Unfortunately, some of those plays we didn’t do that very well.
“But I still thought our girls played unbelievably hard. Good solid basketball game, and I’m proud of the effort they put in.”
Junior Keira Santellana scored eight of her team-high 19 points in the third quarter to lead the Cowgirls; Guerra had 15 points, including seven in the fourth quarter; senior Bella Plotini scored eight, including a pair of three-pointers; post Kelis Turner had six points; Emmalee Garcia had four; and Te’Arin Turner added a three-pointer.
Tigerette senior Mary Johnson led all scorers with 24 points and Riddick added 11 for Tidehaven.
Durham praised the hustle of Santellana, who also grabbed eight steals and seven rebounds.
“That girl gets after it on both sides of the floor,” Durham said. “She felt like she had to step up this year, so she’s certainly tried her best to do that.”
Getting a district win was her focus, Santellana said.
“I was just trying to get as many steals as I could,” she said. “We didn’t get as many rebounds. I think that’s what lost us the game.”
It was a back-and-forth affair from the start, with neither team able to gain any real separation until the second quarter.
Johnson hit a jumper from the left side to tie the game at 20, then scored on a baseline drive to put the Tigerettes ahead, but a layup by Garcia, a steal and layup from Santellana, a Guerra three-pointer, and another drive by Santellana boosted the Cowgirls to a 29-22 lead midway through the second quarter.
Edna maintained a seven- point lead until just before the half, when Turner scored down in the post on a feed from Guerra to send the Cowgirls into the break with a 37-28 lead.
Tidehaven erased the lead in the third quarter, using its defense to create turnovers and baskets, outscoring the Cowgirls 20-11 to tie the game at 48-48 heading into the final quarter.
From then on, it was a battle to see which team would score last.
Edna leaned on seniors Guerra and Plotini to hit game-tying baskets four times in the final eight minutes, but when Riddick’s shot gave Tidehaven its 58-57 lead, the Cowgirls came up short.
“We got a little out of control, but we played a really good game,” Durham said. “One possession we went man-to-man. We let ’em get a pass, let ’em get a shot, get a layup and a free throw on it, so I feel like that one kind of came back and bit us. The girls played a really good basketball game.”
The Cowgirls had opened 25-3A play on Tuesday with a 62-46 loss at Columbus. After opening the district with two losses, the team needs to bring the same effort and hustle this week against Hallettsville and Palacios, Santellana said.
“(We need to) just keep up the energy, take these two losses and try to come out with a win,” she said.
