Getting the first 1,987 points took nearly four seasons.
Edna senior Shanti Guerra needed less than seven minutes to score the next 13, reaching the 2,000-career point milestone with 1:30 left in the first quarter of Friday’s home game against Yoakum.
Guerra finished with 29 points as the Cowgirls easily defeated Yoakum, 74-39, Friday night. Junior Keira Santellana scored 15 points and senior Bella Plotini added 13 to round out the Cowgirls’ double-figure scoring.
But the night belonged to Guerra.
Less than a minute into the game, she scored inside the lane, then swished a three-pointer to put Edna up, 5-2. She quickly followed that with another shot down low, sank a pair of free throws, and got a steal off the press and scored again on a layup, bringing her to 1,998.
With under 2 minutes left in the first quarter, Plotini passed to Santellana in the high post, who pivoted and passed the ball out to Guerra on the right wing. Guerra’s three-point attempt bounced off the rim, but as Santellana tipped the ball out of the lane and passed back out to Plotini, Guerra cut down the lane, caught a sharp pass from Plotini and laid it in off the glass for No. 2,000, despite Yoakum junior Devaeh Rios on her hip.
By the time the first quarter ended, the Cowgirls had built a 23-8 lead and Guerra had scored the team’s first 13 points.
“What I thought was cool about it, she needed 13 points, and she went out and got the first 13 points of the game,” Edna Coach Dustin Durham said. “It wasn’t even like we were force-feeding her. It wasn’t like we were trying to make sure she got it. It was just, naturally, in the middle of the game she just went out there and made it happen.”
Getting to 2,000 points in high school was “a blessing,” Guerra said after the game.
“Not a lot of people get the chance to even score 1,000 points, you know, and I got 2,000, so it’s just a huge blessing,” Guerra said. “I’m forever grateful for everybody that helped me: my coaches, my mom, my whole family, everybody.”
As exciting as the scoring was, a great deal of it was fueled by the Cowgirls’ defensive pressure, getting rebounds, tips, steals, and tie-ups that stymied Yoakum all night. Edna was able to hold the Bulldogs below 25 points until the final eight minutes with solid play not just from the seniors but also from Santellana, Skye Delgado, and others throughout the roster.
“We’ve had a lot of energy these past few games of not giving up and playing our game the whole time,” Plotini said.
Santellana agreed. “We’ve had a lot of great energy these last few games, and I think we’re going to keep it going in the playoffs,” she said.
Friday also marked the final home game for Guerra and Plotini, who were honored in a brief ceremony prior to the game.
“Those two are program changers,” Durham said, who has coached Guerra and Plotini since they were freshmen. “I had them go against the seniors in practice and there was no fear. They just kept going after it, and to see them just continue to build that from Day One is amazing.
“When those two girls are on the court, everybody on the bench believes that we’re going to win the game. Usually, it’s because they’re willing to do whatever it takes to go win that game.”
Friday night meant more than just winning a district game, Plotini said.
“I think it really meant everything,” Plotini said. “All the work we’ve put in all four years, one last time. I think it was perfect. It went perfectly.”
For Guerra, it was a last opportunity to play well for Cowgirl supporters on their home floor.
“I knew it was my last time playing on this court and I just wanted to leave everything out there and give it my all,” Guerra said.
Watching the way that the seniors played their final home game also meant a lot to Santellana.
“I wanted them to have a great game and they both did,” Santellana said. “I love watching them and I’m going to miss them very much.”
Earlier in the week, the Cowgirls rolled by Rice Consolidated, 50-17, in district action.
Edna powered its way to a 26-0 lead by the end of the first quarter to put the game away early.
Guerra led the Cowgirls with 20 points and Santellana scored 13.
Industrial Girls
The Industrial Cobras won their 20th and 21st games last week in wins over Yoakum and Hallettsville.
On Tuesday, the Cobras beat Yoakum, 58-29, as senior Deziree Evans scored 14 points, then defeated Hallettsville on Friday, 4630, as Evans exploded for 27 points, including going 7-for-8 at the free throw line.
The wins set up Tuesday’s home game against Edna, and final regular season game, as a must-win situation for the Cobras to be in the playoff picture, Coach Kathy Anderson said.
Ganado Maidens
Three Maidens scored in double figures as Ganado blew past Bloomington, 60-24, Tuesday in District 28-2A girls play.
Zoey Ybarra scored 15, Emily Thedford scored 13, and Annalyse Thedford scored 12 to lead the Maidens to a season sweep of the Bobcats.
Ganado’s defense held Bloomington to single-digit scoring each of the first three quarters.
Friday night, the Maidens lost to Shiner, 65-44, in another 28-2A game, despite a monster game from Ybarra.
Ybarra made eight threepoint shots and was 3-for-3 at the free throw line en route to 33 points. The senior guard had nine points at halftime as the Maidens trailed Shiner 40-18, but she heated up in the third quarter with three of her three-pointers and added four more in the fourth quarter.
Ganado Coach Kathy Meng said that Ybarra found her shooting stroke and took advantage of help from teammates.
“She got hot,” Meng said. “The girls set her some great screens to get her open, and Zoey is just driven and so quick!”
However, Morgan Lenehan of Shiner was just as prolific, scoring a game-high 37 points on shots inside the arc and the Comanches kept Ganado from making much of a dent in the lead.
District 25-3A Scores and Standings Tuesday marked the final girls’ games for District 25-3A. Final matchups included Edna at Industrial, Tidehaven at Rice Consolidated, Hallettsville at Palacios, and Columbus at Yoakum.
Heading into those games, Tidehaven (31-2) led the district at 11-2, followed by Columbus (20-7) at 9-3, Edna (23-10) and Hallettsville (13-16) at 8-5, Industrial (21-14) and Palacios (17-14) at 7-6, Yoakum (9-20) at 2-11, and Rice Consolidated (1-25) at 0-12.
Last week’s Tuesday scores included Industrial defeating Yoakum, 58-29; Edna beating Rice, 50-17; Hallettsville upsetting Tidehaven, 49-38; and Palacios upsetting Columbus, 43-39. On Friday, Tidehaven beat Palacios, 55-32; Industrial beat Hallettsville, 46-30; and Edna beat Yoakum, 7439. No score was reported from the Columbus-Rice Consolidated game.
District 28-2A Scores and Standings With one game left to play, Flatonia (24-4) leads District 28-2A at 11-0, followed by Shiner (19-9) at 9-2, Weimar (18-12) at 7-4, Schulenburg (17-11) at 6-5, Ganado (5-20) at 4-7, Louise (5-22) and Bloomington (3-26) at 1-10.
On Tuesday, Flatonia played at Ganado; Louise was at Weimar; and Shiner was at Schulenburg. Friday’s lone game is Fayetteville at Flatonia.
Last Tuesday, Flatonia beat Louise, 76-17; Shiner beat Weimar, 48-38; and Ganado beat Bloomington, 60-24. On Friday, Flatonia beat Weimar, 69-31; Schulenburg beat Bloomington, 60-17; and Shiner beat Ganado, 65-44.
Girls Rankings
TABC Class 3A: Tidehaven No. 8 TGCA Class 3A: Tidehaven No. 2; Class 2A: Flatonia No. 10 MaxPreps Class 3A: none; Class 2A: Flatonia No. 24
