Haley Capestany, Ranger women’s head coach, directs a player on the floor during the final moments of a regular season match up against St. Phillip’s College Monday in Candler. Key turnovers late in the game attributed to the Rangers 78-74 loss. Photo by Brandon A. Edwards
The women’s basketball team hosted the Tigers Monday in Gym 1 of Candler.
By J. Del Valle
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Criminal justice freshman Beth Prouty attempts a pass to liberal arts freshman Sabrina Cortinas during a regular season match up against St. Phillip’s College Monday in Candler. Photo by Brandon A. Edwards
The St. Philip’s Tigers clawed their way to a 78-74 victory against the Rangers Monday night, with Tigers point guard K. Tobias dominating with a total of 38 points.
The Rangers started off slow in the first quarter with missing shots from outside the range.
The Tigers scored 7 straight points in the first two minutes from Ranger turnovers, leading to a 3-pointer from J. Mireles and a jump shot each from K. Tobias and S. Munoz.
The Rangers remained scoreless for the first four minutes until kinesiology sophomore Cheyenne Baxa’s jump shot put up 2 points on the scoreboard. The team momentum started to kick in. From that successful basket, both teams’ shooting attempts were all hustle with aggressive steals and rebounds to get back up to the basket.
The Tigers were very sharp on their shooting skills, quick with rebounds and fast break points. St Philip’s point guard K. Tobias put up 17 points in the first half. She had four steals that resulted in fast break points, until the Rangers pressed on defense starting at the half court mark on the Tigers’ inbound plays, causing them to slip up and lose control of their ball movement.
The Tigers gave the Rangers a run for their points, but the Rangers took the lead by the end of the first half, 36-33.
In the second half the Tigers’ efficient shooting took over the third quarter, putting up 31 points on the scoreboard.
The Rangers did not go down easily.
English sophomore Tiera Sellers charged in aggressively to the paint, successfully making a basket that resulted in an and-one. Her defender J. Mireles took a hard body contact from Sellers that caused her right knee to buckle, resulting in an injury. She had to get carried off the floor.
With four minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Rangers lagging behind, 72-71, both teams started to get very heated and intense on the court.
One of the Rangers’ top shooters and defender, nursing sophomore Shace Carnes fouled out. As the clock was running out with every free ball that was up for grabs, they would anxiously go diving to the floor and wrestle for the ball.
The Rangers’ foul trouble was sending the Tigers to the free throw line in the last three minutes, which gave them the opportunity to gain points. That ended the Rangers’ chance of beating the Tigers, with the final score 78-74.
The Rangers play again at 6 p.m. today at Northwest Vista College.
