WBB: Lady Rams fall to No.7 Tatum, 58-26
night's game in Eagle Coliseum. The Lady Rams lost their first District
20-2A game of the year, 58-26. (Photo by John Krueger)
TATUM, Tx -- The Joaquin Lady Rams gained confidence last Friday by taking an 11-point win over Waskom in their District 20-2A opener. That frame of mind carried over for the first period of Tuesday night's league showdown with No.7-ranked Tatum here in Eagle Coliseum.
But as the game wore on the Lady Eagles showed why they are ranked in the Top 10 in Class 2A. The Lady Rams (12-11) ran out of steam as Tatum took a 58-26 victory to drop Joaquin back to 1-1 in district.
Joaquin, which had its three-game winning streak snapped by the Lady Eagles, will return to district play Friday night at home as they host Jefferson in their first loop matchup in their own 'house'. The tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
"We picked up a lot of confidence in the Waskom win and that was a game I knew we had to win because it was our only district win last year," said Joaquin head coach Carrie Obregon. "I knew we had to get that one for sure so we would be ready mentally to challenge Tatum.
"And even though we lost tonight, the girls were able to see some good aspects of the loss. They competed the best they could. Tatum just had better shooters and bigger bodies out there than we did."
Ava Stephens led the Joaquin attack, scoring 10 points on the night. However, she was the only Lady Ram in double figures. Katelyn Cockrell knocked down five points, Mallory Martinez and Jordan Welch each chipped in four, Annabeth Vaughn scored two and Paige Wilburn knocked down one point.
Joaquin struggled in the shooting department, converting just 17 percent (8-of-48) from the field, while committing 29 turnovers.
The Lady Rams finished the game with 30 rebounds, with 12 of them coming off the offensive glass. Martinez and Whitney Vaughn each pulled down six rebounds, while Cockrell and Annabeth Vaughn added five apiece. Chasity Baker finished with three rebounds and Wilburn and Ryleigh Yates pitched in one each.
Joaquin gave Tatum all it could handle in the first quarter as the Lady Eagles managed a slim 13-12 lead heading into the second period. But the Lady Rams showed signs of fatigue in the second quarter, scoring just two points as the Lady Eagles widened the gap to 29-14 at intermission.
"Our whole game plan was to slow the game down because we knew we couldn't 'run and gun' with them," Obregon added. "They have some great athletes who can move the ball up and down the court, so we wanted to keep it a half-court game.
"We stayed right with them in the first quarter, but in the second quarter we were so tired and began turning the ball over and they kept us to two points.
"Then we came out in the third quarter, and although it wasn't as bad as the second quarter, it wasn't (the offense) that we needed. Then they were able to pull away in the fourth. It was just a different level of play than we were used to playing."
Joaquin actually outscored Tatum 7-6 in the third and trailed 35-21 heading into the fourth quarter. But, like they had in the second, the Lady Eagles pulled away, outscoring JHS 23-5 in the final eight minutes.
"I think we learned some things from this game tonight; things we can use during the upcoming district games," Obregon added. "The girls felt after the game that they played them better than the final score reflected, so we need to use that when we take the court Friday against Jefferson."