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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Sports
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
Iraan runs past Pecos in girls' season opener
The season-opening game for the Pecos Eagles girls' basketball team may
have been a good advertisement for cross-country running, based on the results
of Tuesday night's game in Iraan against the Braves.
Iraan jumped out to a 40-19 halftime lead on Pecos, on the way to a 67-42
win over the Eagles. However, despite that, and some foul shooting problems
of their own, Valenzuela said she found some bright spots in the loss.
"All things considered the girls did OK," she said. "I saw some good things
out there, and I told the girls if they continue to improve in some areas,
we'll be all right."
"The main thing is we're not in playing shape right now. They got a few
easy baskets by beating us down the court, and when we tried the same thing,
we threw the ball away," Valenzuela said.
Iraan came into the game off season-opening loss to Reagan County and
Big Spring, but had the advantage on endurance, since five members of the
team were part of the Braves' cross country team that won the Class A state
title on Nov. 9. That included Rikita Urias and Rachel Green, who both scored
16 points for the Braves. Urias also had two of Iraan's five 3-point baskets,
as Valenzuela said her team was slow to cover the Braves outside shooters
in the first half.
For Pecos, their lone girls' cross-country runner this past season, Leslie
Rodriguez, also ended up as the leading scorer with 15 points, including
one of the Eagles' two 3-point baskets, while Danielle Garcia added 10.
Defensively, Valenzuela said Iraan pressed Pecos for the entire game.
"They ran a full-court press, and if they were not doing that they ran a
half-court trap," she said, while adding that the press didn't hurt the Eagles
as much as in some games last season. "In the second half they ran traps
on the sides, and all we did was run our half-court press break and we had
opportunities to score."
The Eagles also had chances to score from the foul line, but despite taking
14 more free throws than Iraan, managed only one more point than the Braves.
"We missed 23 free throws, and I think a lot of that has to do with not
being able to concentrate and shoot free throws when we're tired," Valenzuela
said.
The Eagles' next game will be their home opener on Friday night against
Van Horn, with the games scheduled for 5 and 6:30 p.m. Pecos' boys, who saw
their scheduled home game on Tuesday against San Elizario canceled, will
go to Van Horn on Friday for 5 and 6:30 p.m. contests.
Iraan also won Tuesday's junior varsity game over Pecos, 39-15. Kristi
Contreras led the Eagles with six points.
PECOS (42)
Rodriguez 5 2-5 15; Franco 1 0-0 2; Ornelas 1 2-8 4; Mendoza 0 0-4
0; Arreguy 0 0-0 0; Herrera 1 1-4 4; Regelman 0 2-2 2; Martinez 2 0-0
4; Garcia 3 4-10 10; Baez 0 0-0 0; Terry 0 3-4 3. Totals 13 14-37 42.
IRAAN (67)
Duran 2 0-1 4; Smith 2 0-0 6; Holmes 1 4-4 6; Jerrigan 1 2-7 4; Green
8 0-2 16; Callahan 3 2-2 8; Urias 6 2-2 16; Alexander 1 1-2 3; Malone
1 1-4 3. Totals 25 12-23 67.
Pecos 7 12 11 12 _ 42
Iraan 17 23 12 15 _ 67
Three-point goals: Pecos 2 (Rodriguez, Herrera), Iraan 5 (Smith 2, Urias
2, Holmes). Technical foul: Iraan, Urias. Fouled out: Iraan Holmes, Jerrigan.
Total fouls: Pecos 24, Iraan 30.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2002 by Pecos Enterprise
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