Photos: Laredo Alexander wins 50-49 thriller over San Antonio Stevens in 6A Bi-District girls basketball playoffs
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Led by senior Sophia Villalobos and freshman Emily Buitron, who finished with 17 points each, Laredo Alexander beat San Antonio Stevens 50-49 Tuesday night in the Texas high school girls basketball playoffs.
With the victory the Lady Bulldogs (21-12) claim the Class 6A Bi-District title and move on to the area championship where they will play Harlingen.
Laredo Alexander senior Kayla Herrera, who averages 20.1 points per game, was held in check Tuesday night, finishing with just six points. But she connected on the biggest shots of the game, draining two free throws with 4.9 seconds left to seal the victory.
The Lady Bulldogs connected on 10 3-pointers, with Villalobos and Buitron hitting five each.
Villalobos has deep range from beyond the arc and Tuesday night it was on full display. Her deep 3-pointers forced San Antonio Stevens to come out of their zone defense.
Buitron is one of the most versatile athletes on the roster and was moved into the starting lineup after senior Jacki Rendon went down with an injury in January. Buitron played like a veteran and never allowed herself to get caught up in the excitement of the playoffs.
“We knew there was something special at the beginning of the year,” Laredo Alexander head coach Ivan Medellin said. “We had an unfortunate injury happen. (Buitron) has been stepping up and she took a lot of big shots today. At halftime she asked one of our assistant coaches, 'Am I supposed to shoot it?' I walked over to get and told her she had the green light to shoot. The freshman hit big shots for us tonight.”
After senior Samantha Carranza hit the opening basket, Buitron came down the court and hit her first 3-pointer of the game, never missing the rest of the game. She went 5-for-5 from the three-point line and her last one proved to be key down the stretch.
San Antonio Stevens led 49-45 in the final minute. Herrera came down the court and found a wide open Buitron at the top of the three-point line. Buitron connected on her final triple of the game with 28.5 seconds left to make it a one-point ball game.
In order to stop the clock Laredo Alexander was forced to foul putting San Antonio Stevens' Callista Perez on the free throw line. Perez was 7-for-7 from the free throw line to that point, but she missed the first free throw and Villalobos secured the rebound.
Medellin called a timeout and designed a play for either Villalobos or Herrera to take the last shot. Herrera took the pass and immediately attacked the basket. She was fouled in the process. With 4.9 seconds left on the clock, Herrera iced both free throws to give the Bulldogs the lead. San Antonio Stevens had one last opportunity at the basket, but the ball hit the back of the rim.
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