Stallions get win in overtime
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Madera South guard Aleecia Rosel rises up for a shot against Coalinga during an overtime win Wednesday in the Madera Shootout.
The Madera South Stallions girls basketball team used a scoring burst in overtime to defeat the Coalinga Horned Toads in the first game of the Madera Shootout in Joe Flores Gym.
The Stallions held a 48-47 lead with 9.4 seconds left, but a missed 3-pointer gave the Horned Toads the ball out of bounds with 0.9 seconds left in the game.
Madera South was called for its second delay of game violation and it gave Coalinga two free throws. The Horned Toads missed the first, but made the second to tie the score and force overtime.
A 3-pointer by Lexi Eller with nine seconds left in overtime gave the Stallions a 57-54 lead. Then, Madera South forced Coalinga to throw the ball out of bounds.
On the inbounds, Eller made a layup for the final score of a 59-54 victory Wednesday.
“We’re trying to teach how to play basketball,” head coach Johnny Sharp said. “We didn’t want that shot over there (missed 3-pointer) just like we didn’t want this shot here (Eller’s layup). We told them don’t shoot the all. She told me, ‘We made it.’ I said that’s not the case. If we miss that shot, they get the rebound, call time out, score a three and we’re in double overtime. We’re really in the process of learning how to play the game.”
The Stallions battled back from a nine point halftime deficit and outscored Coalinga by eight in the fourth quarter to take the late lead.
“We’re having a youth revolution,” Sharp said. “We just don’t quite understand don’t let our person get behind us and don’t reach over. What happens, we get the violation at the end and they tie the score.”
Eller led the Stallions with 20 points. She also had four steals. Aleecia Rosel scored 17 points, including a clutch 3-pointer to get the stallions back into the game in overtime. She also led the team with eight rebounds.
Kiarra Smith scored 14 points with four 3-pointers. Kim Prudente added six rebounds and three steals despite being the shortest player on the court at times.
“Kim is one of those freshmen I’m going to play a lot,” Sharp said. “I call the youngsters the bomb squad. They know it now and look forward to it. I’m trying to get them time on the court.”
The Stallions took the early lead after two free throws from Shayla Lopez and an Eller layup. Coalinga then scored the next 14 points, taking advantage of eight Stallions turnovers and seven missed shots.
Eller scored at the first period buzzer for a 14-6 Coalinga lead.
After a Coalinga bucket, Rosel answered with a bucket of her own. Eller put back her own miss to cut Coalinga’s lead to six.
Coalinga scored six straight points to open the lead to 22-10 before Rosel hit a jumper. Smith hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to seven, but Coalinga put back a miss to take a 25-15 lead into the half.
Rosel and Jonese Feliu scored to cut the lead to five. After four missed shots, Jackie Cortez converted a steal into a layup to get Madera South within three.
Coalinga scored five of the next six points to open the lead back to seven.
Smith banked in a 3-pointer to cut the lead to four, but Coalinga answered with a bucket.
After Eller hit two free throws, Coalinga scored four points for a 35-27 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Rosel put back two straight offensive rebounds to get the lead down to four. After two Coalinga free throws, Smith hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to three.
Coalinga added two free throws and two buckets to open a 43-34 lead with four minutes left in regulation.
Feliu hit a 15-foot jumper, Eller hit a driving layup and Rosel hit a jumper to cut the lead to three with 2:41 left in the game. After a Coalinga bucket, Smith hit a short jumper and made a 3-pointer to tie the game with 1:10 left.
Rosel made a free throw for a 46-45 lead with 34.7 left in the fourth.
Eller drove to the basket for a layup and a 48-45 lead with 19.9 seconds left.
Coalinga put back an offensive rebound with 9.4 seconds left. A delay of game violation resulted in Coalinga tying the score.
In the overtime, the Horned Toads scored the first four points for a 52-48 lead.
Eller converted a 3-point play to cut the lead to one. Rosel made a 3-pointer and the Stallions took a 54-52 lead.
The Horned Toads tied the score with a pair of free throws with 35.9 seconds left in the overtime.
Madera South missed a shot, but Feliu came down with the offensive rebound and was fouled. She missed the free throw, but Madera South got the ball back out of bounds. Eller hit a 3-pointer with nine seconds left for the go-ahead bucket.
