Stallions fall short in shootout title bid
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera South’s Alejandra Cortes shoots a 3-pointer over a Parlier defender. Cortes scored a team-high nine points in a 49-5 victory Dec. 12.
The Madera South Stallions girls basketball team fell just short of the Madera Shootout championship game in its first year of hosting the tournament.
The tournament, which has been held at Madera’s Joe Flores Gym, almost had a Madera versus Madera South match-up, but the Fresno Warriors went on a 17-1 second half run to turn an eight-point deficit into a nine-point victory.
While Fresno advanced to the championship game and beat Madera, the Stallions played in the third place game and came away with a 54-47 win over Sunnyside-Fresno.
The Stallions opened the tournament with a pair of running time victories before facing the Warriors. After a dominating win over Riverdale to open the tournament, Madera south defeated Parlier 49-5 on Dec. 12 to set up Dec. 13's game.
Madera South 49, Parlier 5
The Madera South Stallions almost made it two games in a row in holding their opponent scoreless in the first half.
Although Parlier found the scoreboard in the second quarter, they only made two field goals in the game.
Ten different players scored for the Stallions, although no one reached double figures. Alejandra Cortes led the Stallions with nine points. Angel Ortega added eight points while Arelis Chavez scored six to go with 10 rebounds.
Madera South pulled down 41 rebounds, including 21 on the offensive glass. They forced 34 turnovers, including 21 steals.
Jackie Cortez started the scoring with a 3-pointer. However, both teams went scoreless for three minutes before Chavez scored layups on back-to-back possessions.
Lexi Cota picked up a steal and scored on a layup. Chavez added two free throws for an 11-0 lead with 2:46 left in the first.
The Stallions closed the quarter with 11 more points. Shayla Lopez hit a short jumper and found Cota for a layup. Cota added a free throw before Cortez hit back-to-back 3-pointers for a 22-0 lead.
The Stallions went five minutes without scoring in the second quarter. Kim Prudente picked up a steal and scored on a layup. Braya Walker added a short jumper for a 26-0 lead.
Parlier made a free throw with 1:17 left in the first half for a 25-point Madera South halftime lead.
Madera South opened the second half with 16 straight points. Briseida Vasquez started the run with an offensive setback.
Cortes hit a 10-foot jumper and sank a 3-pointer. Cortez made a layup and Cortes hit a 12-foot jumper for a 37-1 lead.
Cortes followed with a 15-foot jumper for her ninth point of the quarter. She then found Lopez for a layup and a 42-1 lead.
Parlier made a short jumper to close out the third quarter scoring.
Ortega hit a seven-foot jumper to open a 44-3 lead. Alannah Ward sank a 3-pointer and made a layup to get the lead to 49-3 to close out the Stallions’ scoring with about four minutes left.
Parlier followed with a bucket and neither team scored in the final four minutes.
Fresno 54, Madera South 45
The Madera South Stallions led the Fresno Warriors 27-21 at the half after a 13-4 second quarter.
The Stallions led 38-33 at the end of the third, but the Warriors outscored the Stallions 21-7 in the fourth for a 54-45 victory.
Chavez led the Stallions with 12 points to go with 17 rebounds, eight on the offensive glass. However, no other Stallion scored in double figures. Cortez scored eight points and Jonese Feliu scored seven to go with eight rebounds.
The Stallions turned the ball over 15 times in the second half and shot just two-of-12 in the fourth quarter to lead to the loss. Madera South was outscored 33-18 in the second half.
The Warriors opened the scoring with a layup, but Cortes hit a 3-pointer for the lead.
Fresno came back with a bucket and two free throws for a 6-3 lead. Braya Walker put back a miss to cut the lead to one, but Feliu made a driving layup for a7-6 lead.
After a Fresno 3-pointer, Cortez answered with a 20-foot 3-pointer for the lead.
The Warriors hit another 3-pointer, but Chavez tied the score with a short jumper. Feliu hit a 15-foot jumper to answer a Fresno layup to tie the game at 14.
Fresno closed the first quarter scoring with a 3-pointer for a 17-14 lead.
Ward opened the second quarter scoring with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 17.
Chavez made back-to-back putbacks for a four-point lead. Cortez drove baseline for a layup and a six-point lead.
After a Fresno layup, Vasquez hit a short jumper to keep the lead at six. Vasquez answered a Fresno offensive putback with a bucket off a pass from Lopez for a 27-21 halftime lead.
The Warriors opened the second half with a pair of layups to cut Madera south’s lead to two.
The Stallions then went on a 7-0 run to open a nine-point lead. Cortez hit a 3-pointer, Walker made a short jumper and Chavez put back a miss for a 34-25 lead.
Fresno made three free throws, but Feliu found Chavez for a layup and a 36-28 lead.
The Warriors made two free throws, but the Stallions got a layup from Lopez off a pass by Kim Prudente for a 38-30 lead.
Fresno started the comeback with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to five heading into the fourth quarter.
Fresno opened the quarter with back-to-back layups, a free throw and two technical foul free throws. Another layup gave the Warriors a 12-0 run for a 42-28 lead.
Feliu made a free throw, but the Warriors added a 3-pointer and a bucket for a 17-1 run.
Chavez made a free throw, but the Warriors came back with a 3-pointer and a layup to open a 52-41 lead with a 22-3 run.
Chavez put back a miss for the Stallions, but it was too little too late. The Warriors answered with a short jumper and two free throws.
Feliu put back a miss for the final points of a 54-45 loss. The Warriors closed the game on a 24-7 run.
