Stallions win tale of two halves

2014

After the Liberty Hawks took a 32-20 lead at the half, the Madera South Stallions girls basketball team took control in the second half to outscore Liberty 29-13 for a come-from-behind 49-45 non-conference victory.

Madera South, who trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half, bounced back with a 17-4 run in the third quarter to make it a game before picking up the victory.

The Hawks ran out of steam in the second half, shooting just 3-of-34 from the field with seven turnovers in the pivotal fourth quarter.

Stallions point guard Taja Knox keyed the comeback victory. She was limited to just three points and first quarter action in the first half because of foul trouble. She scored 15 second-half points with three 3-pointers to go with eight rebounds to spark the Stallions. No other Stallion was within 10 points of Knox.

Chahat Sharma added seven points off the bench for the Stallions. Katie Johnson added eight rebounds, including four offensive boards.

The Hawks rode the hot shooting of Jillian Crawford in the first half. She scored 16 of her game-high 21 points in the first half with four 3-pointers. She ended with five 3-pointers in the game. Lilly Hernandez added 13 points for the Hawks to go with 15 rebounds, five offensive. She also went nine-of-12 from the free throw line.

2015

Stallions open CMAC with win

With the goal of winning the program’s first County/Metro Athletic Conference championship, the Madera South wrestling team isn’t taking any individual league matches for granted.

While it wasn’t smooth to the say least, the Stallions won some key matches to get early leverage in the CMAC standings with a 38-34 victory over Sanger as both teams opened the league portion of the season in Madera South’s West Gym.

One of the pivotal decisions in the lineup included going with stud wrestler Julian Zertuche to face Sanger’s Joey Hernandez in the 113-pound match.

Zertuche picked up six points for the Stallions with a third-period pin.

Liberty downs Mendota in OT

By the time the third quarter ended, the Liberty Hawks boys basketball team’s 12-point halftime lead had evaporated and the Hawks battled to stay ahead of the game.

While the Mendota Aztecs used a 16-2 run to tie the game at the end of the third quarter, the two teams scored 18 fourth-quarter points to force overtime. Liberty made six free throws and scored 10 points in the extra session to record a 73-65 victory.

The Hawks had trouble finding the rim in the second half. They went a collective 8-for-33 from the field (24 percent), including 2-of-10 from 3-point land. Overall, the Hawks were 22-of-72 (31 percent) from the field and just 4-of-20 in 3-pointers.

Danny Cervantes led the Hawks with a rare double-double. Most players record double-figures in points and rebounds, but Cervantes scored a double-double with 22 points and 11 steals.

Trevor Stephens added 18 points to go with eight rebounds. Dylan Reitz scored 13 points with five rebounds and was 7-of-8 from the free throw line.

2016

Stallions get runaway win

When Madera South girls basketball head coach Teresa Hernandez sent her team out against the Liberty Hawks in their final non-conference game of the season, she knew her team would control the game against the undermanned Hawks.

The Hawks, playing with just seven players, couldn’t control the ball and attempted just 28 shots during a 48-18 home loss to the Stallions.

Meanwhile, Hernandez was able to use all of her 11-player deep bench to take over the game and never give the Hawks a chance.

The Stallions forced 40 turnovers against the Hawks and limited Liberty’s field goals, but were only able to score 48 points. Liberty made just 6-of-28 field goals (21 percent). Meanwhile, the Stallions were 21-of-91 from the field (23 percent).

Ajanae Kinley led the Stallions with 17 points to go with 13 rebounds, 10 on the offensive glass, and six steals. Marshaya Beals added seven points and Aleecia Rosel and Emily Montoya added six each.

Karsyn Woods and Jill Crawford each scored seven points for the Hawks.

Stallions win big in CMAC opener

Before hosting Bullard-Fresno evening, the Madera South girls soccer team opened County/Metro Athletic Conference play with a convincing shutout victory over Sanger.

Behind a three-goal performance from senior striker Sophia Zertuche along with scores from Sabrina Ibrahim and Jessica Zarate, the Stallions easily pulled away from Sanger, 5-0.

Kim Montoya, Maria Leal and Ibrahim each had an assist as Sanger’s defense was no match for the Stallions’ speed.