Coyotes suffer last second loss in opener
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Madera’s Madeleine McNeill looks for a bucket during Wednesday’s loss. McNeil scored eight points in the loss.
The Madera Coyotes girls basketball team battled back all night, but a bucket with 12 seconds left gave the Mendota Aztecs a 40-39 victory to open the Madera Showdown in Joe Flores Gym.
The Coyotes took a 39-38 lead with about 20 seconds left after Cathy Figueroa turned a defensive rebound into a layup. However, a layup with 12.1 seconds left in the game gave the Aztecs the victory.
Figueroa led the Coyotes with 10 points to go with five rebounds and four steals. BriAnn Houghton and Madeleine McNeil each scored eight points. Sofia Perez added seven and Miranda Solis scored six.
Houghton had four steals. Perez, McNeil and Kaylee Patlan each had three steals and forced the Aztecs to 33 turnovers.
Houghton scored the first points for the Coyotes after a steal off a McNeil tip that resulted in a layup. However, Mendota scored the next 11 points for a nine point lead.
Houghton made two free throws and Perez put back her own miss to cut the lead to five at the end of the first quarter.
Houghton got a steal and layup to cut the lead to three, but Mendota answered with a 3-pointer.
McNeil hit a 15-foot jumper and Perez made a free throw to cut the lead to three. However, Mendtoa scored eight straight points to jump out to a 22-11 lead. The Coyotes were in catch-up mode the rest of the game.
Miranda Solis stopped the run with a 15-foot jumper. She then put back a missed shot to cut the lead to seven at the half.
Madera extended the run to 10-0 with two buckets each from Perez and McNeil to cut the lead to one.
Mendota made a short bucket, but Solis put back another miss to keep the lead at one. After a Mendota bucket, two minutes went by before another score — McNeil scored off an assist from Houghton.
Mendota made a layup and Stephanie Jordan found McNeil for another layup to cut the lead to one heading to the fourth quarter.
Mendota banked in a 3-pointer to open the lead to four. Figueroa hit a seven-foot jumper and took a steal for a layup to tie the score at 31 with about three minutes left in the game.
Patlan found Figueroa for another short jumper for a 33-31 lead. Mendota put back a miss and hit a 3-pointer for a 36-33 lead.
Houghton put back a miss to get the lead to one, but Mendota made a layup to get the lead back to two.
Figueroa drove the hoop for another layup and was fouled. She missed the free throw, but Madera trailed 38-37 with 1:03 left in the game.
Figueroa pulled down a rebound and took the ball to the hoop for a layup and a 39-38 lead with about 25 seconds left in the game.
Mendota was called for an offensive foul at the other end of the court with 20.7 seconds left in the game. Madera was fouled on the inbounds, but was called for a traveling on the ensuing inbounds under the Mendota basket.
Mendota got the inbounds and drove to the hoop for a layup with 12.1 seconds left. Mendota forced a jump ball, which took five seconds off the clock and Madera threw out of bounds with 2.6 seconds left to end the comeback attempt.
