Alamo Lady Cougars bow out in first round

The #13 seed Lady Cougars had a tall task in front of them heading into the first round of the state playoffs this year, traveling about four hours each way to Fort Sumner to face the #4 seed Fort Sumner/House Vixens on Friday, March 6.

A slow slow start for the Lady Cougars gave the Vixens a comfy lead early on and made the rest of the game an uphill battle for the Alamo ladies.

“Because of [our] lack of height, we thrive in the open court, scoring off turnovers and scoring in transition. We got too far behind (18-4) in that first quarter and Ft. Sumner took advantage of our turnovers and miscues,” Head Coach Randy Hunt said.

In the remaining three quarters, Alamo kept up with Fort Sumner/House pretty well, scoring 12, 10 and 10 points for 32 points to the Vixens’ 35 points. The final score was 53-36.

Youth led the way for the Alamo team, with ninth grader Butterfly Secatero scoring nine points, ninth grader Ania Torres scoring eight, and eighth grader Kayleen Pino adding eight points. 

“These are young players with only one senior starter, and this group will reload for next year. I just hope I can be a part of it,” Hunt said.

#5 Tisha Mexicano was the one senior starter, and #23 Shalayshah Guerro was the only other senior on the team. With so few seniors moving on, and a junior high team that went 18-1 this season, the Alamo girls’ basketball program has a very bright future.

The Lady Cougars finished the season at 15-11 overall and undefeated in their district at 6-0, plus the District Championship win over Hondo Valley. 

“I am so proud of these ladies. They have definitely turned heads and exceeded the expectations of people. They were not expected to make it to state and they did,” Assistant Coach Lyndy Torres said.

“The work they put in every practice, the communication they have and the chemistry they have built in one season is incredible. Even though we didn't make it to the quarterfinals, they want to be pushed to their limits and show the people that they are not done yet. They are ready to keep working off season with their endurance and strength and keep building their team chemistry. Next year they will be better, faster and stronger. Keep an eye out for these girls the next few years.” Torres said.