Lady Rattlers, Longhorns, Coyotes and Cowgirls in district play

link Lady Rattler’s Jessyka Cooksey goes up for the block against the Lady Lion’s middle

hitter during Thursday night’s district game against Santa Rosa. Blocking would

be a key factor in the Lady Rattler’s next game on Saturday, a victory over the Raton

Lady Tigers at the Snake Pit.

By Thomas Garcia

QCS Senior Writer

The (8-9) (2-3) Tucumcari Lady Rattlers' carried over their intensity from Thursday night into their second district win against the (0-17) (0-4) Raton Lady Tigers Saturday at the Snake Pit.

“We finished off well Thursday and even though we didn’t win, it carried over into Saturday’s game,” said Lawrence Sena, Lady Rattlers head coach.

The Lady Rattlers won Saturday’s competition in three straight sets (25-14, 25-11 and 25-17).

Sena said the Lady Rattlers greatest improvement playing against the Lady Tigers was their blocking. He said they were able to shut down the Lady Tigers hitter and took that aspect away from their game.

Sena said it was a much different game than Thursday night’s three-set loss to the Santa Rosa Lady Lions, though a late set rally by the Lady Rattlers gave him a positive outlook on their game against the Lady Tigers.

After Thursday’s loss, Sena said, “If we could start off with the same intensity as we had in the third set tonight, it would be a whole different story for this team.”

The Lady Rattlers started off the final set with a five-point lead with kills from Kayla Cherry and Melissa Gardea and blocks from Jessyka Cooksey.

Sena said the Rattler girls came alive in the final set and that is something he urged them to do from the very start of the game. He said the team calmed down and focused on limiting the errors that gave the (10-6) (2-0) Lady Lions points in the first two sets.

Lady Lions Coach Breezy Gutierrez said, “We were off midway through the second set and starting off in the third set.”Gutierrez said that the Lady Lions were caught out of position by not communicating on the floor. She said such mental errors need to be addressed as the Lady Lions advance further into district play with Saturday's game against the (11-5) (3-0) Clayton Lady Yellowjackets at Santa Rosa.

Sena said of the Lady Rattlers, “Our play in that third set shows we are very capable of competing against teams in our district and we can win.”

The Rattlers next game is against the Springer Lady Red Devils.

Game time: 4:30 p.m., Thursday at Snake Pit

The (14-3) (2-2) Logan Lady Longhorns beat the Fort Sumner Vixens in three sets on Thursday.

The Lady Longhorns’ next game is a district match up against the (2-14) (0-2) Dora Lady Coyotes.

The way the Lady Longhorns covered the floor and the way they blocked against Fort Sumner was the best they had done all season, said Robert Young, Lady Longhorn’s head coach.

Young said the team played its best game of defense all year against the Vixens. He said those games were tougher than the scores reflected.

Young said he wants to see the Longhorn girls carry over that defensive play into their upcoming game against the Lady Coyotes. They have to maintain their focus and can’t look ahead. He said when the Lady Longhorns last played the Lady Coyotes in Dora, the Coyotes showed they have the talent to keep pace with the Lady Longhorns, and if given the chance can pull ahead if they are not careful.

Game time: 4:30 p.m., Thursday at Logan.

The (5-9) (2-5) San Jon Lady Coyotes lost to the (18-0) (8-0) Elida Lady Tigers Saturday at San Jon.

There next game is a district match up against the (1-11) (0-6) House Cowgirls

Game time: 5 p.m. Saturday at San Jon.

The (1-1) (0-6) Cowgirls next game is against the (5-9) (2-5) Lady Coyotes.

Game time: 5 p.m. Saturday at San Jon.