Socorro Lady Warrior Faith Lucero pushes back against a Silver defender.
Russell Huffman | El Defensor Chieftain

The Lady Warriors went 1-1 in basketball action with a 55-39 win against Hagerman on Dec. 10, and Socorro may not have got a victory on the scoreboard, but there were some defensive triumphs against Silver High School in a 42-22 setback.

Blame the excitement on the newly installed Lady Warriors’ zone defense that might be the shot in the arm needed for a team with a baker’s dozen players in the high school program.

Coach Brad Bailey has been spotted all over the high school looking to bring more girls into the fold. Jaylin Gonzales came out late but has come on strong, and the junior led Socorro’s scoring against Hagerman as she dropped in 13 points.

Socorro also got double-figure scoring from Jalyndria Jackson 12 and Arianna Crespin 11, while Faith Lucero and Tamra Fowler had nine points.

“We played with confidence, shot well, and our quickness bothered them,” Socorro head coach Brad Bailey said. “We had a nice improvement on our free throws.”

The Lady Warriors hit 14-23 at the charity stripe against Hagerman and 7-19 in their earlier contest against Silver.

Against Hagerman, Socorro established a 10-5 lead and doubled up on the Lady Bobcats in the second frame 16-8. A 19-8 run in the third quarter salted away the victory.

Scoring—Jaylin Gonzales 13, Jalyndria Jackson 12, Arianna Crespin 11, Faith Lucero 9, Tamra Fowler 9, Jalyndria Jackson 2, Kaedyn Gonzalez 1.

Before tipoff on Dec. 6, Bailey was optimistic about installing a new defense.

“Our goal is to see if we can run a defense that will disrupt our opponents,” Bailey said. “We have only got to practice it a little bit. We must find something that will throw our opponents off balance.”

Socorro had been working on a man-to-man defensive set, but there were better schemes at times for the young Lady Warrior’s current skills.

“We need to get a few points on the board early. We’re having trouble scoring. We’re going to need to get some points on the board get our confidence up, and maybe that’ll carry us through,” Bailey said.

Against Silver, it was a tight game early as the Lady Warriors were able to produce a slew of turnovers but played on the edge of being out of control on offense and gave back as many possessions as they stole.

After Silver established a 17-6 first-quarter advantage, the two teams battled through a 6-6 second quarter, and Socorro held the Lady Fighting Colts to a 15-7 run in the third quarter.

Bailey’s zone defense held Silver in check for another six-point stanza by the Colts.

While Socorro does need to up its scoring, the good news is that eight players put points on the board and the Lady Warriors showed improvement under the basket. Better positioning and boxing out opponents allowed Socorro to create second chances and created offensive turmoil for Silver on the other end of the court.

“The zone defense was a big plus tonight despite not having much practice with it. It’s certainly a work in progress, and at the moment, it’s in its infantile stage,” Bailey said. “We blocked out like we needed, which is another big plus.”

When it comes to offense, Bailey sees improvements. Still, there’s a long way to go.

“We sometimes struggle with composure and rush things, and we need to improve our shot-taking opportunities,” Bailey said. “Right now, it comes down to getting more game experience under our belts and seasoning as a team.”

A solid attitude is counterbalancing Socorro’s youth, and a lack of hustle isn’t a worry for the Lady Warriors.

Bailey wants to season his team, and he’ll have many tournament games over the holiday break to get it done. The Lady Warriors play host to West Las Vegas on Dec. 15 in a 6:30 p.m. game.

Socorro will play what appears to be at least seven tournament games over 10 days (Dec. 19-29).

Roster: Tamra Fowler 6, Alex Crespin 4, Jalyndria Jackson 3, Jaylin Gonzales 3, Faith Lucero 2, Kaedyn Gonzalez 2, Arianna Crespin 2, Jazmine Alvarado 1.

Russell Huffman | Assistant Editor