Kaeydn Gonzalez brings the ball up court.
Russell Huffman | El Defensor Chieftain photos

A new look on defense has the Lady Warriors pulling off the near impossible with a 31-29 win against Hot Springs, followed by a 39-16 victory over Hatch Valley that has Socorro at 4-0 in District 3-3A girls basketball.

Against Hot Springs on Feb. 7, Socorro couldn’t beg, borrow or steal a bucket in the first half and had only one field goal by Jaylin Gonzales in. That bucket came early in the first quarter, and Socorro had to rely on the free throws by Gonzales and Tamra Fowler to score as the Lady Warriors trailed 16-9 at halftime.

“It was like, there was a cover over the rim. And we talked about just continuing to do it, you know, continuing to block out because they had a lot of size over us, and we were in position but weren’t clearing them out,” Socorro coach Jarrod Storey said.

Tamra Fowler puts a block on a Hatch players’ shot.

A newly implemented zone defense that the Lady Warriors had used in one practice before launching it against Hot Springs kept Socorro within striking distance.

Things didn’t improve offensively for Socorro until the fourth quarter, when the shots finally started to hit home. During his timeouts, Storey kept reminding his team that they had turned around from a 3-13 regular season to going undefeated in league play because of an attitude change.

“We just talked about continuing to play hard and have a winning attitude and protecting our home court. We went to our new defense that we put in yesterday because their big players were crushing,” Storey said. “We went to our zone defense, and the girls executed it perfectly, considering it was the first time we implemented it in a game. Then in the fourth quarter, we just continued driving to the basket.”

Faith Lucero and Ariana Crespin hit big shots from behind the three-point line in the final frame, and Gonzales, Tamra Fowler and graduating senior Alex Crespin connected on free throws that lifted Socorro to the win.

Socorro’s defense was even more refined against Hatch Valley. Still, the Lady Warriors only pulled away in the second half after Storey drew an intentional technical foul when he felt his team wasn’t getting a fair shake.

“I told the girls before the game that I had their back, and I told them to keep their mouths quiet because we were already getting in foul trouble,” Storey said. “I told them if we’re not getting a fair shake or if I just felt like something didn’t go our way, I’ll take care of it. I would protect them and let them know I have their back.”

As a licensed basketball official in New Mexico, Storey has seen the coaching move before, and his Lady Warriors responded by allowing just two fourth-quarter points and six points in the second half.

“Our defense, especially the last two games, has really stepped up. The first few games, we gave up 40 plus points, and the last two games, we’ve given up less than 30,” Storey said. “That’s a big deal for us, and that’s what we pride ourselves on and because we know our offense is solid, but our defense needed work, and we’ve gotten it down.”

Scoring against Hot Springs—Jaylin Gonzales 9, Faith Lucero 4, Kaedyn Gonzalez 3, Ariana Crespin 3, Tamra Fowler 5, Alex Crespin 7.

Scoring against Hatch Valley—Jaylin Gonzales 3, Faith Lucero 11, Kaedyn Gonzalez 1, Arian Crespin 7, Tamra Fowler 13, Alex Crespin 4.

 

Russell Huffman | Assistant Editor