Cardinals pull away from Cowboys with second-quarter run

To Southside’s players, there was something about Friday’s win at McCollum that was more valuable than notching a first victory in the District 29-4A season.

“It was nice to win the first game,” Southside sophomore Mayra Sendejo said, “but we haven’t beaten McCollum in three years.”

Southside (9-8, 1-0) finished the first half with a 13-1 run that broke open a close game. The Cardinals defeated McCollum (4-11, 0-1) 56-40.

“They’d had our number,” Southside coach Dolores Sulaica said. “It’s always kind of a close game. I don’t think it’s a matter of our size or experience. It’s a matter of coming out in the right frame of mind and carrying it all through the game. I’m thankful these girls have played the same, whether we’re down 10 or up 14.”

Southside scored six of the first eight points, but McCollum stayed close on the strength of two 3-point baskets from Emilee Almazan (8 points). The Cowboys actually took a 10-9 lead on Almazan’s second long-range shot. However, Southside scored the last six points in the quarter and never trailed again.

McCollum was within 21-16 with 4:09 remaining in the half when Aileen Alonzo (12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists) scored on an assist from Miranda Moreno (8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals).

That’s when Southside began its run.

“I think we started really playing,” Sendejo said. “We stepped up the defense. We started switching between zone and man(-to-man). I think playing better defense really helped a lot.”

Southside forced eight McCollum turnovers in the quarter, while committing three.

“We’re just working on fundamental things,” Sulaica said. “We’re trying to stay within ourselves. I’m trying to keep it simple.”

Stephanie Nino scored inside, then assisted on a basket by Katherine Mancha to start the run. Sendejo (19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) scored the next six points. The sophomore made a pair of free throws, converted a steal into a layup and added another driving layup.

“Mayra’s definitely a little spark,” Sulaica said. “She’s coming around.”

Ahead 31-16, Southside point guard Sabrina Guzman (15 points, 5 assists, 3 steals) recorded another transition basket off a steal. Following a free throw by Alonzo, Guzman split a pair of foul shots to give the Cardinals a 34-17 cushion at halftime.

McCollum came out with more aggressiveness in the second half.

Elva Rios made a short jumper and scored inside to cut the deficit to 13 points. Good ball movement led to a feed from Azrith Gomez to Moreno for a layup that made it 34-23 in Southside’s favor. Alonzo sank another free throw at the three-minute mark of the third quarter.

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, that was close as they could come against Southside’s three-quarter court pressure. The Cardinals scored eight of the next 10 points, starting with a layup by Sendejo off an assist from Guzman.

Southside’s Desiree Rodriguez contributed 11 points, four rebounds and three steals. Aimee Wood also made three steals for the Cardinals.

The victory ended a four-game losing streak for the Cardinals, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been competitive. Following a 10-point loss to Antonian, Southside had lost a three-point, nail-biter to Lytle Dec. 10 and fell by a point to Taft Dec. 6.

“We have a lot of good seniors,” Sendejo said. “We were coming in (to the season) with a lot of good upperclassmen. They’ve stepped up, and the underclassmen have stepped up, too.”

McCollum lost its fourth-consecutive game after manufacturing a two-game winning streak in the Edgewood ISD Tournament.

Sulaica expects the Cardinals to be in the midst of a tight 29-4A race for the four available playoff spots.

“It’s going to be a toss up,” she said. “We’re pretty even with some teams. It’s going to be a matter of who matches up well and makes the most of its mismatches.

“Everybody has their strengths. It’s just who comes to play on the day of the game.”