The Odessa High girls basketball team held on for as long as it could against Midland Legacy Friday at the OHS Fieldhouse.
Things were close early, but the Lady Rebels used a second-half surge to hand the Lady Bronchos a 55-40 loss in District 2-6A play.
Before the matchup, Odessa High girls coach Marcus Chapa wanted his team to find a shooting rhythm early.
Chapa said his team was affected by losing its top playmaker in Nesha Stephens for most of the game due to foul trouble.
“Our go-to kid was sitting on the bench for three and a half quarters, obviously that’s a factor,” Chapa said. “We were able to hang in there as much as possible. Unfortunately we didn’t feel like we got the calls we should have.”
The Lady Bronchos couldn’t get their offense going in the first quarter, but found more success in the second quarter to cut an early deficit.
Neveah Carrasco and Aaryn Lira provided a boost for Odessa High with two separate 3-pointers.
Carrasco’s shot cut the Midland Legacy lead to four points with 5:50 left in the first half and Lira went on to convert a four-point play to give Odessa High a short-lived one-point advantage.
The Lady Rebels turned to their physicality down low to jump back in front, setting up plays to draw defenders away from Loredana Fouonji under the basket.
It didn’t take long for Midland Legacy to establish its presence in the paint early in the third period, using that formula to create open looks on the perimeter.
Odessa High started getting a response from Deoshanay Henderson, who hit a step back midrange jumper to cut the Midland Legacy lead to two points with four minutes left in the third.
The Lady Rebels (24-5 overall, 8-1 district) closed out the third quarter on a 7-0 scoring run, beginning their final push to close out the game with all the momentum on their side.
Odessa High struggled to create open looks and was outscored 18-12 in the game’s final period.
Midland Legacy had four players score in double digits, with Fouonji leading the way with 19 points.
Henderson was a bright spot for the Lady Bronchos on offense, scoring 11 points to lead her team.
“We grew tonight, as far as being a physical team,” Chapa said. “The help off the bench was big for us, we were able to still play a tight game when our point guard was on the bench.”
The Lady Bronchos (16-14, 5-5) will face Abilene High at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Abilene.
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
Midland Legacy 55, Odessa High 40
Friday, OHS Fieldhouse
MIDLAND LEGACY (24-5, 8-1)
Myleah Young 4 3-6 12, Sa’ Nya Green 4 1-3 11, Olivia Swing 0 0-0 0, Jazmyn Johnson 0 2-2 2, Almira Schuman 0 0-0 0, Kaylee Erdwurm 0 0-0 0, Loredana Fouonji 9 1-4 19, Maggie Erdwurm 2 6-7 11, Tatiyana Gildon 0 0-0 0, Mia Ramos 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 13-22 55.
ODESSA HIGH (16-14, 5-5)
Aaryn Lira 1 1-1 4, Donajah Watkins 1 1-4 3, Nesha Stephens 2 1-3 5, Kitzia Orozco 0 0-0 0, Valeriah Coy 0 0-0 0, Neveah Carrasco 5 0-0 13, Mariah Leyva 0 0-0 0, Kylee Bartlett 0 0-0 0, Sam Lopez 0 0-0 0, Elizabeth Alvarado 0 0-0 0, Paige Byford 2 0-0 4, Deoshanay Henderson 5 0-1 11, Destiny Baltazar 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 3-9 40.
Midland Legacy…….. 8.. 13 16 18 — 55
Odessa High…………. 5.. 12 11 12 — 40
3-Point goals — Midland Legacy 4 (Young 1, Green 2, M. Erdwurm 1), Odessa High 5 (Lira 1, Carrasco 3, Henderson 1). Total fouls — Midland Legacy 16, Odessa High 20. Fouled out — Midland Legacy (Young), Odessa High (Stephens). Technical fouls — Odessa High (Marcus Chapa).
