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Friday, February 23, 2001
Experienced Lady Bears looking toward Austin
With nine seniors on this season’s roster, coach says this team isn’t making sophomore mistakes
By Lee Goddard
Caller-Times
Over the past three seasons, the West Oso High School girls basketball team has made a steady progression.
   Three years ago, no playoffs.
   Two years ago, the regional quarterfinals.
   Last year, it was the regional final.
   The natural succession would suggest a trip to Austin this year - and the state final four.
   "We should be mature and be able to put things together to get to Austin," said senior shooting guard Delyla Hoodye. "As a senior, I want it more. I want to go further this year. A more mature team should go further."
   Maturity is stamped all over the Lady Bears. The team starts five seniors and has a total of nine on the roster. Four of those started last year.
   That experience has molded the team into a more reliable, less mistake-prone squad.
   "It's the first time I've had a team like this," coach Roy Williams said. "The last three years, we've been young. Young kids make young mistakes. Seniors don't make the same mistakes as they did as sophomores."
   Among those whose games have improved with age is Hoodye, whose deadeye-accurate outside shooting has made her the team's leading scorer. And, despite being 5-4, she is second on the Lady Bears in rebounding.
   There is solid play from guards, Lydia De los Santos, the distributor at the point, and Tamika Durham. Along with Hoodye, they ignite the press.
   Wing Chanta Prince leads the team in rebounding and is the team's second-leading scorer, just a notch behind Hoodye, and adds some height on an otherwise small team with her 5-9 frame.
   Prince admits that maturity is showing in her game - and the team - this year.
   "I've learned a lot form my mistakes last year," she said. "I've learned to overcome them and play smart. We all play together regardless of the situation."
   The newcomer to the starting lineup is senior Katrina Thomas who, while not as prominent statistically as her teammates, has had an impact. She has been a nice addition from previous seasons, teammates said.
   "I believe our post game is much stronger," Hoodye said. "That's been a difference."
   With the presence of five senior starters comes a strong sense of team unity. All the players agree, having played with one another through the years, they can feel when a player is down.
   "A lot of us have been playing together since elementary years and know how each other plays," said De los Santos, who leads South Texas in assists. "We know how to work together. When somebody's not up, we know how to pull them in. We play together."
   But while the seniors have been playing together, they've had to mix in younger players. Aside from the nine seniors, there is one sophomore and three freshmen, two of which earn serious minutes.
   So what are they lacking?
   Maybe a challenge.
   West Oso swept District 30-3A without missing a beat. The Lady Bears have only lost twice - to playoff participants Port Aransas and Los Fresnos.
   In the playoffs, the team annihilated Lyford by 24, but it felt it did get a challenge in the regional quarterfinals. There, West Oso beat Yoakum by 18, and was leading by 13 entering the final quarter.
   "We needed that," Williams said. "When we walked off the floor, we felt like it was a good game. It was someone to pressure us, and put us in a situation we hadn't been in all year. We had a crowd. There was noise, pressure. It gave us a chance to be ready for the next level."
   While Williams said he didn't get the caliber of competition he had hoped for from district opponents, that still didn't hinder him from preparing for the postseason.
   Odem coach Paul Yuma, whose team twice faced the Lady Bears in 30-3A, saw Williams readying for the postseason during district play.
   "They played with a bit more intensity this year," Yuma said. "They also played their bench a bit more, I think maybe getting them ready for the playoffs."
   The team is also ready for the regionals. Realizing they are two wins away from finally fulfilling the goal of going to the final four, they are taking a serious approach.
   "We've got to play harder," De los Santos said. "No slacking off. No fun. Can't have fun."
   But winning would be fun. A senior trip to Austin would be fun, wouldn't it?
   "Yes, it is," she said. "That would be very fun."
   West Oso (28-2) vs. Llano (27-5), 6 p.m. at A&M-Kingsville
   This will likely be the Lady Bears' toughest test to date. Llano, champions of 26-3A, is on a 20-game winning streak and is a versatile team. Forward Sonya West is the team's main scoring threat, but is a capable rebounder and defender as well. Micah Milliorn is a 3-point threat for the Lady Yellowjackets, and also the team's main ballhandler. Look for West Oso's Delyla Hoodye, averaging nearly 17 points per game, to draw Llano defensive stopper Michelle Choate. Chanta Prince will provide the inside threat for the Lady Bears.

Staff writer Lee Goddard can be reached at 886-3613 or by e-mail at goddardl@caller.com

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