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Sunday, February 25, 2001
Lady Wildcats headed to state
Calallen advances, 67-51
By Lee Goddard
Caller-Times

George Tuley/Caller-Times

The Calallen Lady Wildcats returned home victorious after solidly defeating Del Valle, 67-51, in Saturday’s reginal final at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. The team members are (front row, from left to right) Jacquelyn Simmons, Erica Albert, Mari Flores, Lauren Ellison, Gerilynne Setliff, Jennifer Molina (back row, from left to right) Kendra Felder, Kim Sanders, Mary Montez, Patricia Nelson and Monica Pena. Not pictured are Amy Fritch, Susanna Paul and Becky Raabe. The girls will have their chance at the state title starting Thursday.

SAN ANTONIO - For sophomore guard Lauren Ellison, her passion for Calallen basketball was stoked when she was barely in school.
   "I remember when I was five and they went to state last," she said, "I said I was going to be a girls basketball player, and get there, and be there one day."
   Ellison and her teammates accomplished that goal Saturday afternoon, pulling away from Del Valle High School in the second half, and winning the Class 4A Region IV final at St. Mary's University with a 67-51 victory.
   The triumph will send the Lady Wildcats to Austin - and the state final four - for the first time since 1991, when Calallen fell to Levelland in the semifinals.
   And for the members of the team, all about to experience their first final four - including Beverly Barker's first as a head coach - getting there is a near indescribable feeling.
   "I just don't think there's words to describe it," Barker said. " I really . . . I think the best word is it's fantastic. There's no words to describe this feeling. I'm real proud of the kids, and happy to see them accomplish their goals. It means so much for me to be a part of that. To help them get where they want to go."
   That would be Austin where, on Thursday, the Lady Wildcats will get another chance to extend their season.
   However, the trip was on hold through much of the first half and part of the second. As was the case in Friday's overtime win over Fredericksburg, foul trouble was shadowing post Kendra Felder and forward Monica Pena. The game seesawed, with the teams exchanging leads in the first half. And, early in the second half, the Lady Cardinals (25-9) grabbed their biggest lead of the day, holding a 34-29 advantage.
   Calallen (26-7) nibbled at the lead with Ellison, one of four Lady Wildcats to hit double-figures, and Pena, who had a team-leading 18 points, hitting clutch shots to pare the margin to 36-35.
   Gerilynne Setliff drilled a jumper to push Calallen into the lead - its first in 11 minutes - with 3:20 remaining in the third.
   Del Valle's Tamara Thompson, who had a game-high 23 points, countered with a basket of her own, but Setliff, who had nine points, nailed a three and, with a little less than three minutes remaining in the quarter, Calallen had the lead for good.
   Then Pena ignited the rout.
   She was responsible for the next seven points of the contest, burying a jumper, hitting a pair of free throws and drilling a 3-pointer that turned the momentum squarely to Calallen's side.
   "I just knew that this could be our last game, and we had better fight for it," Pena said. "I did what I had to do, and the team helped me tremendously."
   The Lady Wildcats' biggest lead up to that point had been by two. After Pena's spree, they held a 47-39 margin.
   "Adrenaline. That's when things started to take off," said Felder, who chipped in 14 points. "We knew this was our game."
   At that point, Calallen rolled. To start the fourth, Ellison picked a Del Valle guard for her third steal and cruised for a layup and a 49-40 lead.
   "They were quick at dribbling but once you got the ball from them, they stayed down and kept making turnovers," said Ellison, who tallied 12 points. "You just had to keep staying down and get that reach."
   Also getting the reach, and in the process, pretty much sealing the contest, was Pena. Midway through the fourth she grabbed a steal, beat two defenders with a lethal crossover and glided in for an easy layup, giving Calallen a 53-44 advantage.
   "She was coming over from the right," said Pena of the crossover, "and I switched to the left. I went in. The intensity was awesome. It seemed to fire up the crowd."
   From there, it was just a matter of hitting the free throws, as the Lady Cardinals put their opponents on the line. But the Lady Wildcats were up to the challenge, hitting eight of 11 from the stripe, with key free throws from Ellison, Felder and Mary Montez, who closed with 10 points.
   And, in the process, Felder kept Del Valle from any second-chance points, picking up seven of her game-high 15 rebounds in the fourth.
   Pena did put a scare into the crowd and her teammates a little later. In picking up her fifth foul, she landed hard, appearing to be hurt. Afterward, she said it was just an aching sternum.
   It sure wasn't her hand; she had no problems holding on to the regional trophy that she and her teammates hoisted in triumph at center court.
   "Oh my God," Pena said of making the final four. "We've been dreaming about this since middle school. Now it's finally come true."

   Calallen 67, Del Valle 51
   Del Valle 8 20 12 11-51
   Calallen 8 19 20 20-67
   Del Valle - Gabby Guerrero 3, Angela Tisdale 13, Alicia Johnson 5, Chanel Jones 7, Tamara Thompson 23.
   Calallen - Kendra Felder 14, Lauren Ellison 12, Greilynne Setliff 9, Monica Pena 18, Mary Montez 10, Erica Albert 4.
   3-pointers - Del Valle, Guerrero; Calallen, Pena, Setliff.


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

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