Coyote Athletics : Women's Basketball : Headlines

Lady Coyotes drop a pair of conference games

By Nathan Ahle, The Daily Independent

"We almost have to play a perfect game to win."

The Cerro Coso Lady Coyotes basketball team continues to struggle near the end of the season, dropping a pair of conference games on Saturday and Monday.

On Saturday, the Coyotes lost 55-31 to the Victor Valley College Rams, falling to Victor Valley for the third time this year.

A lack of offense doomed Cerro Coso. The Coyotes connected on only nine of 50 attempts from the field, with only two shots falling in 13 attempts from beyond the three-point line. Also, Cerro Coso was outrebounded 52-24 by the Rams.

"They got more boards than a new house," said Coyotes Head Coach Tom Heck.

With the inside controlled by Victor Valley, Coso's scoring was stifled. Stephanie Hart and Fernanda Yazzie led the Coyotes with seven points each, with Cetra Banks adding six points and 10 rebounds.

The Coyotes played Barstow Monday night at home, losing 46-44 in what Heck called "a heartbreaker."

Heck was pleased with Cerro Coso's start, as the Coyotes battled to a 23-23 tie at the half. Coso continued to surge as the second half began, opening up a 13-point lead before Barstow came roaring back after switching defenses, which confused the Coyotes.

"We executed well against their man-to-man, but couldn't hit a thing against the zone," said Heck. "We were 'one-and-done' the last five minutes of the game."

With 35 seconds to play, Barstow took the lead. Yazzie led the ball back downcourt and missed a three-pointer, which forced the Coyotes to begin fouling to stop the clock.

Coso had a chance to tie late, with Banks at the line for two shots. She missed the first, and intentionally missed the second, as teammate Christina Franklin grabbed the rebound, but was unable to get a game-tying shot away.

"It just seems we can't get a break," said Heck. "We almost have to play a perfect game to win. It's tough when you only give up 46 points and lose, but that's happened to us often this year."

Hart led the Coyotes with 11 points, with Franklin and Orlanda Chee scoring eight each.

Cerro Coso will play Mt. San Jacinto Monday night at 5 p.m. in its 2004 home finale.

February 8, 2005

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