By Jim Sanchez
Special to LIVE!
March 10, 2008

The stakes were bigger: A fifth straight 2A title was on the line, and a taller lineup faced the Cornerstone Christian Lady Lions, led by tournament Most Valuable Player Kathleen Sanchez. But the Lady Lions decisively dissected the El Paso Christian Faith Lions, 56-34.

The Lady Lions played Coach Jesse Sanchez’s game plan to near perfection, playing zone defense, rebounding, and scoring from the opening tip off of the game. Sanchez said he was not going to let the taller lineup of Christian Faith take advantage of their height, and he didn’t.

The game opened with El Paso scoring first, 2-0, on Leslie Flores’s offensive rebound shot. That lead was short-lived and the only time El Paso would be in control.

Before the CC Lions could think about scoring, they first put the defensive clamps on the visitors from El Paso Christian, then proceeded to turn the game into a rout. The Lions went from being down 0-2 to going on a 13-2 offensive run. After Lions center Jynnifer McClinton got them on the scoreboard—getting an offensive rebound to tie the score at 2-2—El Paso was in for a rude awakening as they were shown the exit door to Interstate 20.

The Lions exerted their defensive pressure on El Paso’s guards, the ball stripped from them by the Lions’ quicker point guard, Kristina Sanchez.

While Kathleen Sanchez was named the MVP of the tournament, it was her younger sister, Kristina Sanchez, who set the tone for the defensive end, making “did you see that” plays. The sophomore has been playing with the varsity team since her eighth grade year.

With Kristina taking care of the defensive side, Kathleen, a senior, was leading her team with leadership experience. Kathleen, also last year’s MVP in San Antonio, finished her basketball career Saturday as a five-time state champion. Kathleen was asked how she would feel about not being with her teammates next season.

“It’s going to be sad because I’ve been with these girls for four years, but I think they will be able to do well without me,” she said. “They have great leaders in Kristina and Leah [McFadden].”

The Lions’ run of plethora points in that first quarter started with Kristina’s two free throws, and an assist she made to McFadden for a basket. In between, El Paso was able to score their only other basket by Paola Lujan. There was another free throw by Kristina; Jessica Cruz got in the mix as she stole the ball on the defensive end and passed it to Kristina for a basket. Then McClinton received a bounce pass from Kathleen for a basket; again McClinton, involved in the scoring, rebounded a missed shot and banked it in, with Cruz finishing off the pinball scoring affair with a basket to close out the first quarter, 15-4, Lions. In the second quarter, the Lions continued scoring at will. Kathleen made two free throws after being fouled by El Paso’s Titi Lozano. Next, El Paso’s Brenda Astorga made a 3-pointer to make it Lions 17, El Paso 8.

The Lions went on another run, outscoring El Paso 10 points to 8. During this second quarter, on one series of defensive stops, Kristina got a rebound, bolted out of the pack of players and headed the length of the court for a lay-up. What made that play spectacular was Kristina’s quick burst of speed and the fact that she was the smallest player on the court, listed at four-ten.

“My dad [Coach Sanchez] says just react to what I see and go quickly,” she said. That upped the Lions lead over El Paso, 21-10.

El Paso stopped the scoring drought as Julia Ramos, fouled by the Lions’ McFadden, made a pair of free throws to bring the score to 23-14. The half was closed out with Kathleen dishing an assist to McClinton, El Paso’s Lujan making a shot inside the lane, and the Lions’ Cruz rebounding a teammate’s missed shot and banking it.

The half time score was in favor of the Lions, 27, El Paso 16. In the second half, the defending four-time champ Lady Lions were even better, outscoring El Paso 29 points to 18. The question now wasn’t whether they were going to win their fifth consecutive Texas Christian Athletic League championship, but at what point in the game would they put away El Paso. The answer came midway in the fourth quarter. But first, in the third quarter, the Lions had key contributions on both sides of the ball.

Kathleen’s senior leadership experience steadied her teammates in making smart decisions. Sanchez, who was not the high scorer in this game, 14 points, was fouled and made a free throw to make it Lions, 28, El Paso, 16. On the Lions next possession, Sanchez made an incredible inside scoop assist to McClinton, high scorer with 15, to make it 30-18, Lions.

Two El Paso players, Daniela Carbajal and Ramos attempted to bring their team back. But they could only contribute a basket and two free throws to make the score, Lions 32, El Paso 20. Sanchez continued to be a thorn in El Paso’s side with another assist, this time to forward McFadden.

The Lions played Coach Sanchez’ basic fundamentals of team defense and rebounding with contributions also from other teammates.

Such as McClinton and Jessica Cruz, who repeatedly crashed the boards and came up with key rebounds against their taller opponents. Another contributor was reserve, Cricket Ayer. El Paso’s Flores attempted to post up Ayer inside the lane, but Ayer got help from three other teammates converging on Flores. It was Ayer who came away with the steal and the Lions went down court with McFadden banking a shot to lead by fifteen now, 36-21.

Kathleen ended El Paso’s misery by closing out the third quarter with a jumper inside the lane making it Lions 38, El Paso, 21.

With the fourth quarter under way, the Lions, winners of four 2-A titles consecutively, made sure there would be no comeback, nor over time to keep them from their fifth title.

The Lions measured El Paso for the knock-out punch and delivered it to floor El Paso for the count. The knock-down didn’t come until well into the fourth quarter. Whereas El Paso had started the game scoring first, the Lady Lions opened this final quarter scoring a basket by Ayer off a rebound to make it Lions 40-21. El Paso came out and answered the bell to go on a 10-4 run before the Lions came off the ropes and finished off El Paso. Coach Sanchez instructed his players during a key time out [4:44], to slow down their offense, make El Paso foul his ball handlers, Kathleen, Kristina and McFadden, as El Paso was now in foul trouble.

With the score, 46-32 Lions, Kathleen, now making it evident that she was considered worthy of repeating as an MVP, stepped up and led her team down the stretch.

She was fouled and made her first free throw, missed the second, but rebounded and dished off an assist inside to McClinton to make it 49-32, Lions. As El Paso struggled to find any offensive scoring, Coach Sanchez made sure that Kathleen was his primary ball handler as she had the hot hand in making free throws. After getting a hard foul from Lozano, she made both free throws. Kathleen’s continued parading to the free throw line deep-sixed El Paso.

She and Cruz, both the only seniors on the team, were pulled from the game with over a minute left for a homecrowd standing ovation and the Lions in command, leading 53-34.

The final basket was made by Loran Bird who came off the bench in the final minute. Bird, given an assist by Kristina Sanchez, banked the shot to cap off the win and the final score in favor of the Lions 56, El Paso, 34.

The Lions, (20-7), outscored El Paso 7-2 in the final minutes to secure their place in TCAL history as a five-time state champion and a 2-A powerhouse dynasty.