Mustangs Events - 2008/09

Another tough afternoon for the Mustangs. Hanwkins took advantage of some key mistakes and miscues to build a lead that was too far out of reach. Bad part was this was Senior Day, and that's not the way you want your last home game to go. THis put the distict placements for playoffs in disarray since 3 teams could end up with the same record, and we would end up on the lower end of the seeding requiring us to play the bi-district game to get into the brackets.

This game was one to forget. It was a cold overcast afternoon with a brisk wind that was biting. The game started ok, with Loren making it all the to score with a diving slide into home. After returning to the bench, she found that she had torn her fake nails along with her regular nails causing some severe bleeding and pain. Things seemed to go down hill from there. The umpire's calls were inconsistent, the hitting lacked, and our picthing was battered around pretty good. In the end, they lost, I don't remember the score it left such a bad taste.

This game was not really close, with the Union Hill team starting an inexperienced pitcher due to a line drive injury to their regular picture two nights earlier. The scheduled umpires cancelled early in the day so Tarrant was scrambling to get replacements to the game. Ended up that Mr. Stone served as home plate ump for 5 innings and the Union Hill coach was the outfield umpire. About the 6th inning, the regular umps arrived (their car broke down on the way). The end result was a 9-4 win I believe (not sure of the final score).

I was unable to attend this game so Melody captured team pictures which were used as part of the Senior Day collages for the graduating girls. For the game, the girls squeeked out a win 4-3.

Friday was the second softball game of the season, with some of the girls returning from basketball to join the team. There's also several new team members that I don't recall from last season. This matchup against Sunnyvale was rather one sided, with the Mustang pitching in a somehwat undecided state. Kaci has experienced back problems so Sara and Loren Webster stepped in to pitch in her absence. They both did an admiral job keeping the ball in play and not walking too many runners. But Sunnvale's bats were the more timely this day, squeezing several balls through the infield and some fielding errors contributed to several un-earned runs. The Mustang offense was unable to push a run across the plate and ended up loosing by a final score of 16-0. Obviously, the girls have some rust to shake off.

Last Thursday, the Girls faced off against the Roscoe "Plowgirls" in the UIL Texas State Tournament in Austin. This was the Lady Mustangs fourth consecutive appearance in the tournament, with the opportunity with a win to play for the state title two years in a row. The first half got off to a good start with Cara hitting several of her first shots, the girls got some quality rebounds and the Mustangs took an early lead. Then the teams started trading baskets and the momentum started bouncing back and forth. As the half came to a close, Roscoe hit a key 3 pointer which put them within two going into the break. When the third quarter resumed, again the teams traded baskets with neither team establishing any dominence. As the game progressed, the Mustangs shooting started to waver and several key shots and free throws were missed, allowing Roscoe to take a six point lead late into the fourth quarter. The girls tried to seize the moment by stealing the ball and playing some tough defense, but again, the shots would just not fall and the end result was a gut wrenching 37-31 defeat, ending the Lady Mustang's trek for back to back championships. Throughout the season, the girls played with a great deal of heart and determination, and this game was no exception. Congratulations on a great season girls!

On Saturday, the girls were matched up against James Bowie, a tall and bulky team that took Lovelady down on Friday. The game looked to be a size mismatch, but from the very beginning, the running style of MM made the difference. Martins Mill took control from the beginning and although the score remained close throughout the game, the Mustangs continually pressed the issue with the Lady Pirates. MM was more accurate, and the girls were pretty aggressive in rebounding which helped a great deal. James Bowie was not hitting their shots, which also helped. The Mustangs largest lead was 8, and the 4th quarter was a nail biter with the lead shrinking and growing between 2 and 6 points throughout. In the end, the Mustangs walked away with a hard fought 4 point win 36-32 to advance to the state tournament in Austin for the 4th consectutive year in a row.

Last Friday, the girls played La Poyner for in the Distric 3 Regional Quarter Finals game. This year Martins Mill and La Poyner were in separate districts so they didn't play during the regular season. Martins Mill's old basketball coach had moved to La Poyner this year (coach McBride)so there was an added level of intensity added. Many of these girls came up through the basketball ranks under McBride at Martins Mill. The game was close in the first half, with the Mustangs unable to separate themselves by any more than 6-8 points. The Mustangs lead by only 2 at half time. La Poyner seemed to be bothered by the run and gun offense, and tired rather quickly in the second half. By the end of the 3rd period, MM started pulling away and La Poyner got in foul trouble. Final result ended in a double-digit Mustang win, bringing an end to La Poyner's season.

Last Friday night was Senior Recognition Night at the MMHS Gym. This is where they march out all the graduating seniors and their parents before the final home game to say thank you. All was going well until it was our turn. Of course, Kalyn had to be different giving the signed ball to Melody, and giving me the flowers. Sheesh. Talk about lack of respect. It was a fun night, getting to remember all the times we've (the parents) spent together over the last 6-8 years traveling to events and watching the kids grow up. Its amazing how far they have all come and all the things they have accomplished over the years. This core group of kids have fueled a tremendous list of achievements both in sports and academics during their time at Martins Mill, its been quite a ride to watch and marvel at. Many good memories to take away...

Over the Thanksgiving break the Varsity basketball team traveled to Wichita Falls, TX to play in the Fantasy of Lights Tournament. Just like the girls, the boys had a rough weekend as well with the level of competition. They lost their first game, won the second game, but lost the third game. Very competitive games, but each time we came up short.

The basketball season has started and the Mustangs are attempting to repeat their state championship run without Jordan, Taylor, or Christa. Crandell was a tough opponent and the game was close throughout, but in the fourth quarter Crandell started pulling away and took control of the game resulting in a Mustang loss.