Lady Lions flatten Forsan

Ozona—The Ozona High School girls basketball team continued its strong late-season push Friday night, defeating Forsan 61-43 on the road for its fourth consecutive win.

The victory marked the second time this season the Lady Lions have beaten Forsan and improved Ozona’s record to 24-7 overall. The Lady Lions currently sit second in district standings, just one loss away from a tie for first place.

The boys varsity team was unable to match the girls’ success, falling to Forsan 86-51.

Lady Lions building momentum

Ozona’s girls entered the game riding the momentum of a recent win over Christoval and carried that confidence into Friday’s matchup.

“The season is going really well,” senior post player Aaliyah Renteria said. “After a big win against Christoval, we're looking forward to the playoffs.” 

Renteria, who missed time earlier in the season due to a back injury, is excited to be back on the court and contributing during the team’s playoff push.

Defense leading the way

Head coach Jerry McSherry said defense has been the foundation of Ozona’s success this season.

“I think our best feature right now is our defense,” McSherry said. “We really get after it defensively. Our guard defense is probably our strongest suit, but we play pretty good post defense as well.” 

Looking ahead, McSherry expects Ozona to advance to at least the bi-district round of the playoffs, where the team could face challenging opponents such as Colorado City or Ballinger.

Boys continue to battle through season

The Ozona boys team, currently sixth in district with a 4-13 record, struggled against Forsan and was unable to keep pace.

Despite the setback, head coach Jonathon Tucker said he remains optimistic about his team’s potential to improve as the season continues.

“There have been lots of ups and downs for us this year,” Tucker said. “But I think we're coming out on the right side of it. I’m looking forward to a playoff push.”

Senior guard Leo Blanco said scoring consistency has been one of the team’s biggest challenges.

“[This season] could be better,” Blanco said. “We’ve had a lot of low scoring games when they mattered. We just got to get our points up.”   

Tucker said the team’s athleticism gives him hope heading into the final stretch of district play.

“Our best thing is using our athleticism, being able to run the floor and get easy layups,” he said. “We’re currently on the outside looking in, but if these next few games go our way, we should be able to snag that fourth spot.”

The Lady Lions will return to action Tuesday when the Lions face Cornerstone Christian at Junction High School. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.