Lady Flames to play in championship

A day after posting an unenergetic 57-35 win, the Lady Flames lit up Canyon Lake, 66-20, Friday at the Johnson City Tournament.

Faith will play Saint Mary’s Hall of San Antonio in the championship 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6. 

“We really, really played a thousand times better,” head coach Jerry English said. “We just completely controlled the whole game. We pressed much harder than we did all year.”

The Lady Flames took a 46-14 halftime lead.

“We were just in complete control,” English said. 

Faith was able to score multiple points off the press, he said, thanks to players beating opponents to the basket. 

“I have really missed our running,” he said. “I felt like we did get a few steals for cheap baskets.” 

And when the Lady Flames did set up an offense, he said, they patiently worked through their reads, waiting for a high-percentage shot. 

He also enjoyed seeing them control the boards, he added. 

Once the game was out of reach, coaches called off the press.  

The difference in this contest was effort, English said.

“I don’t think (my players) really knew how bad they were,” he said. “Definitely the intensity was much better.”

Kendra Field led the way with 23 points followed by younger sister Brooke Field with 21. Deanna Hoover added six, while Shiloh Reaves and Katie Jung dropped in five. Laura Lykken, Taylor Vaughn and Tori Diamond each scored two points.  

Most of the players had multiple rebounds, English said. 

“We rebounded much more of what we wanted,” he said. 

Saint Mary’s Hall, a Class 4A member of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, played for the championship of the Bulverde Bracken Tournament several weeks ago. Faith finished fifth. English said one of the team’s goals is to win at least one tournament. 

“We got in position to do what we wanted,” he said. “Now we have to take advantage and do it. We’re excited about the championship.”