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Javelina women fall to SEU in Austin AUSTIN, Texas – In the final game of 2012 calen- dar, the Texas A&M- Kingsville women’s bas- ketball team had three players score in double figures, but it still wasn’t enough as they fell to St. Edward’s 72-63 in Austin. “We played better tonight than we have over the past few games,” Javelina head coach Michael Trujillo said. “But we still had those lapses where we make a few mental mistakes and they were able to hit a few key shots and get separa- tion.” In the first half, the Javelinas (3-6, 1-2) took a 22-9 lead in the first 12 minutes of the game forc- ing the Hilltoppers (8-3, 2-0) to take a timeout. St. Edward’s came back firing on a 23-5 run in the last eight minutes of the half, taking a 32-27 lead at intermission. St. Edward’s sophomore guard Maddie Wheeler hit two three-pointers and a layup while senior guard Dawn Kiel scored 11 points of the 23 the Hilltoppers made in those final min- utes. Kiel finished with 22 points while Wheeler fin- ished with 14. The Javelinas played point-for-point with the Hilltoppers in the second half, making up the deficit, even taking the lead 34-32 with 18:54 left in the game. However, St. Edward’s took control of the half and the Javelinas couldn’t catch up. St. Edward’s swiped 13 steals from the Javelinas, which made it difficult to try and surpass the deficit. Kingsville won the rebounding war 42-33 over the Hilltoppers. “We competed hard and battled back but weren’t able to get over the hump,” Trujillo said. “We showed improvement in a couple areas that we’ve been focusing on so that was good to see.” “This is a much-needed break coming up for us to get people healthy and refocused. We’re looking forward to conference play starting up when we get back,” he said. Texas A&M-Kingsville heads to Stephenville after the New Year to face Lone Star Conference opponent Tarleton State Jan. 2, 2013 at 6 p.m. HEADS UP ALICE ECHO-NEWS JOURNAL FRIDAY December 28, 2012 8 Who holds the NFL record for most 50+ yard field goals made in a season? ANSWER: Blair Walsh DID YOU KNOW? SPORTS www.alicetx.com Scan this code to go to alicetx.com/sports Walsh HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: Girls BASKETBALL L I V E LISTEN TO COYOTE & LADY COYOTE Brought To You By Love Chrysler • KOPY 92.1 • Alice Echo-News Journal At Alicetx.com 77585 1100 E. Main St. • Alice Tx 361 664-3939 We Service the Largest Delivery Area in Town OFFICIAL PIZZA OF THE 74889K $ 7. 99 Large 1-Topping Pizza (Carry-Out Only) Mon-Thurs 11am till 2pm FREE Buy any Large Pizza at Menu Price and Get any Pizza at Equal or Less Value King's 'best move yet' Junior forward Briana King is a new addition to the Alice Lady Coyote basketball team this year. In her first season with the team, she currently averages 8.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game – not bad for a girl playing high school basketball for the first time. King's only previous year of basketball came in seventh grade, as she chose not to play going forward. “I didn't like my school's athletic pro- gram,” she said. “It wasn't too well.” After being born in Kingsville, King moved multiple times between living with her mother in Austin and living with her sister in Houston. The uncertainty of moving affected King growing up. “It's not really hard, it was just, I guess, being moved,” she said. “It's not like I wasn't going to see them anymore, I was just moving back-and- forth. I don't know what was going on. It was kind of uncomfortable.” While in eighth grade, King's performance in school began to decline following her decision not to pursue basketball. “I've always been a good student in school,” she said. “I don't know, I just kind of stopped play- ing basketball and every- thing just fell – my grades, my attendance, and all of that...I had good friends, good people around me. It was just me – I couldn't focus.” The school she was attending did not make her situation any easier, King said. “It was the school as well,” she said. “It wasn't a good school...The stu- dents, the staff – every- thing was just off. It wasn't like how it is here – it was unorganized down there. Everything was off. They didn't really care about students as much. Nothing was right.” King then moved to Alice about one month before this school year started. While some mak- ing the transition from a big city like Austin to our little town of Alice would be unhappy, the opposite could not be more true for her. “I love it,” King said. “It's not too much, it's not too hard, not too many people. It's not like a city. It's just too much going on in a city.” After arriving in Alice, she decided to return to the basketball court. The move and her choice to once again play basket- ball have helped get her studies back on track. “It was the best move yet,” King said. “I had to get out of the city. I don't know what was going on. If I was still down there, I probably wouldn't be playing basketball. I would've just been doing nothing probably.” After high school, King plans to follow her pas- sion for music before heading off to attempt to play college basketball. Like many of her family members, she has always enjoyed music. “We just make music,” King said of her family. “I put beats together, but I don't play instruments too well. It's not my thing...My best friend's getting pretty worldwide with his music, so I plan on going touring before I go to college.” Her favorite college – Louisiana State University – would be her dream choice for post-high school basketball. The location in Baton Rouge, La. would be in ideal proximity to her family in Houston. “That's my college,” King said. “It's right by Houston somewhat, so I want to stay close to my family.” While graduation is still a year away for King, 12 of her fellow Lady Coyotes are now playing in their final season. Even though she is in her first year with the team, King has formed a strong bond with her teammates and is proud to be a part of Alice's team. “It's indescribable,” she said. “I love it... I wouldn't want to be on any other team right about now.” Move to Alice gets junior's studies back on track Stephen Garcia [email protected]
