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Phase 1 Sponsored Team - Lubbock Lady Fresh

March Madness in El Paso, Texas

The 14 and under Lubbock Lady Fresh basketball team overcame many obstacles, March 26-28, in the Texas Shootout tournament in El Paso, Texas.

The team traveled late Friday night and played early in the morning with two games that followed. The third pool game was against the LC Bears which gave them a run for their money. The team was down by 14 points in the second half and came back with 8 minutes left in the game. The point guards, Sabrina Rodriguez and Ashley Villarreal went down in the first half with ankle injuries. With only 6 players left to play, the intense 8 minutes going basket to basket, the Lubbock Lady Fresh won the game with the winning basket from Vanessa Johnson. The final score was 31 to 30. The team finished number one in the pool play which they thought was an advantage for the bracket play on Sunday. Lubbock Lady Fresh had to play three games at 12:15, 2:45, and 4:00. They won the first round, but met their previous opponent, LC Bears. The game was intense from the jump ball to the sound of the last buzzer. The Lady Fresh once again defeated the LC Bears by one point at the winning basket by Brittany Thompson with no time left to play. After the sweat, tears and blood of the players, they only had 15 minutes to prepare for the championship game against the El Paso Texans. The team fought hard trying to overcome the tiredness and the disadvantage of home court but fell short of the victory. Lady Fresh had a 5 point lead with only 2:17 minutes left, but they could not hold on to the lead. They were defeated by 4 points.

Vanessa Johnson, a forward/post, has had many challenges this past year. She came to El Paso, Texas with a winner's mind-set and played like a true Champion. Full of frustration and lack of confidence, she has proven that she can play with the best of the best. Vanessa displayed courage, determination, and hard work that were applauded by her coaches, teammates, and fans.

Lubbock Lady Fresh left everything they had on the floor. They came into El Paso, Texas as the unknowns and left with everyone asking the question, who is Lubbock Lady Fresh?

*Lubbock Lady Fresh have been together as a team for less than a year. This is their first major tournament.