It was a heartbreaking start for the Marauders girls’ basketball team as Mingus lost their season opener to Youngker High School 65-60 on Nov. 20.
“It is tough to lose like that but the girls are ready to get back to work and come back stronger,” Mingus coach Paul Ventura said. “The game is over and we cannot change the outcome, so we have to practice and prepare for next Tuesday’s game.”
Ventura is in his first season as head coach after coming from Mountain View Preparatory to replace Frank Nevarez.
“It was not a difficult transition as I was coming to practices before he left to get a grasp of the position,”
Ventura said. “It is a philosophy change, however, as the players are unlearning certain concepts while learning some new ones.”
Mingus started off hot in the first quarter as the Marauders took a 7-2 lead to start the game.
The Marauders ended the first quarter with a 12-6 lead over Youngker.
In the second quarter, Mingus extended their lead to 12 points as the Marauders went into halftime
leading 33-21.
Youngker cut into Mingus’ double-digit lead and trailed Mingus 42-35 through three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Youngker’s press forced multiple Mingus turnovers and layups on the other end.
“We like applying full-court pressure against teams, and in the second half we held up, which I think helped Youngker,” Ventura said. “The press worked well in the first half, so the effort is there and they are working hard and listening to the coaches.”
Youngker would eventually take a 51-50 lead over Mingus with just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
With one minute left, Mingus forward Darien Loring tied the game at 54 after nailing a three-pointer.
“Offensively, I thought Loring played really well against Youngker,” Ventura said. “She scored a lot of her points early on but was able to perform late in the game as well.”
After Youngker took a 57-54 lead with 14 seconds remaining, Mingus had one last chance to tie the game.
Marauders junior Dylan Sweeney sent the game into overtime after banking in a three from the left wing to tie the score at 57.
“Dylan is one of our best defenders and works super hard, but she is not overly confident from that distance,” Ventura said. “I think hitting that shot will help her confidence moving forward as she shows she is more than a defender.”
Mingus could not capitalize on the shot in overtime, however, as Youngker grabbed the lead and defeated the Marauders 65-60.
“It is easy to get down on yourself after a loss but this is only one game and it is a long season,” Ventura said. “This loss becomes a distant memory if we win our upcoming games.”
The Marauders’ next home game is Tuesday, Nov. 27, when Mingus hosts Peoria. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
