Projected to have a rebuilding year before the season began, the Hendrickson High School girls basketball team has captured the District 18-5A championship with a 48-41 win over Pflugerville on Feb. 1.
Many thought that the Hawks wouldn't make it this year, but once again, they proved themselves to be one of the best teams in Central Texas.
"People were expecting us to rebuild this year, but these girls have stepped up beyond my expectations to where I'm looking at it and thinking we have something special here. I'm just excited to move forward in the playoffs and see what we can do there," Hendrickson coach Norma Sierra said.
For most of the second half, the Hawks took a comfortable lead, but sometime around the fourth quarter, they went cold. At that moment, Pflugerville got back within 43-41 thanks to a 7-0 run with two minutes to play. However, Maci Quiller hit a shot, Erika Suarez sank two free throws and Hendrickson forced the Panthers into two turnovers.
"Being a senior and captain, I just have to keep calm and stay composed in the tough moments and keep the rest of our team in the game," Suarez said, who finished with seven points but provided plenty of intangibles. "Winning another district title is what we wanted and what we've worked hard in practice for, and we knew winning this game was crucial to that."
The battle between the top two programs in the district was merely a defensive slugfest with multiple turnovers forced. But it was the Lady Hawks who outlasted their rivals.
Suarez, Hendrickson's elder stateswoman, chipped in a modest seven points, but her impact on the contest went beyond the box score. The senior and team captain was Sierra's lone returning letter-winner for this season.
Suarez leads a Hendrickson starting five consisting of underclassmen brimming with athleticism.