Coyotes can’t get enough offense in loss

If Madera Coyotes girls basketball head coach Jason Smith can get his entire team together fully healthy, his team will be a team to be talked about.

Until then, his team will do what they do best — play hard and play fundamental. Unfortunately, the Coyotes couldn’t find enough buckets in a 41-27 loss to County/Metro Athletic Conference foe Edison-Fresno.

The Coyotes were limited to just one point in the second quarter while committing 13 turnovers.

They were held to without a field goal for more than 14 minutes of game time in the loss Saturday in the third place game at the Madera South Shootout.

Madera committed 32 turnovers, including 20 in the first half. They stayed with the Tigers in the second half, but it was the 10-1 second quarter that was the difference.

With just seven players dressed for the game, Brooke Houghton led the Coyotes with 12 points. She also had six rebounds, five on the offensive board. Aaliyah String recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds (7 offensive).

However, the rest of the Coyotes combined to score four points.

Houghton opened the scoring with a 3-point play. Edison scored the next four points before Houghton scored on a drive for the lead.

String answered an Edison bucket and Ashley Hernandez found Lilly Smith for another layup and a 9-6 lead with about 1:30 left in the first quarter.

Edison closed the quarter with five straight points for an 11-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Then, the Coyotes went cold. They only took four shots in the second quarter, and missed them all, while committing 13 turnovers. Edison scored the first 10 points of the quarter for a 15-0 run.

Peyton Crockett scored Madera’s lone point of the second quarter and the Coyotes trailed 21-10 at the half.

The Tigers extended the run 19-1 with five straight points in the third quarter for a 26-10 lead.

String broke the run with a pair of free throws. Edison came back with four straight points before Houghton hit a short jumper with about three minutes left for Madera’s first field goal in almost two quarters.

The Coyotes closed the third quarter with seven straight points to cut the lead to 30-19.

After Houghton’s bucket, String made two free throws and Houghton added another. Houghton put back a String miss to cut the lead to 11 at the quarter.

The Coyotes added a free throw from Ashley Hernandez and two more from Houghton for a 10-0 run to cut the lead to eight.

Edison hit a 3-pointer before String hit a seven-foot jumper to cut the lead to nine.

The Tigers scored five of the next six points to open a 12-point lead.

After a String offensive putback, Edison hit a 3-pointer to close the game for a 14-point lead. The Tigers added two free throws while Madera missed five shots and committed three turnovers in the final two minutes of the game.