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Snyder sophomore Eber Murillo leaped for a layup during the Tigers’ 55-35 win over Iowa Park Tuesday. The Tigers won the bi-district championship. -
Snyder senior Jayden Samaniego drove past an Iowa Park defender. Samanegio scored 12 points.
The Snyder Tigers jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in a 55-35 win over Iowa Park in the Region One bi-district championship in Abilene Tuesday.
It was the second straight bi-district basketball title for the Tigers.
An 18-1 Snyder run in the first quarter put the the Hawks in a hole they couldn’t dig themselves out of.
“We did some good things but we have to fix some stuff if we are going to win the next one,” head coach Lee Scott said. “We have to fine tune some stuff and finish the game. We turned the ball over a bit too much there, but overall I was pleased. We got done what we set out to do and that was getting a gold ball (trophy).”
Senior Jayden Samaniego scored the Tigers’ first six points on back-to-back 3-pointers, opening the floodgates. Senior Teafale Lenard made back-to-back dunks and the run was on. Lenard and Samaniego combined to score 17 first quarter points and powered the 18-1 run that lasted more than four minutes, until the Hawks got a 3-pointer to fall. Scott said the run helped his team get into a rhythm early.
“It’s always a goal to have a great start,” he said. “These guys thrive off of that and it shuts the other team down. But Iowa Park did a great job of not quitting and it showed us some stuff that we have to work on.”
Snyder held a 24-9 lead heading into the second quarter.
Sophomore Eber Murillo made his presence felt in the second quarter, drawing two fouls and going 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Senior Corey Landin hit his first 3-pointer and Lenard added another four points in Snyder’s 14-point second quarter. Iowa Park scored eight points and trailed 38-17 at the half.
Junior Michael Jaramillo led the Tigers with six points in the third quarter. Murillo added another four points and the Tigers held Iowa Park to just five points, building a sizable 51-22 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Iowa Park outscored Snyder, 13-4 in the fourth quarter. The Tigers’ only points came from Lenard and Samaniego, but the lead they’d built in the first three quarters was more than enough and the Tigers held on to win, 55-35.
The Tigers extended their winning streak to seven games. Up next is a re-match with the Argyle Eagles, the team that ended their season in 2019 in the area playoffs. A date and location for the game was not available at press time, but the Snyder Daily News will post updates as they become available.
Snyder scorers: Teafale Lenard, 14 points; Jayden Samaniego, 12 points; Eber Murillo, 10 points; Michael Jaramillo, 8 points; Corey Landin, 5 points; Zach Miller, 4 points; Sammy Sosa, 2 points
Iowa Park scorers: Cirby Coheley, 8 points; Kaden Ashlock, 8 points; Kade Thomas, 7 points; Brayden Penn, 5 points; Caden Robinette, 4 points; Mickye Fallon, 3 points.