Mia Hammond Scores 29 Against Lady Rattlers

By: Keilani De Luna 

KTSW Sports Reporter

San Marcos, Texas – The Steele Lady Knights were triumphant over the San Marcos Lady Rattlers with a final score of 40 to 75.

The last two times these teams faced each other—and the matches were close—was in the 22-23 season; the first meeting between the two teams ended in a score of 38-33 as Steele came out victorious. The second match was in the 19-20 season, with a final score of 53-50, Steele.

Tonight, the Knights held the Rattlers to only 14 points in the first half. Energy from both teams and fans kept this game going. This Lady Knight team was huge and found ways to shoot inside and outside. For the Lady Knights, 6’2 McDonald’s All-American Mia Hammond made it too easy of a game, as she just kept scoring inside the paint. Hammond ended the night with 29 points, with 21 points in just the first half alone. The Rattlers struggled with her size throughout the game, though they found a way to irritate her defense, forcing several turnovers in the 4th quarter.

The Rattlers won the third quarter, ultimately scoring 26 points in the second half. Ayleceia Pierson absolutely dominated in the second half by fearlessly driving to the basket. Brooklyn Harris, another big-time scorer for the Rattlers, got into foul trouble early in the game. Harris, throughout the night, was not intimidated by Hammond’s size. Head coach Jermaine Ervin had this to say when asked how Harris did with the tough assignment of Hammonds: “I thought you did a great job handling that monster,” Ervin said. “You battled all night; that’s all that matters.”

When asked about how to prepare for Judson, Coach Irvin said, “Judson is the truth. They are real. Judson is a different animal; they are very well coached and play a good system. The success from the second half tonight shows that we can compete with Judson.”  

The Lady Rattlers’ next game will be this Friday against the Judson Rockets at 7 p.m.