Sudan's 4-foot-11 Haylee Toscano stands tall in girls basketball win over Hale Center
HALE CENTER ― Considering the tallest player on the Sudan girls basketball team is 5-foot-6, saying Haylee Toscano is the runt of the litter speaks volumes.
Yet, the 4-11 Toscano doesn't need to stand tall to play big. None of the Nettes do, really.
Toscano showed as much Tuesday, using her quickness and tenacity to ignite Sudan's 61-36 win over Hale Center on the Owls' home floor. The diminutive sophomore led the Nettes with 18 points, holding her own on the boards as Sudan used a rebounding advantage to wear down Hale Center.
"I told her when we pulled her out I thought she was the player of the game for us," Nettes coach Benny Lockhart said. "She hit a lot of big shots, got boards and controlled herself on defense. … I thought she had a real solid game for us."
Toscano has 6-foot confidence, too. She has to in order to mix it up in the paint like she did Tuesday.
"I just tell myself that I'm as tall as them and just keep working," Toscano said. "They can't stop me."
It's a mentality shared by Sudan, which remains in a second-place tie with New Deal in District 4-2A. Toscano was quick to spread the praise among her teammates, whom helped the Nettes break open the game with a 16-2 run to start the second half.
Blessy Montes scored eight of her 13 points during the stretch. Addison Cornelius followed with nine points. Lockhart said it's common for Sudan to feature multiple double-digit scorers, but Tuesday was Toscano's night.
"It's not one person that can carry the team," Toscano said. "It takes all of us."
It will take a similar effort in the district finale next Tuesday against New Deal, which beat the Nettes 59-53 in the first meeting. Lockhart expects his team to attack the game the same way it has all season.
"We're outsized by every team we play," Lockhart said. "… We have either out-rebounded or been even with every team we've played this year. I'm pretty proud of them for that."
DISTRICT 4-2A
Sudan 61, Hale Center 36
Sudan 13 18 22 8 — 61
Hale Center 11 15 5 5 — 36
Sudan (21-7, 9-3): Melo Rodriguez 6, Emry Humphreys 2, Addison Cornelius 9, Erica Herrera 2, Blessy Montes 13, Edette Herrera 6, Kaileigh Greenwalt 5, Haylee Toscano 18.
Hale Center (18-13, 7-5): Mariyah Espinosa 3, Chloe Baca 6, Kara Franklin 14, Layla Juarez 11, Kandace Franklin 2.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Haylee Toscano, Sudan girls basketball stand tall against Hale Center
