Senior adds 18 to move closer to 1,000 point mark
Maya Llanes moved closer to the Zephyrhills High School girls basketball milestone of 1,000 points with her 18-point performance in the Bulldogs’ 58-25 dominating win over rival Pasco Monday night.
“We did our job tonight and finished business,” said Llanes, who is averaging 16.3 ppg. “I think we are getting better and better with every game.”
Llanes is 106 points away from 1,000 in her ZHS career with 15 games remaining. With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 8-1 on the season.
“Her game is peaking right and the only place for improvement is in her decision-making,” said head coach Chris Smith. “She is a motor and she’s all go, go, go. We can’t go, go. go with three or four defenders on you and an open player on the wing.”
The Bulldogs were able to score at will against Pasco’s box-and-one defense early in the game to jump out to a 17-4 lead in the first quarter and a 28-11 advantage at the half.
“We put an offense to counter that and it was open all night,” said Smith. “It’s the first time we put a game plan together right before a game at the last minute. They went out and executed it to perfection.”
Having the big lead allowed Smith to get his younger players plenty of minutes on the court. Nearly every player on the roster scored against the Pirates.
No matter if it was a 33-point win or a victory by two points, it was a win in the Nine-Mile War.
“If you look down there and see the colors of those uniforms and if that doesn’t get you ready to play, then maybe you’re not a Bulldog,” Smith said.
Senior Mikayla Cintron looks at the win over the Pirates as a part of the ongoing history of the rivalry.
“A lot of people don’t understand how it feels to be at home, in your safe place, and beating the team every knows you need to beat,” Cintron said. “It’s our last time to put them to bed.”