Plenty of pressure STAFF PHOTO BY STEPHANIE KENIGSBERG Lady Marlin Chelsea Perez battles heavy traffic against Nueces Canyon on Tuesday, Feb. 23. When the obituary is written for the Lady Marlins’ 2009-2010 season, it won’t mention heart problems. The ladies showed heart all the way through the season, which came to an end Tuesday, Feb. 23, with a regional quarterfinal loss to Nueces Canyon High School, 49-29.

The game was played on a neutral court, at Poteet High School.

Coach Stephanie Cowen blamed turnovers and Nueces Canyon’s inside game “that’s tough to stop” for the loss, but said her ladies performed well on the court.

“We broke their press very well,” she said. “It didn’t give us the problems it could have.”

“We got beat by a team that was better than we were that particular night,” she said.

Talking it over STAFF PHOTO BY STEPHANIE KENIGSBERG Lady Marlin coach Stephanie Cowen discusses the game plan with the team during a time-out. Nueces Canyon, in Barksdale, ended the regular season ranked fourth in Conference 1A, Division 1 in the Texas Girls Coaches Association basketball poll. Port Aransas was ranked fifth in that poll.

Cowen said the game was played at a frantic pace. “We were up and down the court all night,” she said, adding that both teams finished the game on adrenaline.

“Kelsey Ortiz hit some big jumpers, and Reba Armanovs played her heart out,” Cowen said.

Cowen was especially complimentary to the team’s seniors, who “have put their effort into the program.” Seniors this year included Armanovs, Katelin Dupnik, Abby Kenigsberg, Rachael Phillips and Emily Scott.

She also had praise for the support the team got from Port Aransas.

STAFF PHOTO BY STEPHANIE KENIGSBERG Spirit alley Seniors Katelin Dupnik and Emily Scott enter the gym for what would be their final game as Lady Marlins on Tuesday, Feb. 23. “The community has been amazing,” Cowen said.

Armanovs and Phillips were the Lady Marlins’ leading scorers, with 6 points each. Ortiz, Dupnik and Tarryn Murray each had 4, Scott had 3 and Chelsea Perez contributed 2.

The team finished its season with an overall 27-5 record.