Basketball Recap: Annaliese De La Pena Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Cooper

Lutheran South Academy won against New Braunfels Christian Academy last Saturday with 50 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Thursday. The Lutheran South Academy Pioneers walked away with a 50-42 victory over the Cooper Dragons. The score was all tied up 25-25 at the break, but the Pioneers were the better team in the second half.

Lutheran South Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Annaliese De La Pena led the charge by putting up 16 points and four steals. What's more, De La Pena also racked up four boards, the most she's had since back in December of 2023. Olivia Varanauski was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 11 points and nine boards.

Lutheran South Academy's win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 4-8. As for Cooper, they moved to 5-4 with that defeat, which also ended their five-game winning streak.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Lutheran South Academy won't have much time to rest: their next game is against St. John XXIII at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. As for Cooper, they will have a little extra prep time after the loss as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on St. Andrew's at 3:00 p.m. on January 3, 2025.