John Long’s junior varsity girls basketball team relied on rebounding and second chances to beat Stewart 20-14. Stewart then rallied for a 29-13 win in the varsity game.

“What I try to teach is defense; rebound and then run,” said coach Abner Barrios, who also is John Long’s athletic director. “Stick to the basics. Try to get the easy putbacks and crash the boards.”

John Long forward Maya Gray scored a game-high 10 points. The Longhorns also got five points from point guard Natalie Zuzek, two each from Ana Gil and Anabella Nieves with Sadean Awadallah adding a point.

Both teams traded early baskets until John Long went ahead for good at 11-9 on Gil’s shot off an inbounds pass from Nieves. Gray’s rebound and basket off the glass gave the Longhorns a 13-9 halftime lead.

The Bulldogs made it closer when Zharia Alleyne buried her second 3-pointer of the game to start the second half, but the Longhorns pulled away with a 7-5 scoring advantage after the break. Gray had two putbacks during that stretch, the last one coming in the waning seconds.

John Long had six varsity players score. Jacqueline Young led her team with four points, Tennae Cabral had three with three players — Katelyn O’Neil, Aixa Barrera and Aaralyn Herrera — each adding two. Sierra Briggs made a free throw to contribute to John Long’s scoring.