‘Cats Ace Test Against Raiders
By Jason McDaniel, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas
Dec. 31–PHARR — Second-ranked PSJA North is in search of its fourth consecutive District 31-5A championship, but No. 3 Edinburg High served notice Friday night at PSJA North that it will be no cakewalk.
Winners of two tournament championships already, the Bobcats took a big step toward adding a district title with a thrilling 64-61 overtime victory over the defending 31-5A champs in both teams’ district opener.
“This means a lot to us,” said Edinburg guard Raul De La Rosa, who finished with a team-high 18 points to go with five steals. “We needed this win to show that we’re not the underdogs, we can do it. Even though we’re small, we can do it.”
Trailing 55-52 late in the fourth, Lucio Rodriguez drained a wide-open 3-pointer to knot the score at 55. After a Raiders turnover on their ensuing possession, Edinburg (15-5, 1-0) called for time with 1:51 showing. Then after running 53 seconds off the clock, David Guerrero attempted an awkward shot that didn’t go in, giving PSJA North (17-3, 0-1) another chance.
But J.C. Herebia — who was held to just five points during the second half and overtime after scoring 15 in the first half — was forced into a missed 10-foot jumper. North had one last chance after a Bobby Trevino turnover, but Noe Sanchez couldn’t get a shot off as time expired in regulation.
“At halftime, we felt like our defensive pressure was there, but we weren’t converting the easy layups off the steals,” Edinburg coach Joe Filoteo said. “When we started doing that and making some baskets off the pressure, that wore them down.
“We felt that, in the fourth quarter if we were close and our pressure wore them down, things would go our way.”
And they did in overtime as Justin Ramirez converted two free throws with 1:39 left in the four-minute period to give the Bobcats a 61-59 lead. Turnovers kept North at bay down the stretch, and Edinburg converted three of four free throws in the final 27 seconds to seal the win.
“It’s something that we’ve been addressing, but until our kids learn to execute exactly the way we want them to, it’s going to continue to happen,” North coach Jaime Gongora said of his team’s 19 turnovers. “It’s happened all year, and it’s not the first time.”
The Raiders opened the game with four turnovers and two missed field goals in the first 3:24 as Edinburg went up 3-0. Herebia (15 rebounds) finally put North on the board with two free throws and went on to score the first nine Raiders points for a 13-11 lead after one.
Sanchez tallied six points in the second quarter as the Raiders extended their lead to 28-23 at the break. But Edinburg started the third with a 6-2 run, capped by Guerrero’s short baseline jumper for a 31-30 Bobcats edge. Edinburg held Herebia scoreless during the period and led by as many as six, 43-37.
“I don’t know if it’s so much they shut (Herebia) down or the fact that we broke down offensively,” Gongora said. “It was a great ballgame, and we just made mistakes at the wrong times and it cost us. That’s the bottom line.”
North broke off a 7-0 run to start the fourth up 47-43 with 6:48 remaining, but Edinburg finished with a 12-8 run to force OT. Trevino recorded 12 points and six steals, and Joey Perez added 12 points and nine rebounds for Edinburg in the win.
“These guys, you could call them overachievers,” Filoteo said. “We don’t have the 6-8s, the 6-5s, the 6-7s, but we’re scrappy. I’ve said that from the beginning, we’re going to leave it on the floor. And if we’re going to win, that’s what we have to do.”
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Jason McDaniel is a sports reporter for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4442.
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Copyright (c) 2005, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas
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