BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
LA JOYA — La Joya Palmview coach Anisa Reyna made her intentions clear before District 30-6A competition, her Lady Lobos were to not simply compete, but to win games and gain something the program has seldom received – attention.
Starting the season 10-5 and being placed at No. 10 in this week’s RGVSports.com Top 10 rankings wasn’t enough. For Reyna, the real test would come against McAllen High.
“They’re our measuring stick,” Reyna said. “District is all about McHi, and the McAllen schools.”
The Lady Lobos (11-5, 2-0) will have to look for a new barometer after defeating the Lady Bulldogs on Friday at Palmview by a score of 60-47.
“The girls have really come together and are blossoming right now,” Reyna said.
Palmview’s effort was indeed a team oriented affair. Every player who stepped on the court scored, none more so than Samantha Gutierrez. The junior guard posted a game-high 20 points on 7 of 13 shooting including 5 of 8 from the free throw line.
The Lady Lobos scored in all facets of the game: transition steals, put backs, banked-in 3-pointers and quick bursts to the basket. The biggest advantage for Palmview, however, came at the charity stripe, where the team had a 33-13 differential in free throw attempts. The Lady Bulldogs (10-11, 0-1) saw four players foul out.
Palmview held a just a 26-21 advantage at halftime despite outrebounding McHi 19-10. The Lady Lobos guards were turnover prone, leading to extra possessions for the Lady Bulldogs.
A 17-point third quarter from Palmview, however, effectively sealed the win. In that quarter, senior forward Monica Noyola scored eight of her 19 points, including a top-of-the-key three.
“There was no trick to it,” Noyola said. “Coach always says to pop it. If (we’re) open, pop it.”
For McHi, the offensive bubble burst in the second half. Without senior forward Savanna Weaver, who dressed but did not play due to a torn right ACL, the Lady Bulldogs had minimal presence in the paint.
“We looked at (her) in warmups,” Gonzalez said. “But we don’t want to push it. We didn’t think it was the best thing for her.”
Weaver suffered the injury a month ago and was cleared to play Monday. Gonzalez said Weaver is day-to-day going forward.
Without their go-to big, McHi became a team of jump shooters who couldn’t find their shot. The trio of Ericka Mora, Kathy Maravilla and Heaven Wilbanks combined for just 8 of 32 from the floor. The Lady Bulldogs trailed by as many as 20 points in the final quarter.
“Our strength is our speed,” Reyna said. “And our (forwards) did a hell of job tonight rebounding. Cyndar Magallon and Ariana Ramierez each grabbed 10 rebounds, and no one on McHi had more than four boards.