MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer
SAN BENITO — The Harlingen South Hawks and the San Benito Greyhounds came down to the wire during their first meeting.
With a lot potentially on the line for both teams, nothing changed in their latest matchup.
After clawing back from a pair of double-digit leads in the first half, the Greyhounds’ struggles from the field late haunted them as they saw the Hawks mount a late run and take home a 65-56 win in San Benito.
After San Benito’s Jordan Briones made the score 55-54 on a layup with 1:38 to play, the Hawks (14-13, 8-2) put their second-half defensive struggles aside and finished the game on a 10-2 run that was sparked by back-to-back buckets from Luke Bradford and Fernando Chavez.
After being in control up nine at the half, and leading by double-digits twice in the first half, the Hawks scored just one field goal in the third quarter as San Benito (15-15, 6-5) took their first lead with 2:03 to go in the third.
However, they never hit the panic button.
“I’m proud of the kids. We knew it would be hard to come into San Benito and beat a team that plays really, really hard, is experienced and very well-coached,” South head coach Brian Molina said. “You have to play four quarters to win a basketball game and I’m proud of the guys and their effort down the stretch.”
San Benito won the third quarter 17-5 and took a three-point lead into the fourth, led by eight points from Cristian Sierra.
Despite keeping South’s offense in check, San Benito’s offense could not take care of turnovers. They also sent South to the charity stripe 27 times.
The Hawks make 10 of those free throws and made just five field goals in the second half, and four came in their final run.
“There were way too many calls in the end. That being said, we didn’t rotate on defense in the end and that gave (South) six points; we can’t do that,” San Benito head coach Eddie Abrego said. “I told the kids South plays well and wants to alter shots, so we had to be extra physical and finish on offense. On some steals we were being too soft and not getting buckets.”
South came out firing in the first half and connected on five shots from beyond the perimeter.
In the first they got off to a 15-4 run. In the second they led by as many as 13, but like the first quarter, those leads didn’t last long as the ’Hounds mounted runs of their own.
San Benito cut the lead to four in the second half, but South finished the half strong and went into the break up 36-27.
San Benito turned things around at the start of the third, coming out on a 10-1 run to tie the game, capped by a Cristian Sierra three with 3:08 to play in the quarter.
South’s Chavez and Bradford led the way in the fourth with a combined 18 points to finish off the Hounds.
Chavez scored 13 on the night, while Bradford scored 16 to lead the Hawks.
San Benito’s Sierra finished with 14 points, as did teammate Joey Saucedo.
NOTE: On Friday night, Brownsville Rivera upset District 32-6A-leading Brownsville Hanna 62-61. With Hanna’s loss, there is now a three-way tie for first place between Hanna, Harlingen South and Los Fresnos. Meanwhile, San Benito and Brownsville Veterans are tied for fourth.