By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
LOS FRESNOS — Los Fresnos played catch up for nearly the entire game but never gave up against McAllen Memorial.
The Lady Falcons overcame a seven-point deficit during the final few minutes of the fourth quarter and defeated the Lady Mustangs 49-46 in non-district girls basketball action on Saturday.
Los Fresnos’ Dori Alcalde hit a baseline jumper with 16 seconds left to break a tie at 46, and McAllen Memorial had a turnover to give the ball back to the Lady Falcons.
With five seconds left, Amy Ruiz hit a free throw to push the lead to three points for Los Fresnos. McAllen Memorial’s Victoria Izaguirre missed a potential game tying 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime during its final possession.
“I changed the defense up, we don’t usually run zone,” Los Fresnos coach Kim Edquist said. “They were so big and talented, and I thought with their size we had to pack it in a little bit. We practiced it Friday, and I guess it worked well for us.”
Los Fresnos was down 44-37 with midway through the fourth quarter but used a 5-0 run on a Kelsi McDonough 3-pointer and a bucket by Ruiz to get within two points. Another Ruiz bucket gave the Lady Falcons a 46-45 lead before the Lady Mustangs’ Selma Regalado tied the game with a free throw at 46.
McAllen Memorial was too good early and kept Los Fresnos at arm’s length.
Led by Izaguirre and Ebony Johnson, the Lady Mustangs used a 5-0 run midway through the first quarter and took a 10-8 lead headed to the second quarter.
During the second, the teams traded baskets until Los Fresnos’ Cassie Parra had a 3-point play to give the Lady Falcons a 16-12 lead. But Izaguirre had back-to-back buckets to tie the game at 16. The Mustangs ended the half on a 6-4 run to take a 22-20 lead at the break.
Izaguirre had 13 points and Johnson added five in the first half for McAllen Memorial.
During the third quarter, Los Fresnos used a 5-0 run to take a 27-26 lead. Izaguirre later broke a tie game at 31 with a 3-point play to take a 34-31 lead for McAllen Memorial at the end of the quarter.
In the fourth, Izaguirre and Johnson were getting bucket after bucket and fueled a 4-0 run to push the lead to 38-33. Later, they helped the Lady Mustangs take a 44-37 advantage, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Lady Falcons’ comeback.
Izaguirre finished with a game-high 21 points and Johnson had 13 points and eight rebounds for McAllen Memorial.
McDonough led Los Fresnos with 14 points, Ruiz had 12 points and seven rebounds and Alcalde finished with 11 points. But each contributed nine points during the second half to help overcome the late deficit for Los Fresnos.
“Kelsi has been the difference in a lot of games for us,” Edquist said of her guard’s play in the second half. “She made some crucial shots at the right time. But I think (McAllen Memorial’s) size threw everyone off at first.”
Los Fresnos trailed nearly the entire game but showed grit by overcoming a height differential and was nearly even with McAllen Memorial on the boards. Edquist liked the progress the team has made recently.
“We still have a long way to go before we beat the top teams,” she said. “We’re out two starters, and I’m so happy and pleased with the way the kids are performing and executing, everyone is doing their job.
“They haven’t skipped a beat yet and I’m so happy for them right now.”
McAllen Memorial coach Clarisse Arredondo declined to comment.
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.