BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — Brianna Peña knew her role would increase coming into her sophomore season. The Weslaco High guard said goodbye to six seniors from last year’s 30-win team, including standout point guard Angela Villarreal.
So Peña spent the summer readying herself for the increased workload.
“My role has changed a lot,” Peña said. “Last year I stood around a lot because we gave (Angela) the ball. She did a good job of creating for us, but this year we don’t really have that. We have to move the ball around a lot.”
And move the ball the Lady Panthers did during Saturday’s 55-31 win over Sharyland High to clinch their fourth straight mid-Valley tournament championship at Weslaco East High School.
Though Weslaco was undersized, their sharp perimeter play neutralized the Lady Rattlers post presence.
“Our goal was to ball deny,” Weslaco guard Jazlynn Muñiz said. “We had to be their for our post if they needed help, and we did a good job recovering when we needed to.”
Peña and Muñiz led the Lady Panthers in scoring with 19 points and 17 points, respectively. Muñiz scored 12 points in the first half on four 3-pointers. Peña’s baskets came from transition points, pull-up floaters and open mid-range jumpers. Pena won tournament MVP honors while Muñiz was named to the all-tournament team.
“I think Bri’s adjusting well,” Weslaco coach Griselda Fino said. “Once she understands that it’s not about her being a sophomore but about her being a varsity player, she wakes up. Good things happen.”
Peña and the Lady Panthers (6-0) woke up from the get-go against the Lady Rattlers (6-1), taking a 17-4 lead during the first quarter. Four Weslaco players contributed points as the team went to work on applying guard pressure. Lady Rattler guards were stymied much of the night, only collecting one basket away from the free throw line.
“We’ve got to come out to start games better,” Sharyland coach Dale Whitaker said. “We come out in the first quarter like its warm ups sometimes. We need to finish games stronger, too.”
The Lady Rattlers were led in scoring by junior post Anna Marshall with 18 points.
But while Marshall carried the bulk of Sharyland’s offensive load, the Lady Rattlers were plagued by turnovers and several missed shots at the rim. While they stumbled, Weslaco played with consistency, scoring double digits in each quarter.
Despite coming up short in the title game, Whitaker is pleased with his team’s weekend run. The Lady Rattlers were the only Class 5A team in the tournament’s final four, beating RGVSports.com Top 10 teams in Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Edinburg High in order to advance.
Weslaco High travels to Harlingen High on Tuesday to take on the undefeated Lady Cardinals, who were champions of the McAllen High Round Robin Tournament.
“That’s going to be a tough game,” Fino said. “But we want to be the best, and to be the best you have to beat the best.”
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