GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN —McAllen High was just one point away from forcing a Game 5 when McAllen Rowe’s Mayda Garcia gathered her teammates and led them out of the gym.
With only 1 minute to talk during the Lady Warriors’ timeout, these types of huddles happen almost exclusively on the court. But on Tuesday, with music blasting over the PA system and fans packing both sides of Rowe’s gym, Garcia needed to take her team into the hall. Coach Magda Canales said it was the first time this season the Lady Warriors had left the court during an in-game timeout.
“I like it in a quiet environment where I can see the girls one to one, make sure their attention is on me, and make sure they’re all focused,” Garcia said. “It was really loud in here. It was a good crowd. So I just want to make sure they heard what we had to say.”
Garcia said she talked to the team about the same things she typically does: Communicate, block out mistakes, and target the opponent’s weaknesses.
It worked. Rowe ripped off four of the next five points, including three kills from Garcia, to secure a 21-25, 25-12, 25-23, 27-25 win and put itself in prime position to secure at least a share of the District 30-6A title.
“My players depended on me a lot to put it away, and I love them so much,” Garcia said. “I can’t believe they trusted me like that. It was so intense, and I was making so many mistakes. But they trusted me to put it away, and I wanted them to get the message that I will put it away and do anything for them.”
Taking over matches has become commonplace for Garcia, the reigning All-Valley Player of the Year. She racked up a triple-double on Tuesday with 26 kills, 12 blocks and 26 digs.
Before spearheading the rally in Game 4, she also notched the winning kill to cap the second and third games.
“If Mayda has the fire, and if Mayda is on, then we’re going to be there to support her no matter what,” senior Ryela Rodriguez said.
Rowe’s senior frontline was a huge factor in Tuesday’s win, as Rodriguez had four kills with one block and Sophia Luna had 14 kills with three blocks.
Junior Vanessa Lopez had 48 assists, while sophomore Kayla Cruz led the team with 56 digs.
“The seniors really took charge of the game and performed,” Canales said. “They carried the juniors and sophomores with them, and it was contagious, their enthusiasm. They pulled together as a team. That’s the bottom line.”
The win moves Rowe to 35-8 overall and 8-1 in district. If Rowe can avoid an upset loss to one of the teams in the bottom half of the district standings — something it did quite easily during the season’s first half — the Lady Warriors will be assured at least a share of the district title.
“To me, last year, McHi stole it from us,” Rodriguez said. “This year, we came out knowing that’s not going to happen, and we weren’t going to let that happen.”
McAllen High, the defending district champion, falls to 35-4 and 6-3 in district play. The Lady Bulldogs are all but eliminated from district title contention, but could potentially secure a championship for Rowe by knocking off 8-1 McAllen Memorial next Tuesday.
After the match, tears welled up in the eyes of some of McHi’s players as the team lingered on the court. Taylor Helmcamp led the Lady Bulldogs with 16 kills, while Julia Monday had 15. Carter Helmcamp had 11 kills and 16 assists.
“We just made a few crucial errors at crucial times, and you can’t do that in this type of match,” coach Paula Dodge said. “I have six seniors on the team, so this is the last time we’re going to play (Rowe) in the regular season. So yeah, it hurts.”