By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
The Harlingen High Lady Cardinals scored early and often. The 19 points they netted during the first quarter would be a precursor to how the remainder of their 68-44 road victory against the Hanna Lady Golden Eagles would look.
It took until the midway point of the first quarter until the Lady Cardinals (24-3, 9-0 in District 32-6A) began to heat up, but with the score 5-2 in favor of Harlingen High with 3:40 remaining in the first, the Lady Cardinals scored on their next four possessions over a span of just more than one minute to extend their lead to eight.
Hanna (17-9, 4-5) struggled to maintain possession as it tried to break the Lady Cardinals’ pressure and managed just seven points during the first.
“We were working on our rotation and working on trapping better,” Harlingen High coach Ashley Moncivaiz said. “And when we were having problems letting them through, we were able to make the adjustments in the second half and we were stopping them a lot better.”
The Lady Eagles found life offensively during the second, scoring 11 points in just more than three minutes to start the quarter.
However, Harlingen High neutralized Hanna’s scoring during that stretch with 11 points of its own and added a nine-point surge that took just one minute.
“They’re ranked 20th in the state for a reason,” Hanna coach Luis Gonzalez said. “They had great ball pressure and we struggled with the ball pressure today.
“We played good in spurts, we weren’t consistent for 32 minutes and that was the difference of tonight’s ball game. They were consistent and we weren’t. Against a team like Harlingen, you’ve got to play for the whole 32 minutes.”
With the score 39-24 in favor of the Lady Cardinals at halftime, Hanna’s defense didn’t match its offense and the Lady Eagles gave up ground during the second, despite scoring 17 points.
Hanna’s offense stalled again at the start of the second half and the six points scored by the Lady Eagles didn’t come close to matching the Lady Cardinals’ still-potent attack that poured in another 21 points during the third.
The Lady Eagles allowed eight fourth-quarter points and scored 14 of their own during the final period, but the deficit was too great.
“We’re right in the thick of things in the district,” Gonzalez said, “and I think when it’s all said and done we’ll be right where we need to be.
“We have five more games to go, and we’ve just got to work hard, have fun and keep it positive at all times.”
Hanna’s Taylor Cano and Harlingen High’s Gizelda Ortiz each scored 15 points and were the game’s leading scorers. The Lady Cardinals’ Addison Dickey and Marissa Gasca each added 14 points, and Hanna’s Alicia Chavez chipped in 12.
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.