BY JON R. LAFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — The top of District 30-6A was crowded by three teams just two weeks ago when McAllen Rowe, McAllen Memorial and La Joya Palmview were gridlocked in a three-way tie for the district lead.
The Rowe Lady Warriors took a step toward solidifying its claim as the lone district title contender Friday after defeating the McAllen Memorial Lady Mustangs 43-29 at Rowe High School on Friday night.
“We went through a span of games in the first round (of district) where we weren’t playing well defensively,” Rowe coach Raul Vega said. “Not with the type of intensity that was shown tonight. That’s definitely been the difference.”
The win gives the Lady Warriors (12-12, 8-1) a one-game lead over the second-place Lady Lobos of Palmview (18-9, 7-2) with three games remaining. The two teams will face each other on Feb. 6 at Rowe.
It was slow going at first for both Rowe and Memorial, as three jump balls were attempted before the Lady Warriors’ Mayda Garcia won the tip. Garcia’s shooting touch was as cold as the gymnasium’s thermostat in the first quarter, where she missed her first five shot attempts.
In the second quarter, however, Garcia came alive and scored 11 of her 13 points. Her productivity helped to break an 8-8 tie and give the Lady Warriors a 24-16 lead at the half. Garcia employed her quickness and strength to routinely attack the basket, and added a three from the left wing for kicks.
“I tend to practice (3-pointers) a lot during practice, but I’m just joking around,” Garcia said. “It felt good knowing that what I do in practice comes out on the game.”
The junior forward grabbed 8 boards and shot 50 percent from the field. Though Garcia scored just once in the second half, teammate Deanna Spear, a junior guard, assumed offensive responsibilities. Spear totaled 11 points in the final 16 minutes, collecting several buckets on mid-range jumpers.
“I think all the girls have gained the confidence now to say, ‘If I have an open shot, I can take it,” Vega said.
Spear finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds.
Memorial (15-14, 6-4), which struggled with turnovers and stagnant feet on the defensive end throughout the night, had no answer for Rowe’s speed and penetration. The loss mathematically eliminates the team from the district championship.
“Our goal coming into this year was to win district,” Memorial coach Clarisse Arredondo said. “Obviously we can’t get that right now, but making the playoffs and finishing strong is our next goal.”
Sophomore forward Ebony Johnson led Memorial in scoring with 13 points.