BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
MERCEDES — The Donna Redskins defeated the Mercedes Tigers on Tuesday night 53-43 to remain unbeaten in District 32-5A.
In an otherwise closely contested game, in which both squads traded buckets back-and-forth, it was the defensive might of Donna (17-9, 8-0) that ultimately prevailed, shutting down the short-handed Tigers (15-10, 2-5).
A five-point margin separated the teams heading into the fourth quarter with Donna up 37-32, but turnovers and fatigue doomed Mercedes. Tigers coach Eric Steinbrunner could only watch as Donna’s Edward and Robert Guajardo scored 12 of the teams’ 16 fourth-quarter points, eviscerating his team.
“I told them that (Mercedes) was trying to take away our district title,” Donna coach Zeke Rodriguez said. “Don’t take them for granted, they’re trying to take the win away from you.”
Mercedes almost did steal a win Jan. 2 when the two programs last met, when Donna’s Ruben Arrambide scored a layup inside of 30 seconds to propel the ‘Skins to a one-point victory.
Rodriguez credited his team’s senior leadership for its ability to pull away.
“There’s a level of trust among each other,” Rodriguez said of his team’s starting unit comprised exclusively of upper classmen. “They’ve been playing together since junior high. They know each other pretty well and there’s not too much bickering between them when things go wrong. They try to help each other out.”
Robert Guajardo scored a game-high 18 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in the first half, followed by two perfect trips to the charity stripe in the fourth quarter to ice the game.
“Our maturity levels pretty much paid off tonight,” he said.
Edward Guajardo chipped in 15 points, 9 of which came in the second half on transition layups immediately following a steal.
“We like to get out and run,” Edward said. “We’re a fast break team.”
That’s not to say Mercedes didn’t possess a little fight.
Midway through the final quarter, a double technical was called on Donna’s Ruben Rivera and Mercedes’ Joe Garcia. The two became entwined while fighting for a rebound, which led to a brief shoving match.
“We just have to keep our composure,” Edward said. “Coach told us to be cool and calm about it.”
Though the ‘Skins sit atop their district, they know there’s no time for complacency. Not when Brownsville Pace lurks only one game behind, and not when the five seniors have a mission to accomplish.
“It’s our last year together,” Robert said. “That’s the biggest motivation. We have to do what we haven’t done before.
“Win district.”