By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — If there was one bright spot that emerged from Tuesday’s loss to Edinburg Vela, it was that Sharyland High had an opportunity the following game to atone for it.
The Rattlers did that by rallying during the fourth quarter to beat Mission Veterans 50-41 and take sole possession of second place in District 31-5A on Friday.
“We just have to remember that any team can beat anyone,” Sharyland’s Patrick De La Torre said. “You just got to work hard.”
De La Torre labored through the entire game, he said, after hyperextending his knee during the first quarter. He put a brace on it and continued playing, fending off defenders all night to the tune of 14 points.
Teammate Andres Cantu helped put the Rattlers (22-5, 5-1) ahead, though, scoring a game-high 17 points, including eight during the fourth quarter.
The biggest factor was free throws. Sharyland, ranked No. 3 by RGVSports.com, attempted 31 all night, including 20 after halftime. The Rattlers buried 12 of 16 during the final period, outscoring Mission Veterans 19-8.
The Patriots (24-4, 4-2), who had an open date Tuesday after losing to Vela the week prior, attempted just 11 from the foul line on Friday, converting six.
“Sharyland got a bunch of free throws. We didn’t get any,” Mission Veterans coach Romeo De La Garza said. “I thought we got to the basket, and there were some calls not made. But, you know, that’s part of the game.
“I just felt for second game in a row we didn’t finish the game. These guys have to understand it’s a four-quarter game. Until we figure that out, against the good teams in our district, we’re going to have that result.”
It was the second loss in a row for No. 2-ranked Mission Veterans, which had lost only two other games all season, including one against a Houston-area team.
Sharyland, for its part, had its sights set on putting together another winning streak, after having its previous one snapped Tuesday at Vela. Up to that point, the Rattlers hadn’t lost since Dec. 5, 2014.
That stretch of games, more or less, is how long Cantu had gone without going to the bench.
Sharyland coach David Keith said Cantu, the starting point guard, had played about 12-15 games without taking a breather. On Friday, the Rattlers trusted their bench enough to have Cantu rest momentarily.
It helped gave Cantu fresh enough legs to attack the basket during the fourth quarter. In fact, Sharyland went to the foul line on seven of its last eight possessions to close out the game, with Cantu scoring on a layup on the other sequence, giving the Rattlers a 46-41 edge with 56 seconds left.
“We started to get some calls down the stretch, which we couldn’t get almost the whole second half,” Keith said. “I think forcing the ball to the basket … really opened things up for us.”