By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — Part of Edinburg North’s maturation process early in the season involves identifying when to seize opportunities.
On Tuesday, the Cougars had a distinct advantage — height — and yet they were unable to capitalize on it during a 53-41 loss to Los Fresnos.
North entered the game with eight 6-footers on its roster, compared to Los Fresnos’ lone big, and it had a difficult time trying to impose its will, falling behind 13-12 heading into the second quarter, 27-19 at halftime and 39-29 going into the final period.
“We came out sluggish,” 6-foot-4 guard Kobe Patterson said. “They had a bunch of little dudes pushing us big guys around. They just wanted it more, bottom line.”
Patterson poured in a game-high 22 points, but had little help carrying the scoring load. Brandon De La Cruz was the team’s second-leading scorer with six points.
The Cougars, who dropped to 6-4 overall, were pressured throughout the night and forced into mistakes as Los Fresnos put the clamps on North. The Cougars tried to go inside with 6-foot-3 Cristian Espinoza and 6-2 UB Pequeño, but they combined for only nine points as the Falcons (5-3) opened a double-digit lead by the halfway mark.
“We got manhandled tonight,” North coach Rudy Garcia said. “We didn’t step up to the plate. We didn’t play as aggressive as we normally do. Maybe it was a slump. I don’t want to make excuse. But we have to get out of it.”
Tuesday marked the third loss in five games for the Cougars, who are preparing for an upcoming tournament in Hidalgo. Though it has seven seniors on a 14-player roster, North is relatively inexperienced. Garcia said some of his players are new to varsity, and it has shown at times this season.
Some of its struggles have come on the defensive end, where Los Fresnos was able to eclipse the 50-point mark for the fifth time this season, despite not having played in two weeks. The Falcons’ Isaac Torres tipped in his own miss, and then Torres threw it ahead to David Kizer for a layup to make it 37-26 with 1:23 to left in the third.
Patterson opened the fourth with back-to-back buckets, forcing Los Fresnos to call for time. But Johnny Gomez answered with a driving layup, and teammate Albert Alarcon buried a corner 3 to push the Los Fresnos lead back up 41-33 with 5:45 to play.
“It was a good test for us,” Garcia said. “Hopefully we’ll at least learn from it and get better.”
Los Fresnos had balance scoring, with eight players chipping in. Hugo De La Cruz, who was coming off a knee injury, scored a team-high 15 points, and teammate Alex Garcia had six points in his third game back. Alarcon added nine points, hitting three 3s.
“It was a game of runs, and they found a way to keep the lead,” Los Fresnos coach Marco Hinojosa said. “North is a great team. Kobe’s a great player, well-coached. And I’m just pleased we were able to keep the lead and not lose it.”