By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — Even with a playoff berth in hand, Edinburg North played with the type of urgency Friday that resembled a team battling for its postseason livelihood, not one comfortably nestled in the No. 2 seed in District 31-6A.
The Cougars were relentless with their boards, getting second- and third-chance opportunities, and their defense worked tirelessly to frustrate Weslaco East the length of the floor, as they pulled out a 42-38 win on the road.
Edinburg North (24-9, 9-2) remained one full game back of first-place Weslaco High (25-7, 10-1) after it beat PSJA North on Friday. The Cougars can split a share of the 31-6A title if it beat PSJA North on Tuesday, and if Weslaco loses to Edinburg High.
Otherwise, Weslaco High will win for a second year in a row, giving Edinburg North the second seed.
“We still got an opportunity,” Cougars coach Rudy Garcia. “The good thing is, we’re playing at home. I’m sure they’re going to give us a hard time. They’re not just going to give to give it to us.
“We told the kids we want to close out strong the last four games, and we’ve got one more to go to hopefully accomplish our goal.”
The win carried far more weight than bragging rights, Edinburg North’s Kobe Patterson said after scoring a team-high 15 points. The Cougars were able to experiment with new defensive tactics, such as hedging to force teams to shoot from beyond the 3-point line. It worked Friday against Weslaco East, which largely struggled from the field.
The Wildcats (21-11, 6-5) scored eight points in each of the first three quarters, before a 14-point effort in the fourth made for an nail-biting. North converted only half of its 14 foul-shot attempts in the final period, as Weslaco East narrowed the gap. The Wildcats narrowed a 3-point attempt in the closing seconds, though, and Edinburg North pulled away.
Despite losing, the Wildcats secured the fourth and final playoff spot in 31-6A, after PSJA North, the fifth-seeded team in district, after falling to Weslaco High.
The only thing left to determine now is seeding, as district play comes to a close Tuesday.