BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
SAN ANTONIO — Getting here is nothing new for Weslaco High. When the Lady Panthers took the court Friday at the UTSA Convocation Center, it marked the fourth time in three years in which the team advanced to the regional semifinals.
But a familiar goal was achieved via a bumpy path. While Weslaco reached similar heights in years past thanks in part to Division-I talent, this year saw an undersized and underrated Lady Panthers squad defeat opponents despite its shortcomings.
As a smaller ball club reliant on swift guard play and fundamentals, Weslaco High counted on speed and strength all season. Behind those elements, the Lady Panthers won their fourth straight district title and piled up 20 consecutive victories.
But against San Antonio Wagner, such strengths were in favor of the Lady Thunderbirds. Behind lights-out shooting from Amber Ramirez, a faster and taller Wagner team defeated Weslaco 60-35, ending the Lady Panthers’ season.
Ramirez, a senior who will play for TCU, scored 25 points and went 10-of-14 from the floor while teammate Corina Carter chipped in 14 points on 5-of-7 attempts.
Weslaco’s starting backcourt of Jazzlyn Muniz and Brianna Pena, however, struggled shooting for much of the night. Muniz and Pena finished with seven and nine points, respectively, and shot a combined 6-of-23.
That’s not to say the Lady Panthers didn’t get clean looks. The team was patient and methodical in the half court during the early going, wherein they slowed the tempo, killed clock and didn’t shoot until an open look presented itself.
“It was just one of those things where it was what it was,” Muniz said. “There really wasn’t much we could do in those situations. The ball just didn’t go in, but we still kept working and trying to get good looks.”
The Lady Panthers finish the season with an overall record of 31-7.
Wagner led 20-7 after the first quarter and ballooned its lead to a 34-15 halftime score. While Ramirez and Carter led the way for the Lady Thunderbirds, Weslaco’s best offense for much of the first half came at the foul line off of rebound opportunities.
Emily Saenz led the Panthers in rebounds with six and attempted a team-high eight free throws.
But it was Wagner who ultimately won the battle of the boards 31-22. While Weslaco doesn’t have a player taller than 5-foot-8, the Lady Thunderbirds rotated a duo of bigs between 6 feet and 6-2.
Though Weslaco’s undersized posts blocked out, Wagner’s centers simply put their hands out over the smaller Lady Panthers for several easy boards.
Despite the team’s first-half shooting woes, Weslaco discovered its offense during the third quarter, scoring 14 points — as many as Wagner during the same span. Muniz and Pena scored five points each in the quarter.
“We had some runs here and there,” Pena said. “But they had some bigger runs. You just have to deal with it.”
And running is what Wagner did from start to finish. While the Lady Thunderbirds continued to exert their size, length and quickness, all Weslaco could do during the final seconds was watch as Wagner played keep away until the final buzzer sounded.
Lady Panthers coach Griselda Fino was visibly emotional after the game. But the tears came not just because of the loss, but rather a sense of pride in a team that has arguably worked twice as hard to achieve the same goals.
“It’s a bittersweet moment for us,” Fino said. “It’s been such a ride and it’s been such a pleasure to get here. You never want to end your season, our kids obviously weren’t ready to end their season. But all good things come to an end, and this is our end.”