By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Jordan Wilson understands that much of Sharyland Pioneer’s offense is predicated on ball movement.
If he or his teammates have a wide-open shot, coach Rene Gonzalez implores them to take it.
“But if someone can’t guard you,” Wilson said, “you take them to the hole.”
The junior guard did that to the tune of 19 points on Monday as the Diamondbacks handed PSJA High a 67-53 loss in the bi-district round of the playoffs.
Wilson came up huge in Pioneer’s postseason debut. He contested shots all night, came away with a couple steals and helped break down the Bears’ defense by knocking down jumpers and driving to the basket.
It complemented the inside-outside attack the Diamondbacks had with Rose Martin (17 points) drilling four 3-pointers, and center Mike Madrigal delivering the same offensive production, despite sitting out a chunk of the opening half with a nagging shoulder injury.
“They’re quick and aggressive with the basketball,” Bears coach James Jauregui said. “Any time you can shoot from long range, it makes it rough to defend because now you have to get out and contest and close out correctly or they’ll go by you. And that’s what they did.”
By beating defenders off the dribble, the Diamondbacks were able to get PSJA High’s frontcourt of Anthony Dunaway and Alex Mancha into foul trouble. That they were whistled four times apiece helped the Diamondbacks on a night in which they were missing their primary threat inside in Madrigal for an abbreviated stretch.
The junior post grimaced during the opening quarter after appearing to hurt his left shoulder. He grabbed it on consecutive possessions, and swung his arms between free throws (missing one of two) before asking to check out of the game.
He returned with 4:03 to play in the half, as Pioneer went on to build a 36-22 lead.
“We were hurting on the rebounds there, but once Mike got back in, he started boxing out and doing what he does best,” Wilson said.
It remains unclear whether Madrigal will play in Pioneer’s area-round game against Corpus Christi Miller, which beat Somerset on Monday.
Gonzalez said Madrigal was evaluated during the opening half, and their trainer felt he would be fit to resume playing, despite not being able to raise his arm earlier in the game.
With Madrigal out, senior post Jamal Diaby filled in nicely, contributing five points and plenty of hustle plays, while a slew of other players drove the lane and stretched the floor.
“With us, it’s always about pushing the ball, pushing the ball,” Gonzalez said. “If you have the lane, take it. If you have a shot, take it.”
The Diamondbacks, the No. 2 seed in 31-5A, blew open the game during the third quarter, taking a 50-24 lead before PSJA closed the gap 52-38. Dunaway (19 points) and Mares (17) came up huge during that stretch, combining to score 24 of PSJA High’s 31 points in the second half.
“We just ran out of gas,” Jauregui said. “We did what we could with the exception of a couple of costly turnovers and some missed free throws (13 of 31 misses). It probably would’ve been a closer game, but I’m satisfied with our effort. It was a good season. We were competitive tonight, and that’s mostly what I was concerned about.”