BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
ALICE — Belle Palacios is used to running. As an integral part of PSJA North’s up-tempo and high-scoring offense, the senior forward often counts speed an advantage.
But during Tuesday’s Class 6A regional quarterfinal against Laredo Alexander at Alice High School, Palacios and the rest of the Lady Raiders found themselves on the wrong side quickness. With a deep roster and superior athleticism, Alexander handed North a 55-48 loss.
PSJA North finishes the season with an overall record of 31-5.
“We were exhausted,” Palacios said. “ We didn’t’ expect Alexander to be that fast. We kept up with them for a bit, but they played their heart out … We’ve played fast teams, but we didn’t expect this. We came into this not knowing what to expect. They took us up and down that court and we just couldn’t keep up with them.”
Palacios led the team in scoring with 13 points in addition to six rebounds.
Tuesdays’ game was the second time in as many years the Lady Raiders lost to the Lady Bulldogs in the postseason. But while last season saw an easy rout for Alexander, round two saw a spirited Lady Raiders squad that refused to go away.
Alexander jumped out to an 11-5 lead midway through the first quarter thanks to its press defense and ability to score in transition. But North, a guard-heavy unit with a bevy of ball handlers, drew even with quick passes that solved Alexander’s defense and resulted in easy layups for junior post Stephanie Crisipin, who scored all seven of her points during the opening quarter.
“We were making some easy ones,” PSJA North coach Randy Bocanegra said. “They stopped pressing us once we made those baskets, and it helped our offense kind of settle down.”
While Crispin provided a consistent post presence during the early going, the Lady Raiders struggled from downtown for much of the night. Senior guard Arianna Medrano, the team’s biggest 3-point threat, went 0-for-11 from long range during the first half despite receiving several open looks.
North’s long range threat proving ineffective, it continued to force the issue inside. Junior guard Sarah Serrano scored six of her nine points during the second quarter off of floaters in the lane.
Alexander led 32-27 at the half.
“We tried to get Arianna as open as much as we could, because that’s our shooter,” Serrano said. “But she wasn’t hitting them. They counted on me to take it in. We just couldn’t really shoot as well as we usually do.”
Alexander began to pull away during the third quarter, in which they opened with a 6-0 run. The Lady Raiders appeared winded on offense and were missing assignments on the other side of the ball.
Meanwhile, the Lady Bulldogs kept running and gunning thanks to its depth. Alexander’s bench outscored North’s 21-2, including 15 points from McCayla Munoz.
“She’s been doing that for us all year,” Alexander coach Gilbert Garza said. “It’s all about balance and trying to make sure that there is one basketball and five players that are looking to score. We’re a team full of scorers and everybody wants the ball at one time.”
Laredo led by as many as 13 during the second half, but North responded in the form of a productive Medrano, who scored 11 points in the final two quarters — including a trio of 3-pointers.
With its deep ball a threat once more, North rallied and trailed just 50-46 with 3:40 left in the fourth quarter. But the team’s supply of open looks and easy buckets ran dry, as did the game clock. After a steal and subsequent breakaway layup, the Lady Bulldogs were content to kill clock and force the Lady Raiders to foul, effectively putting their season on ice.
The loss ends a two-year run in which the Lady Raiders were among the Valley’s most consistent units. During that time, North has amassed a 61-10 record, won a share of a district championship and made back-to-back appearances in the third round of the playoffs.
“It’s a credit to the hard work they put in,” Bocanegra said. “They were able to maintain where we started. We’ve been building things here for 10 years. The girls this year have been putting in the hard work, and hopefully the younger girls follow. That’s how a tradition gets started.”