BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — Aside from handcuffing Jordan Rudd to the bench, Edinburg High did just about everything it could to stop her.
Through Monday’s Class 6A bi-district game at Edinburg High School, the Lady Bobcats face-guarded the junior point guard, pressed her and then resorted to a 2-3 zone. All of it was for not naught, however, as Rudd scored 30 points en route to handing Edinburg a 49-40 loss.
This is the second time in as many years in which the two teams met in the bi-district round, with the Lady Chargers besting Edinburg High both times. The Lady Bobcats finish the season with a 28-10 record.
Despite Rudd’s standout performance, Edinburg was never completely out of the game until the closing minutes. Though the Lady Bobcats trailed by double digits for much of the night, the team had plenty of opportunities to close the gap, it just couldn’t convert.
Edinburg took 25 shots at the foul line, but made just eight. While it owned the glass and could have converted several second-chance buckets, officials allowed for a physical game, making it difficult to score on put-backs.
“It’s our job to adjust to the way the officials call the game,” Edinburg High coach John David Salinas said. “We just couldn’t manage a way to do that. At the end of the day, you have to put the ball in the basket, and we just couldn’t do it. Even if we make half of our free throws, maybe this becomes a different ballgame.”
Jayla Santa Maria led Edinburg with 17 points, but her performance was overshadowed by Rudd’s sensational play.
Whether it was collecting easy points at the foul line (where she went 8-of-11), scoring on midrange pull-ups or connecting on three straight attempts from deep, Rudd scored in every facet of the game.
“She was just feeling it,” Brownsville Veterans Memorial coach Valentine Paz said. “She shot wherever she wanted to tonight because she was feeling it. If you’re in that groove, you might as well take them.”
The Lady Chargers took the lead 6-4 during the first quarter and never looked back. The team led by double digits for much of the night as Rudd’s passing and handling abilities kept the offense clicking.
But it was her scoring that provided a safety net for a team that, despite the win, did not play its best basketball. Edinburg outrebounded Vets by a significant margin and several Lady Chargers missed their share of open jumpers — Briana Cortez, Krista Lopez and Hanna Meyers combined to go 3-of-24.
Rudd set the tone early for the Lady Chargers, scoring eight points during the first quarter — matching Edinburg’s point total by herself. Taking a 13-9 lead into the second quarter, Rudd got hot from downtown, sinking back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers from the top of the key near the volleyball line.
Vets led Edinburg 32-17 at the half.
Though down, the Lady Bobcats responded with an 8-2 run to begin the third quarter, trimming the Lady Chargers’ lead to single digits.
With teammates experiencing an off-night shooting the ball and Edinburg’s defense keying on her, Rudd responded by scoring all nine of Vets’ third quarter points, muting the Lady Bobcat’s run.
“I never really think of it as ‘It’s all on me,’” Rudd said. “I just do what I need to do to try and get my teammates into it and get them easy baskets.”
Taking a 41-30 lead into the final quarter, Vets was content to play keep-away. With the ball in her hands, Rudd and the Lady Chargers killed clock and forced Edinburg to foul in hopes of getting the ball back.
“Our offense just broke down,” Edinburg junior post Natalie Roxburgh said. “We got the rebounds, but we, including myself, just couldn’t get it to go down into the hole. Just one of those nights.”