MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — A third-place tie added spice to the second district meeting between crosstown rivals Harlingen and Harlingen South, but the result was the same.
After the Cardinals were in control for most of the game, the Hawks ended the third quarter on a 7-0 run, giving them their first lead since the early first quarter in the process and paving the way to 58-49 victory Tuesday night at Harlingen High School.
The Hawks (20-7, 8-4) came out sluggish on both ends of the floor in the first half as their offense looked out of sync, and their defense allowed Harlingen (18-11, 7-5) easy shots and second chance points.
A much more aggressive approach in the second half, however, made all the difference.
“I think we buckled down on defense. Early on, Harlingen did a great job of attacking the offensive glass, but I think we did a better job in the second half of limiting them to one shot,” said South head coach Brian Molina. “We were more aggressive towards the basket and got into the bonus early in the third, making our free throw shooting the difference tonight.”
South went 20 of 28 from the line in the second half, including a 12 of 15 mark in the fourth (23 of 34).
Of those 20 makes, 15 came off the hands of South post Luke Bradford, who finished the night with 19 points to lead all scorers.
As the fouls added up, Harlingen’s offense struggled down the stretch.
“We got into foul trouble and had to make substitutions,” Harlingen head coach Greg Yates. “Credit coach Molina and his team for doing a good job and causing those turnovers. They got to the line and made those free throws.
“We did a good job on Bradford early on, but a good player like him is going to come through in the second half like he did tonight.”
With the win, the Hawks take a one-game lead over the Cards and sit in third place in District 32-6A with two games to go.
“Tonight was a big win, but I don’t think we’ve played our best basketball yet,” Molina said. “We still have some work to do and we need to finish the district season strong.”
South plays Brownsville Vets this Friday.
Despite the loss, the Cards still hold a two-game lead with a pair of games to go over the Brownsville Hanna Eagles, who lost to Los Fresnos 74-56 Tuesday night.
The two meet in the season finale next Tuesday, but Yates isn’t looking ahead.
“We have Rivera next, so that’s who we’ll be focused on,” Yates said. “We just have to take care of business, look at some film and try to get better each time we have an opportunity.”
Aside From Bradford, South’s Jason Martinez scored 10, as did Sean Turrubiates.
Turrubiates scored all his points on four clutch shots in the fourth quarter, which helped keep the Hawks ahead.
Elijah Rhodes led Harlingen with 17 points, while Juan Cerrillo added 14 and Ernie Ramirez pitched in 13.