By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
MERCEDES — Pace had one bad quarter, and that was enough against Mercedes.
The Lady Vikings led at halftime but were held scoreless during the third quarter, and the Lady Tigers used that momentum to propel them to a 50-39 win in a matchup of District 32-5A’s top two teams Tuesday.
Valeria Varela led Pace with 16 points — 12 during the first half — four rebounds and four steals, but it wasn’t enough as Pace (6-2 in district) has lost both district games this season to Mercedes (8-0).
“We played out of control. We didn’t play our game. We allowed them to force us to play their game,” Pace coach Kris Metzmaker said. “Usually the second half is ours. They put their heads down (in the third quarter).”
But the Lady Vikings started the game strong. Pace opened with a 4-0 run with buckets by Varela and Nadia Mendoza. Later a layup by Varela put the Lady Vikings up 10-4.
Mercedes received a bucket from Jacklynn Flores to pull within four points, but Pace used an aggressive defense to force turnovers and get points in transition to lead 16-8 after the first quarter.
During the second quarter, Kysha Saldivar hit a 3 to open Mercedes’ first possession but it was answered with a jumper by Pace’s Ebony Casanova. Later, Flores scored and Mercedes went on a 4-0 run to pull back within four.
Pace answered with a 5-0 run from Kaylynn Quezada on a three-point play and a layup to push the lead to 27-18. But Alyssa Marquez hit back-to-back 3s before halftime to cut the deficit to three and take momentum into the break.
After halftime, that momentum stayed with Mercedes, who came out more aggressively. A bucket by Victoria Anciso gave the Lady Tigers their first lead at 28-27, and the Mercedes’ defense did the rest. The Lady Vikings went cold and didn’t get a shot to fall. The Lady Tigers held Pace scoreless during the third quarter and took a 41-27 lead.
“I felt like we were out of control (in the first half). It was a big game and they were up for it, but I told them to calm down,” Mercedes coach Monica Meza said. “We needed to cut down on the turnovers and pick up the defensive intensity, and everything else was going to fall into place.”
During the fourth quarter, the Lady Vikings received back-to-back 3s from Jessica Aguilar and Karla Garcia to pull within eight. Later, Varela had a pair of buckets to get Pace within six, but that’s as close as they got as Mercedes keep hitting shots to seal the victory.
“It’s hard, they wanted this game,” Metzmaker said. “We got outhustled to every ball, every rebound. We were dribbling too much, we were doing a lot of things we don’t normally do. I just think it was the stress of the game. We rushed everything, took shots we don’t normally take. We didn’t play our game.”
Garcia finished with five points, including a 3. Mendoza, Casanova and Quezada each had four, but neither of the trio scored after the break. Aguilar added five rebounds and five assists for the Lady Vikings.
Mercedes played like a different team after halftime.
“We seemed timid, we seemed afraid (in the first half). Sometimes you just need a boost of confidence,” Meza said. “We expected a fight, and it was a fight (Tuesday).”
Anciso led the way for Mercedes with 13, nine after halftime. Marquez had 11 and Saldivar finished with 10, and Emily Ramirez added seven rebounds for the Lady Tigers.
It was a tough loss for Pace, which needed the win to keep the pressure on Mercedes to challenge for the district title.
“They outplayed us, they really did. They had a great second half, and we didn’t,” Metzmaker said. “They beat us. They took it from us.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.