BY KEVIN NARRO | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
WESLACO — After Harlingen High beat Weslaco High in their first district meeting, both teams entered Tuesday’s game battling for first place in District 32-6A.
Weslaco junior Bree Peña took control with a game-high 17 points, while Weslaco’s defense did the rest. Weslaco stymied Harlingen 58-32 to take sole possession of first place.
“We showed up to play today,” Weslaco coach Griselda Fino said. “Things didn’t go well the last time we played them, but tonight we were on our home floor, and as a team we are much better than we were last time. We executed better with our communication, offense, and were such a resilient group and it showed tonight. It really hurt our girls the first time we lost, but if we can keep playing at this level, we will be alright.”
Weslaco set the tone early by taking a double-digit lead into the second quarter. The Lady Panthers gave the Lady Cardinals fits throughout the night on the boards and in transition. Sophomore Jada Lopez teamed up with Pena for a combined 15 points in the first half.
Four of the five starters for Weslaco finished in double figures. Emily Saenz and Andrea Villegas netted 14 points a piece, while Lopez finished with 11 points.
“In the second half, I just picked up my game and fed off of my team,” Pena said. “I kept playing my game. Offensively, I was able to keep the ball moving, and executing the plays were the key for us tonight. Our focus tonight was to rebound. In the first game, we didn’t do so well at rebounding. It was one thing we really worked on, and it paid off tonight.”
Weslaco’s defense held Harlingen to five points in the second quarter. The Lady Panthers pulled away in the second half, leading by as much as 25.
The Lady Panthers extended their win streak to eight games — their second longest win streak of the season. The team’s longest win streak so far this year is 10 — from Nov. 10 against Brownsville Pace until running up against San Antonio Johnson later that month in tournament play.
“By no means are we done working,” Fino said. “Yes, this game was very important, but we have plenty of work to do. It’s important to keep playing at a high level down the stretch run. We can’t afford to sleep on anyone. Bree was a little short on her shots tonight. Tonight, she got plenty of help from her teammates. She plays a lot of minutes for us. I told her at halftime not to put everything on herself. In the second half she calmed down, and found her shot, and that is big for us because we go as Bree goes.”
With the win, Weslaco (24-7, 9-1) takes sole possession of first place with four games left in the regular season. Harlingen (21-11, 8-2) remains in the playoff picture.