By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
Lopez hoped to start District 32-5A against Porter better than it has in recent years.
With the game tied at 38 with less than a minute to go, Nora Espinoza hit a 3-pointer from the left side to give the Lady Lobos the lead and then hit a couple free throws that sealed a 44-38 victory over the Cowgirls in the District 32-5A girls basketball opener Tuesday at Porter.
“We picked it up offensively and defensively,” Espinoza said of her team in that final quarter. “(Hitting that 3) felt like fire, a splash to start us off in the future … it feels great, like it’s a new beginning.”
Espinoza finished with a game-high 12 points, including a pair of 3s and seven rebounds for Lopez (1-0 in District 32-5A), who ended a long district-losing streak after it earned its first district victory since 2013. Porter (0-1) trailed at the break, took the lead in the third quarter, but couldn’t hang on in the final quarter.
“She’s our set shooter and we needed her and she hit that shot,” Lopez coach Adam Castañeda said. “As a senior, she did her job.”
Espinoza capped off a wild comeback in the fourth quarter. The Lady Lobos were outscored 19-10 in the third quarter and trailed by six points. After back-to-back jumpers from Amanda Parra, Espinoza got a bucket to tie the game at 35. Samantha Valdez hit a free throw and Kathie Barrientes hit a layup for a 9-0 run and a 38-35 lead.
“We had a bunch of girls step up,” Castañeda said about his team in the fourth quarter. “We have that mentality … the girls when they come in know their role and to produce when called upon. Our starters got in some foul trouble. The girls did a heck of a job filling in and converting on the offensive side and playing good defense to allow us to come back.”
The Cowgirls’ Paloma Garcia ended the run with a 3-pointer to tie it at 38. With under a minute to play, Espinoza caught a pass on the left wing and let it fly and her 3-pointer retook the lead 41-38. Moments later, Espinoza was fouled and sank two free throws to push the lead to 43-38. Valdez added a free throw down the stretch and Lopez held on for the district victory that had eluded it for a few years.
“We got in foul trouble,” Porter coach Crystal Schmalzried said. “(The team) had to play a little more timid because of foul trouble.”
It was a back-and-forth game in the first half, but the Lady Lobos held a slim three-point lead at the break. Porter began the third quarter on an 8-0 run. Adamari Arteaga started it with a pair of layups, Garcia followed with a jumper and then Mary Ann Lara got a steal and a bucket as the Cowgirls took a 24-19 advantage.
Zayra Esquivel ended the Lopez scoreless streak with a put back and Brenda Savariego added back-to-back buckets to get the Lady Lobos within 28-25. Garcia hit a 3 to push the Porter lead to 31-25 and the teams traded baskets as Arteaga had eight points and Garcia had five to give the Cowgirls a 35-29 edge after three.
It was an especially tough loss for Porter after playing so well offensively in the third, but it couldn’t keep up the momentum in the fourth, particularly down the stretch as it watched its lead slip away.
“We’ll watch film and learn from it,” Schmalzried said.
Garcia led Porter with 11 points, including three 3-pointers and four rebounds. Arteaga added 10 points and nine rebounds for the Cowgirls.
Savariego finished with eight points and seven rebounds for Lopez.
The Lady Lobos were happy to celebrate a victory that was a long-time coming.
“It’s great … this is the first district win in a few years,” Castañeda said. “We broke the curse and hopefully we’ll prove some people wrong, but it feels good to pick up the win.”
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.