BY NATE KOTISSO | THE MONITOR
ALAMO — The Weslaco High Panthers didn’t end the district season the way they had hoped. The opportunity to avenge a Jan. 9 loss to San Benito slipped through their fingertips yet again in the waning moments on Feb. 2. The best Weslaco could do was settle for a share of the District 32-6A title.
But the bi-district round is often the saving grace for a team like Weslaco. The playoff opener was the Panthers’ chance to wipe the slate clean. They took that chance in their 49-24 blowout of PSJA Memorial on Monday night.
“After we took the first loss (to San Benito), we came into the next game hungry,” Weslaco High guard Emily Saenz said. “The second loss (to San Benito) was a really big wake-up call for us. (Coach Griselda) Fino told us we’re coming into this new season 0-0. From now on, we’re going to play Lady Panther basketball, and we’re not going to take our foot off the gas pedal.”
Saenz did most of her damage early, scoring 12 of her 13 points in the first half.
“We started a little shaky,” Saenz said. “As I started to get going, we got the hang of it and started playing our game. It was important to set the tone early.”
Weslaco’s Briana Peña ended the regular season tied for fourth in the Valley at 16.5 points per game. Peña couldn’t get into an offensive rhythm in the first half, scoring five points on just two shot attempts.
“I had a tough defender on me,” Peña said. “(PSJA Memorial guard) Violet (Torres) is a really good defender. We’ve been playing with and against each other for a while. I’m going to miss playing her, since this is both Violet’s and my last year. We both gave it our all.”
Peña scored nine in the second half to finish with a game-high 14 points.
“Those two (Emily and Briana) are our senior leaders,” Weslaco High coach Fino said. “They definitely didn’t want to see their senior seasons come to an end, and so they knew they had to bring it. They have plenty of playoff experience between the both of them. We need them to step up and be leaders for our young kids, and they did just that.”
PSJA Memorial (21-17) was within 11-9 late in the first quarter thanks to strong defense, but the scoring didn’t match the Wolverines’ defensive effort. The Wolverines converted on a combined two field goals during the second and third quarters.
“They (Weslaco High) showed up, and we didn’t,” PSJA Memorial coach Marissa Gutierrez said. “We looked OK, but we just couldn’t buy a bucket. We didn’t move the ball well. We didn’t attack like we were supposed to. We didn’t do our job.”
Weslaco (31-7) will meet Laredo United South in the area round. Details have yet to be determined.
Laredo United South traveled to Weslaco and defeated the Panthers 63-56 in a non-district matchup on Dec. 30.
“It’s all going to start with defense,” Peña said. “We’re going to put all our effort on defense, and hopefully we can get some offense out of it. We’ll have our best five on the floor, but defense is going to be key.”