BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — The end of the semester is the time players recharge their minds from a hectic academic schedule and channel their complete focus on the hardwood.
Weslaco High junior guard Kirsten Padilla was one of several Panther beneficiaries from rest on Friday, tying a team-high with 14 points in Weslaco High’s 58-40 win against Edinburg Vela.
“I’ve said to her, ‘Mijita, you can be one of the best players on this team. It’s just a matter of you being consistent,’” Weslaco High coach Griselda Fino said. “I’ve had the privilege of working with Kirsten for three years now. As soon as she walks into the gym, I can tell if she’s going to be ready to play. She’s has some tired games because she’s a top student and has a heavy workload. You can’t tell a smart kid like her to relax on her studies. But since school ended, she told me she was pumped and had a big smile on her face. She walked into the gym today and said, ‘We got this.’”
Padilla scored eight of her 14 points in the opening quarter, including two 3-pointers.
“I feel that anything I can do to contribute to a team win is a good thing,” Padilla said. “I started off well and I know that impacted the rest of our team. Whenever one of us does well, it’s like a domino effect. Everyone else starts to do well.”
Senior forward Illiyah Cantu tied Padilla in the scoring department with 14 points. The Panthers had four players in double figures, including guards Aleksa Gallegos (12 points) and La-Kysha Saldivar (12 points).
“This is such a different team than what I’ve been used to coaching,” Fino said. “Weslaco basketball has been known throughout the years with players like Laura Van Tilburg and Angela Villarreal. Last year, we had Bri(ana Peña) and Em(ily Saenz). We’re so balanced now. On any given night, if you box-and-one La-Kysha (Saldivar), somebody else is going to do the job. If teams take Illiyah (Cantu) from us, someone else will step in. I’m having so much fun coaching this group because they’re so dynamic.”
Edinburg Vela (13-7, 2-1) is a younger team that likes to play fast with three score-first guards in Kayleen Rios, Andrea Molina and Lauren Vega. Rios, Molina and Vega combined for 33 of the SaberCats’ 40 points, but the rest of the team was neutralized by the Panthers’ defense.
“They were forcing us to shoot from the outside in their 3-2 zone defense. We went 2-for-17 on 3s in the first half,” Edinburg Vela coach Lottie Zarate said. “We have to do a better job of executing our game plan. We didn’t execute our screens off of their zone press. Bottom line: Weslaco came out hungrier than we did tonight.”
“We went with the 3-2 (zone) because we were trying to contain their guards that are so darn fast,” Fino said. “For us, it was a matter of whatever worked. We didn’t think man defense was the best option. We have other tools in our bag, but as the game went on, we decided to stick with what was working.”
The District 31-6A championship will likely be decided between Edinburg High, Edinburg Vela or Weslaco High at season’s end. The win gives the Panthers (17-5, 2-0) an early edge heading into the New Year.
“Our goal is about winning the next game,” Padilla said. “If we just do that, I feel like we have the potential to finish out on top.”