KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
BROWNSVILLE — After Tuesday night’s heartbreaking overtime loss to Los Fresnos, Brownsville Hanna senior Fernie Camacho was eager to get back on the court.
On Friday, the senior took the court with a little pep in his step, scoring nine of the Golden Eagles’ 15 points during the first quarter en route to a 36-25 win over Harlingen South.
“Fernie just came out on fire tonight,” Hanna coach Fermin Lucio said. “This was our first district home game and it is a little tough at first with an empty gym, but Fernie was able to bring that energy tonight, and he hit some shots and the team fed off of it.”
Camacho netted a game-high 22 points in the win.
“Every win is huge and every night it is a battle,” Camacho said. “Coach just wants us to show up and play hard every night.”
While the district season is still young, the Eagles remain ahead of the eight-ball with a 2-1 district record and will play host to rival Brownsville Rivera on Tuesday.
“What we preach is to go 1-0 every Friday and Tuesday,” Lucio said. “We don’t look behind or look ahead, and tonight was big for us.”
Despite falling behind by double digits early, South did not go away quietly. The Hawks clawed back to within four (18-14) with 2:20 left in the second quarter.
The Eagles countered with a 6-0 run that pushed their lead to 24-14 late in the period. It was during the third quarter that the Hanna defense made the difference, holding the Hawks to just one point in the period.
“Coach Brian Molina is one of the best coaches in the Valley,” Lucio said. “We knew that this wasn’t going to be a blowout, even when we went up in the first quarter I knew they would adjust and come back. It was about us making the last run, and I thought our boys did a hell of a job towards the end.”
Harlingen South falls to 1-2 in district play and next travels to Los Fresnos on Tuesday night. Grant Lowery led the offense with 12 points, and Mark Becerra finished with seven.