BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
PHARR — With 1.3 seconds showing on the clock, McAllen Rowe senior Mark Medrano was the in-bounds passer, under the hoop.
He found a wide open John Galan, who was in the paint, and the junior sunk a layup at the buzzer to give the Warriors the win.
Rowe beat PSJA North, 66-65, on Friday in a District 30-6A game to hand North its first loss of the district season.
“It was an emotional game, they have a good program and we have a good program,” Rowe coach Jose Luis Yebra said. “We knew it was an important game for the district title. We are all chasing that district title. It’s one of those things, that the emotions get out. Coaches, all of us, we know that competition and we get after it. The kids got after it. We just told our kids to stay positive. It was going to be a game like this. We ended up with the last shot and we made it.”
After Galan hit the shot, the Warriors sprinted to him, surrounding him with love and jubilation.
“I jumped up in the air,” sophomore Louie Yebra said. “Everyone was running toward him. We heard the buzzer, and we ran to him. It was amazing.”
The game was back and forth throughout, and tied heading into the fourth quarter.
Daunte Galvan was an animal for PSJA North. He scored 14 in the fourth quarter, finishing the night with 34. Galvan hit a jumper with 1:37 left to give North a three-point lead. Louie Yebra then had a strong drive and finish at the rim to cut the lead to one. Galan got to preview the final basket with a score to take a one-point lead with 20.2 seconds left. Galvan responded, diving into the paint and drawing a foul.
North fans will lament a bad night at the charity stripe. North missed four-of-nine free throws in the fourth quarter, but with 13.4 seconds left, Galvan confidently sunk both shots to give his team a one-point edge.
Galvan had to be dominant, because of foul trouble to his teammates. Sophomore Elijah De La Garza, who scored 12, and senior Arturo Beltran both fouled out, and missed the majority of the fourth.
Out of the timeout, Coach Yebra had one goal in mind.
“I wanted to make sure that we got the ball to the basket,” he said. “To get a drive, we wanted to make sure that we attacked because of the foul situation, drawing a foul or making a shot. We have some tall kids that can go finish at the basket, and that’s what we were trying to do.”
The ball was in the hands of junior Darrin Everage, who finished with a team-high 20 points.
Everage attacked the rim, but three North defenders met him there, including junior forward Iziaah Rangel, who rose up and blocked Everage’s shot out of bounds; the clock stopped at 1.3.
“We know (Rangel) is a good athlete, he can contribute that way,” Jose Yebra said. “It was a big block. Our kids never put their head down and they continued to play.”
After Galan’s winner, Rowe soaked in the moment, realizing they now stand alone atop 30-6A.
“It was amazing,” Everage said. “This was the first time I played here in a district game, and it felt pretty good. This was one of the best games of my life. I was blessed to play in this game today.”
But, there is no complacency up on Warrior Drive.
“This feels amazing, and it is back to practice tomorrow,” Louie Yebra said. “We have to come out and work hard for the rest of the district. Because we know, they will come out and play us hard, just because we are Rowe. They want to beat us.”