BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
ALAMO — Rio Grande City had a couple things going for it halfway through Friday night’s game.
The Rattlers had already beaten the Wolverines two times this season. One win came at an early season tournament and the other was an eight-point victory in district play Dec. 21.
In what was a rough first half for both teams, Rio Grande City scratched and clawed its way to a one-point advantage with only 16 points scored in 16 minutes of action. PSJA Memorial, however, was far from out of it.
The Wolverines forced a turnover with seconds remaining in the first half when junior Yasmine Garcia stole the ball and rifled a pass to sophomore Melissa Garza. Garza’s successful layup attempt was a split-second faster than the halftime buzzer. The layup brought the Wolverines within a point of the Rattlers.
Garza’s sequence boosted PSJA Memorial (19-12, 6-3) heading into the locker room and those players came out on a mission in the third quarter. The Wolverines wrestled control away from the Rattlers in a 39-26 win at PSJA Memorial.
“We had a bad first half, so to end the second quarter like that helped us out a lot,” PSJA Memorial coach Marissa Gutierrez said. “It gave us momentum going into the third quarter.”
Garza was far from finished on Friday. She was fouled and made another shot attempt to complete a 3-point play that gave PSJA Memorial an 18-16 lead to begin the third. Garza also hit two 3-pointers later in the half, which allowed her to finish with nine points off the bench.
“We lost to them twice and we needed this game,” Garza said. “We wanted to show them what kind of team we have. We know we have it in us. In the third quarter, we all decided to step up. We had better offense by slowing down the pace a little bit and playing smarter.”
The Rattlers had a clear size advantage with 5-foot-8 junior Alyssa Reyna and 5-foot-10 freshman Emily Lopez in their frontcourt. Their advantage grew even more so when the Wolverines’ 5-foot-11 center, Victoria Gonzalez, got into early foul trouble, forcing Gutierrez to find a way to overcome its weakness.
“We always tell our girls that it’s not our size that matters, it’s how big we play,” Gutierrez said. “We had to change up our defense some with our big getting into foul trouble, so we were at a disadvantage. We were getting pushed around early in the game, but we toughened up. We played bigger than what we are.”
Rio Grande City (20-11, 4-5) was colder from the field in the second half. The Rattlers scored 10 points in the final two quarters combined. One of Rio’s top perimeter shooters, Roxy Morales, was 0-for-6 in the fourth quarter.
“We had plenty of open looks. We just couldn’t hit anything,” Rio Grande City coach Gustavo Valenciana said. “From what I’ve seen from them (PSJA Memorial), they play great defense, but they usually don’t shoot the ball that well. Tonight, they shot the ball well. There was one moment when we’re down two possessions in the fourth. They miss a free throw and their big girl (Victoria Gonzalez) got the rebound and put the ball back up and in. Those was her only two points of the game. She didn’t hurt us like I thought she would, but for me, that’s when I felt like the game ended.”
The win creates more separation in the District 31-5A standings for PSJA Memorial. The Wolverines remain in third place, facing a two-game deficit to first-place Sharyland Pioneer and Mission Veterans while leading Rio Grande City by two games.
“We knew everything was on the line tonight and the girls showed up,” Gutierrez said. “They understand the pressure they have on them. As long as they stick together, they’re doing their jobs.”