By MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER
With the second half of District 32-6A play underway there are no teams hotter than the Los Fresnos Falcons and the Hanna Golden Eagles.
Now, the two meet tonight in what both team’s view as a high-stakes district match with the top spot on the line.
The Falcons are a spotless 6-0 after upending Harlingen High 57-56 at home Tuesday night, while the Golden Eagles have won four straight and sit at 5-1 after topping San Benito 54-43.
Hanna’s lone blemish on their district record came at the hands of Los Fresnos back on Jan. 15 in a 57-52 overtime loss.
Hanna head coach Fermin Lucio says tonight’s matchup isn’t about revenge, just district titles.
“ Honestly, this week has been business as usual, just taking it one practice at a time,” Lucio said. “Every district game has been big, especially since it’s such a small district. Every game has been magnified, so this game is like every other one. It’s like every game is a district championship game and we have to attack it like that. Hopefully we can come out with the same mindset we have been coming out with every Tuesday and Friday.”
The big-game atmosphere is nothing new for the Falcons.
Aside from multiple district crowns over the years, this season’s district road has been a bumpy one, with their wins over Harlingen High (twice), Harlingen South and Hanna coming by a combined 13 points.
Los Fresnos head coach Marco Hinojosa said it’s not a position he likes to be in, but it has taught his team how to win.
“ Our team isn’t made of superstars,” the Los Fresnos coach said. “It’s just a bunch of kids who are playing well together and finding ways to win ballgames. We’ve won several games by single digits. This will get us prepared. Not that I want to be in these games, but it shows a lot of fight and maturity from my guys. We have lost leads, but when push comes to shove, we make the right plays and hit the shots that they need to.”
Both teams have players coming off of high-scoring games as Los Fresnos’ Ricky Altamirano netted 22 points, while Sebastian Szpak added 17 in the win over Harlingen High.
Hanna’s Victor Campos posted 19 points, followed by Fernie Camacho with 10 in the win over San Benito.
Campos had a big day against Los Fresnos the first time around and Hinojosa is counting on the athletic center to do it again.
“ Fermin (Lucio) is doing a good job with them,” Hinojosa said. “They have Campos in the middle, who is a tough guard and we had difficulty with him last time. He does a good job in the high post and is very versatile. They also have a lot of good shooters on the outside and good guards. I expect a good game with two good teams going at it. You have 6-0 taking on 5-1 playing for a district title basically.”
The game is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Hanna, where other coaches within the district have admitted to have a tough time winning games.
Lucio is hoping for the home court to be an advantage, but he isn’t counting on it.
“ We hope to have a good crowd, but Los Fresnos is a veteran ballclub,” the Hanna coach said. “They’ve been in big games before. We’re just hoping the energy from the crowd will give us a little extra boost in our game that we need against a top team like los Fresnos. Coach Hinojosa is going to have his team ready for a road game just like they have done the last four or five years they have won district.”
Elsewhere in the district, the Harlingen High Cardinals are 3-3 and have now lost two straight after falling to Los Fresnos 57-56 on Tuesday night.
The Harlingen South Hawks are now 2-4 after falling at home 50-48 Tuesday night against Rivera, who also is 2-4.
Harlingen High hosts Harlingen South in a pivotal game tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Rivera will try to stay in the thick of the playoff race as it hits the road to face San Benito tonight.
That game also will be at 7:30 p.m.
DISTRICT 32-4A REMATCH
While the top teams in 32-6A are doing battle, so too will the big hitters over in 32-4A .
The 9-1 Port Isabel Tarpons will look to square things with the team that dealt them their only loss when they hit the road to take on the Hidalgo Pirates tonight at 8 p.m.
Since losing to Hidalgo 60-54 back on Jan. 8, Port Isabel has rattled off six consecutive wins following Tuesday’s 64-52 win against Grulla.
It has not been an easy stretch of games as the Tarpons’ average margin of victory has been just six points.