EDINBURG — Friday night’s rivalry game between Edinburg North Cougars and Edinburg Economedes Jaguars was a must-win for the Jaguars considering the playoff implications.
For three quarters, it appeared Economedes was on its way to a victory, which would have kept its playoff hopes alive in District 31-6A.
But Edinburg North (14-16, 5-4 in district) mounted a fourth-quarter comeback to force the game into overtime as the Cougars came through in the clutch to pull away for a 57-52 win.
“We knew they were going to come in really tough, and their five did a really good job,” Cougars head coach Rudy Garcia said. “We didn’t have a very good first half, we kind of struggled a little bit and made some mistakes. But I was proud of the way we gathered ourselves and did what we needed to do, push it into that overtime and give us an opportunity to win.”
The win secures a playoff spot for Edinburg North with three District 31-6A games remaining.
“We knew they were going to come out with a lot of fire. We had to do what we had to do, play some defense and we got it done,” Edinburg North junior power forward Ethan Garza said. “It was a big win. We got the playoff spot so we just have to keep on working because we have three games coming up.”
Garza led the Cougars with 14 points and 13 rebounds, including four points in the overtime period.
“We just picked each other up, shot the ball with confidence and played together,” Garza said.
“He’s the guy that cleans up the boards,” Garcia said about his power forward Garza. “He never looks to score unless it’s on a rebound. He got into foul trouble so he had to sit out a while and we were trying to save him for the right opportunity, and we got him back in and he came up key again getting on the boards and doing the little things.”
Edinburg Economedes sophomore guard Ray De Leon did a bit of everything for the Jaguars, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds, four assists, five steals and three blocks, but a fifth foul during overtime ended his night prematurely.
Edinburg North seized that opportunity.
Cougars senior captain Sergio Quintanilla said the key to the victory was playing as a unit.
“It was about staying together and playing as a team. We felt like we’re the better team, we just had to prove it,” Quintanilla said after a nine-point, six-rebound, three-assist, and two-block performance.
The win also secures a sweep of the Jaguars (12-16, 3-7 in district) by the Cougars, giving Edinburg North the edge if the two teams were to end up tied for the fourth seed in District 31-6A.
“It feels good, but I’m not really satisfied being fourth. We have to play hard and we’ll have a chance to move up to the third or second spot,” Quintanilla said.
The Cougars will close out district play with games against Weslaco High, Edinburg Vela and Donna North. Tip-off between the Cougars and Panthers is slated for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Edinburg North High School.