EDINBURG — The PSJA High Bears began the new year where no basketball team wants to be during the 2020-21 season — sidelined and quarantined due to COVID-19 concerns.
But, since clearing protocols and returning to the court last week, the Bears have been on a tear.
PSJA High continued its hot streak Tuesday night as it beat the Edinburg Vela SaberCats 56-47 to win its fourth consecutive District 31-6A game. It was also its fourth win in just five days.
“I’m really proud of the kids, not just their effort, but for their fight. They just never quit,” PSJA High head coach Connor Davenport said. “We were shut down and we came back. This was our fourth game in five days after having just one day of practice. Kids didn’t complain. They put their heads down, they come in to work, and it’s a credit to them. They just fight, they want it. They see the work paying off.”
Edinburg Vela’s Tony Requena led the SaberCats to a 29-28 advantage at the break as the junior forward scored 16 points during the first half.
After the break, however, the Bears’ defense clamped down to allow just six points during the third quarter, while the Bears offense kept the baskets coming.
“We were down, but we felt pretty good because we played worse than the score showed. I knew once we got our legs and settled down a bit, we’d be able to lock in,” Davenport said.
PSJA’s Rick Salazar provided a key contribution off the bench as he scored nine of his team-high 15 in the first half, while also bringing down four rebounds. Three more Bears scored in double figures as Josh Loredo came up with 13 points and four rebounds, Christopher Gonzales scored 12, and Victor Rangel added 11.
Edinburg Vela’s Requena finished with a game-high 20 points, three assists and two rebounds.
PSJA (10-11, 5-5) started district play with a 1-5 record before they were forced to quarantine. After winning their fourth straight District 31-6A game Tuesday night, the Bears are right back in the playoff picture.
“Every day, we talk about going 1-0. We dropped some games in the first half of district that I felt we could have won. Not to take anything away or discredit teams because we got beat, but we did a lot of it to ourselves, a lot of self-inflicted stuff,” Davenport said. “We were sitting there at 1-5. They could have quit, they could have said, ‘It’s going to be tough.’ But they buckled down and won four in a row to get right back in the race. I think we’re maybe a game out of fourth now. You can just see it in their eyes how bad they want it and how hard they work for it.”
The Bears are faced with another quick turnaround, scheduled to take on Edinburg Economedes at 7 tonight for a District 31-6A makeup game at Economedes High School.
Meanwhile, Edinburg Vela (8-12, 5-6) will look to bounce back when the SaberCats travel to take on the La Joya Juarez-Lincoln Huskies at 7 p.m. Friday in La Joya.