HARLINGEN — Brownsville Lopez basketball had a good night, Tuesday in Harlingen, as both teams came back home to Brownsville with pivotal wins in the highly competitive District 32-5A.
The Lobos beat Harlingen South 51-46 in a thrilling overtime game, and the Lady Lobos won 46-45.
Coming into Tuesday night only five games remained for the boys in the district. Brownsville Lopez came into the night two games behind Brownsville Pace and three games behind Brownsville Veterans Memorial.
The Lobos are on a four-game winning streak and needed to win every one of those games, including the overtime win over the first-place Harlingen South Hawks on Tuesday.
“With our situation, they are all important,” Lobos head coach Erick Quintero said. “I think anybody that has followed us this year knows that if there is a team that can do it, it is us.”
Brownsville Lopez senior guard Marco Coello went off for 42 points against the Hawks. It took some time for the Lobos to get going — they only scored two points during the first quarter — but eventually Coello found the lanes with a number of moves.
Coello, humble off the court and smooth on the court, did not take the credit for the win. Instead, Coello and Quintero gave the honor to point guard Julian Hernandez.
Hernandez went down late in the game with a cramp on the court, but returned and helped win the game by picking up three big steals in the four-minute overtime.
“Fell into a slump, but we are back … back to what we do,” Coello said.
| Top: Brownsville Lopez’s Marco Coello (Miguel Roberts); Bottom: Brownsville Lopez’s Lizette Noyola Edward Severn |
Now, the Lobos (21-9, 8-6) are one game behind Brownsville Pace.
After Friday, Brownsville Lopez could be tied for fourth. The Lobos play the Brownsville Porter Cowboys, a rivalry game, while Brownsville Pace takes on Brownsville Veterans Memorial in a battle of third- and fourth-place teams.
The Lobos are in a win-win situation regardless of the outcome at Brownsville Veterans. If the Vikings win, that sucks the Chargers back in the mix. Brownsville Lopez would be one game behind both.
If the Chargers win, third seems pretty distant for the Lobos with only three games left, but they would be level with Brownsville Pace at fourth. Mercedes is two games behind fourth.
“In our league, you have two teams with 20-plus win that are not going to make the playoffs,” Quintero said. “That is just the way it is, and we do not want that to be us.”
The Lady Lobos (18-14, 11-5) have been in the same boat, but nearly assured their spot in the playoffs Tuesday with their win against Harlingen South.
Only two games remain in District 32-5A. With the win, the Lobos are 11-5 along with Harlingen South and one game behind Weslaco East at 12-4. Weslaco East and Harlingen South meet in the final game of the season.
Mercedes is on the outside looking in at 9-7.
The Lady Lobos finish the season with Brownsville Porter and Donna North. Plus, they returned a key player in sophomore D’Arrah Howard, who tore her ACL during the summer.
| Brownsville Lopez’ D’Arrah Howard (14).(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
Howard scored 14 points in her first full game after only receiving limited time. It was frustrating for her to be out for nearly the whole season, but she was happy for her teammates and is ready to finish the season strong with them, she said.
“She is just very smart,” Lady Lobos head coach Filiberto Reyna said. “She can find the spaces and posted big numbers for us today.”
Brownsville Lopez plays host to Brownsville Porter, starting with the girls at 6 p.m. and followed by the boys at 7:30 p.m.