EDINBURG — Edinburg North needed a victory against La Joya High on Friday night to keep its shot at the District 31-6A championship alive.
It may have taken an extra four minutes as the Coyotes rallied to force overtime, but the Cougars found a way to get the job done 55-53 at Edinburg North High School.
La Joya won the first meeting between the two 53-52 on Jan. 24. Both have identical 7-2 district records, as does Edinburg High, creating a three-way tie for first in 31-6A heading into the final game of the regular season next week.
“They’re a very well-coached team. We knew it was going to be tough,” Edinburg North head coach Carlos Ramos said. “When we got the lead to 16, I knew they were going to make a run and they got the best player in the Valley in Mr. (Ethan) Moya there, but our kids stepped up. I’m very happy with our boys’ performance.”
The Coyotes trailed by 10 at the half and end of the third quarter. A fourth-quarter surge sparked by defensive pressure and three 3-pointers erased the La Joya deficit. Ethan Moya tied the game at 46 with a crafty layup through contact to send it into overtime. Both teams had chances to end it in regulation but came up short.
In overtime, North’s Cristian Faz banked a 3-pointer to start the extra period and the Cougars found openings in the Coyotes’ press.
Moya had a chance to tie the game with 1.7 seconds left after being fouled on a 3-point attempt, but his first free throw missed, his second went in, and time expired after an intentional miss on his third try.
“We knew coming into the season this district was going to be tight all the way through. Credit to Edinburg North — they made a couple more plays than we did and you have to credit them,” La Joya head coach Eric Montalvo said.
La Joya’s Moya scored a game-high 20 points with five assists, three steals and two blocks. Teammate Hunter Morales scored six of his 11 points during the fourth quarter to aid the Coyotes’ rally.
Edinburg North’s defense was led by Jorge Santa Maria, who tailed Moya everywhere he went in the box-and-1 scheme. He made things difficult during the first half, surrendering just three points. Santa Maria also dished out eight assists to go with his eight points.
“We just had to come out with heart, high-energy and the crowd helped us,” he said.
Faz added 16 points and post Eddie Gonzalez led the Cougars offensively with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
“We played pretty good at the end. All we’ve been focusing on is defense, defense, defense,” Gonzalez said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game because the way we played them last time, we only lost by a point, so we had to come in here and really dig it out.”
On Tuesday, the final day of the regular season, Edinburg North hosts Mission High, La Joya High hosts PSJA High, and Edinburg High travels to face Edinburg Economedes.
If all three win, the Bobcats, Cougars and Coyotes will share the District 31-6A championship.
“If we all win out, it would be a three-way tie and I don’t mind sharing, but we’ll deal with that later,” Ramos said. “Big game coming up against Mission. We got to take care of business.”