EDINBURG — The Harlingen South Hawks eliminated the Edinburg Economedes Jaguars with a 56-44 victory in their Region IV-6A bi-district playoff matchup Tuesday night at Economedes High School.
The Hawks (22-13, 9-5) advance to the area round to face San Antonio Warren. Game details have yet to be determined.
Senior forward Ray De Leon led the Jaguars with 23 points but was constantly hounded by Harlingen South’s Jeremiah Rivera. The Hawks’ guard spent the night glued to De Leon in an attempt to deny the ball from his hands.
“Jeremiah went up against if not the best, one of the best players in the Valley. I just told Jeremiah ‘just contest shots,’ and that’s all he did all night,” Molina said. “We did a good job of not letting anybody else get off and that was the game plan. Credit to Ray, he hit some really, really tough shots.”
Steven Ortegon led the Hawks with a game-high 24 points. Teammates Ddeen Badiru and Ethan Salinas added 13 points apiece.
| Harlingen South’s Ddeen Badiru (15) attempts a basket in a Region IV-6A bi-district playoff game against Edinburg Economedes at Economedes High School on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, in Edinburg. (Joel Martinez | [email protected]) Joel Martinez |
Edinburg Economedes head coach Carlos Ramos said the Hawks’ defense and energy, which overwhelmed the Jaguars during the first and fourth quarters, proved to be the difference.
“We came out in man (defense), they made us work a little bit so we got in a zone and the momentum kind of shifted to us; third quarter was a give and take. In the fourth quarter, they finished the game the way they started,” he said. “It was their energy, their relentlessness to get loose balls, rebounds and that’s what did us in.”
Economedes and South traded blows like prize fighters standing in the ring for the first three quarters. The Hawks landed the first strike, followed by furious flurries from the Jaguars during the second and third periods.
During the fourth, however, the Hawks delivered the knockout punch by outscoring the Jaguars 23-13 during the final eight minutes.
“It was a tough atmosphere and the kids responded. It’s been a tough ride through a very, very tough district and I think because our district was so tough, it got us ready for a game like this,” Harlingen South head coach Brian Molina said. “Hats off to Economedes. They played a heck of a game tonight.”
The Jaguars’ season comes to an end at 23-14 overall.