By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
RIO HONDO — The senior-freshman combo of Eliza Rodriguez and Ayisha Andrews and the Rio Hondo defense was too much for La Feria on Friday night, as Rodriguez netted a game-high 19 points and Andrews followed with 14 in a 56-33 win over the Lionettes.
Also Friday night, the Rio Hondo boys team earned a 69-50 win over La Feria.
Entering Friday night’s girls game, the Lady ’Cats were in a funk on offense and needed to go back to the drawing board. Rio Hondo attacked the basket, and that allowed its offense to take an open shot for 3.
“ I felt hot,” Andrews said. “It’s usually after the first bucket. If I miss the first one, I will keep trying. If it’s not working I’ll just drive in, but tonight my shot was falling. The first time we played La Feria, we were not making any of our shots. Tonight we came out hot and ready to play.”
The tweak in the offense paid off. Andrews hit four 3-pointers, with one in the second quarter that helped the Lady ’Cats pull away.
The second quarter was the difference-maker. Rio Hondo’s defense forced La Feria into turnovers, and the offense responded by outscoring the Lionettes 17-4.
“ We really emphasized our shooting these last couple of weeks,” Rio Hondo coach Victor Sauceda said. “We hadn’t been shooting well and we weren’t as aggressive as we were in the past, so tonight we went back to that aggressive approach. We were able to get some baskets going, and that helped us open things up.”
Rio Hondo won a defensive slugfest in the teams’ first meeting. On Friday, the Lady ’Cats matched their previous defensive approach but shot much better from the floor.
“ Last Tuesday, Progreso gave us a better game. Playing everyone the second time is always tough,” Sauceda said. “It is all about refocusing and getting our eyes on the prize.”
Rio Hondo is now 8-1 in district play and will prepare to face Hidalgo on Tuesday night at home. The Lady Pirates are responsible for Rio Hondo’s only district loss this season.
The Lady ’Cats will have an opportunity Tuesday to get back into first place.
“ It’s a big showdown again,” Sauceda said. “I wanted to go into that game on a good note. We needed a game like tonight to get back to ourselves. I felt like I had two trap games before tonight, and we knew La Feria was going to play us tough. They always do.”
The Lionettes are 5-4 and play Progreso on Tuesday, then have a rematch with Port Isabel on Friday.
“ Rio Hondo is a tough team, and they get after it,” La Feria coach Angel Martinez said. “At the end of the day we have to get after it, and we have to beat P.I. and beat Zapata and win out in order to make the playoffs as a (No. 3) seed. Right now it’s us, Zapata and P.I. all going for the last two playoff spots.”
On the boys side, the Bobcats played fast and furious. Senior Jabez Villareal scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Bobcats, whose offense outran and outshot the Lions from the get-go to race out to a 18-5 lead after the first quarter, setting the tone for the night. The monster first quarter was led by Villareal, who scored 13 first-quarter points.
Daniel Garcia finished with 15 points, and Ethan Jeradiah and CJ Leal each scored eight for the Bobcats. For the Lions, Isiah Vento scored a team-high 12 points. Carlos Gonzalez and Jaden Torres followed with 11 points each.
Rio Hondo (6-1) now has a shot to take on Hidalgo, which is in first place.
“ Going 6-1 through the first half of district is big for us,” Rio Hondo coach Mike Alvarez said. “The first time we played Hidalgo we were down two key guys in Zachariah and Zeke Rios. (It) will make a difference having them back.”
If the Bobcats win Tuesday, they will be in a tie for first with the Pirates.
“ It gives us a shot and it is at home, and that is all we can ask for,” Alvarez said.