McALLEN — Milan Diaz ricocheted a blistering shot off a defender’s leg and into the corner of the net for the only goal of the game, and McHi downed McAllen Memorial 1-0 in a battle of two scorching hot teams in District 31-5A on Tuesday at McAllen Memorial.

McHi has now won 11 straight since a district-opening loss to McAllen Rowe. It was its second win over Memorial, which had won nine straight since that 3-2 loss to McHi earlier this season.

The Bulldogs are 11-1 in district and, by virtue of their win over Memorial and Sharyland High defeating Edinburg Vela, hold a six-point advantage over those three teams. Memorial, Vela and Sharyland are all 9-3 with six district games remaining.

“I can’t give that defensive unit enough praise,” McHi head coach Pat Arney said. “Especially when Memorial had the wind in the first half and they had us scrambling. They were throwing bodies at it and getting after it.”

Diaz took a cross-field pass from Gabby Gonzalez and sidestepped around a first defender, then took a left-footed quick, low shot with 20:06 remaining. “When you shoot quick, low and strong, good things are going to happen,” Arney said.

While it was the only goal, it was far from the only offense. McHi took several shots during spells when it was controlling the ball and the tempo, winning more of the 50-50 balls than losing them. Memorial looked strong time and again with long passes and quick counterattacks.

But both defenses, and both goalkeepers, kept their teams in the match.

Sofia Alaniz-Choy took over in goal after Memorial’s starting goalie was injured and taken out of the match during a collision in the box. Alaniz-Choy, with a powerful leg and a key cog especially in set pieces, played exceptionally in shutting down the explosive McHi offense.

Likewise, Karla Paredes, Haley Nixon and goalkeeper Allison Tamil stepped up with the rest of the Bulldogs’ defense to stifle Memorial’s big offensive weapons in Chloey Mejia and freshman Kennedy Kaiser, who had scored 17 goals in just seven district games going into Tuesday’s match.

“The girls just showed a ton of character against a great team that was as hot as Memorial was coming in,” Arney said. “It’s what we needed.”

Destiny Sims laid on her back and, for a brief moment, grudgingly pulled her fists up to her eyes, covering what were becoming red and filled with tears.

Since her loss last year to McAllen Memorial’s Serenity De La Garza, the Frisco senior had trimmed down, bulked up and won 43 of her previous 45 matches. They were all in preparation to have the opportunity to avenge that loss.

The door opened for the briefest of moments at the Berry Center during the 138-pound Class 5A state wrestling championship match, once again against De La Garza. But the undefeated and defending state champion are those things for a reason. She quickly turned the tide and at the 3:39 mark became the two-time state champion.

All that work done by both Sims and De La Garza ended in a snap. The difference — victory only went to one.

Throughout the day, emotions were high as one wrestler did a back flip in joy and another would throw their gear in self-disgust. There were tears of misery and ones of ecstasy.

Eleven Valley wrestlers reached the podium — the pinnacle — during the annual UIL Texas State Wrestling Championship. All but De La Garza suffered a loss during the tournament. She didn’t lose a match during her final two years and was named the state tournament’s wrestler of the match.

For several, like Edinburg High sophomore Cassandra Medrano, they experienced their first loss of the season. Medrano fought back and finished fourth in the state at 100 pounds, and will be back for more and better results next year — it’s just how wrestlers think. However, unlike other sports that play on Tuesday and Friday, there was no time for that long of a rebound. Some had to wrestle hours later following head butts, black eyes, kicks to the face and other torn up body parts.

There’s been a saying floating around the mats across the country for decades — wrestlers are a different breed, made of some unknown material and DNA concoction. In some wrestling hotbeds, they are introduced before their match with spotlights, heavy metal music blaring and smoke filling the arena. Walk into wrestling gyms across the country and the pungent sweat/puke/dirty socks aroma that fills the air is their sense of pride. It is something, a mark that lets other athletes know “Beware: Wrestlers play here.”

From the heavyweights who throw their weight around to the lightweights who sit alone at lunch and gaze lovingly into an apple (not the large ones either) like Golem glares at “My precious,” wrestlers bare their hearts and souls on the squared circle. They wear outfits called singlets, use headgear that protects more ear than head and, as one wrestling coach said, “make 300 burpees seem fun.”

As physical as the sport is, it’s also mental — extremely mental. Short-term memory loss is not just acceptable, it’s required.

“I was very exhausted for the past two days, they are not easy matches at all,” said Rio Grande City junior Vivien Canales, who entered the two-day event with a 35-2 record and left with a 39-4 mark, but a spot on the podium in fifth place.

“It was all or nothing for me today, to show I deserved to be where I was today,” she said.

“You have to remind yourself that you’re here for a reason. Only the best of the best is at a competition like this and you have to be mentally ready,” Canales said. “Losing is not bad. Losing is where you learn.”

Rio Grande City head wrestling coach Ron Pratt comes from one of those hotbeds of wrestling, Western Pennsylvania. He not only teaches wrestling, but how to react to wins and losses.

“I try to talk to them during the season about taking a loss and learn to bounce back. I’m a student of a wrestling mindset and I try to use a lot of sports psychology to prepare them for it,” Pratt said. “Inevitably, you’re going to lose. How are you going to react? Sometimes they take it good, sometimes they take it bad and go have pity parties in the corner.”

“Vivien got kicked in the face and it completely stunned her. But I’ve never seen her give up,” he said. “It all depends on your mindset. You need to learn to fight back.”

From the results of Valley wrestlers at this year’s state championship tournament, there was a lot of fighting back.

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CYPRESS — Cassandra Medrano remembers falling in love with wrestling while watching her brother, Ramon, compete in the sport. In fact, she would emulate him to the extreme while watching him.

“I would watch him in the corner and mock every move that he did,” Medrano said. “Now, this year is going to be my year. I haven’t worked all this time and put in all this effort for nothing.”

“I want to be a champion.”

The fiery 100-pound sophomore wrestler took two steps closer to that goal Friday, winning both of her matches, including a 13-7 decision over fellow sophomore Yarelin Tavera to advance to today’s semifinals in the UIL girls Class 6A state wrestling championship at the Berry Center in Cypress.

Medrano,who improved her record to 39-0, will face off against freshman Jubilee Rendon of El Paso Franklin. Rendon is 46-3 and the Region 1-6A champion. Medrano is the Region 4-6A champ.

Medrano was the first female to advance to today’s semifinals and several others followed suit, including Danielle Silva at 114. Silva earned a pin and followed that with a tight 5-4 decision to move on and will meet undefeated Region 3 champion senior Alexis Hanks.

None of the 17 boys across the Valley who qualified for the state tournament won their first two matches and were eliminated from championship contention. Several, however, can reach the podium and capture third through sixth by winning through the consolation brackets today.

It was another impressive performance on the mat from from the Valley girls. Seven girls advanced to today’s semifinal round, up three from last year’s four semifinalists. Two of those semi wrestlers — Serenity De La Garza and PSJA High’s Jessica Villanueva — continued on to capture state titles in their respective weight classes.

And, of course, Serenity is back there again. The defending state champ at 138 is 34-0 and advanced to today’s semifinals. Her sister, Eternity, got her first loss of the season by pin and will wrestle in the consolation bracket. Eternity is 37-1.

Serenity allowed her opponent no room to move, even squirm, as she kept the pressure on her until she earned a pin at the 4:15 mark. In fact, it didn’t look like her opponent wanted to move, falling very rigid midway through their match. Afterward, Serenity said she felt her opponent was stalling, even though being behind. Possibly looking for one shot to strike. It never arrived.

“She didn’t do anything, she didn’t move,” De La Garza said. “That was frustrating. I was worried the ref would call stalling on me.”

Another undefeated wrestler who just added to her win total was Juarez-Lincoln senior Brooklyn Garza. The senior improved to 41-0 with a pair of pins. She will face the Region 2 champion, Burleson Centennial’s Maritza Martinez, with a 48-12 record.

The Valley has a pair of wrestlers still alive for a state title and in the semifinals. Juarez-Lincoln’s Yamilex Hernandez will square with Northwest’s Trinity Washko (42-3), and Edcouch-Elsa’s Amaya Lopez won her quarterfinal match in sudden victory to reach the semis.

La Joya Palmview’s Yvette Rojas, the No. 4 seed in Region 4 at 235, earned a pair of pins to qualify for today’s semifinals as well.

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A glance at the girls who won regional wrestling titles and will compete at the UIL State Meet beginning Friday in Cypress, Texas.

Name: Vivien Canales

School: Rio Grande City

Grade: Jr.

Weight Class: 107

Record: 35-2

Favorite pin combo: Bar arm

Favorite move: Low sweep single

Favorite food (when not training): Cheeseburger from Casa de Adobe

Name: Danielle Silva

School: Edinburg Vela

Grade: Jr.

Weight Class: 114

Record: 33-2

Favorite pin combo: Bar half

Favorite move: Fireman

Favorite food (when not training): Taco Bell

Name: Brooklyn Garza

School: Juarez-Lincoln

Grade: Sr.

Weight Class: 126

Record: 41-0

Favorite pin combo: Ball and chain tilt

Favorite move: Double leg taledown

Favorite food (when not training):

Name: Serenity De La Garza

School: McAllen Memorial

Grade: Sr.

Weight Class: 138

Record: 32-0

Favorite pin combo: Cradle

Favorite move: Blast double

Favorite food (when not training): Grilled chicken with baked potato and green beans

Name: Eternity De La Garza

School: McAllen Memorial

Grade: Sr.

Weight Class: 165

Record: 38-0

Favorite pin combo: Crucifix

Favorite move: High C

Favorite food (when not training): Seafood

Name: Yamilex Hernandez

School: Juarez-Lincoln

Grade: Sr.

Weight Class: 185

Record: 34-1

Favorite pin combo: Power half or chin drop

Favorite move: Slide bye

Favorite food (when not training):

Name: Mia Diaz

School: Valley View

Grade: Sr.

Weight Class: 235

Record: 25-5

Favorite pin combo: Butcher

Favorite move: Cow catcher

Favorite food (when not training): Pasta Alfredo

Name: Cassandra Medrano

School: Edinburg High

Grade: Soph.

Weight Class: 100

Record: 37-0

Favorite pin combo: Chicken wing

Favorite move: Double

Favorite food (when not training): Chicken Alfredo

Name: Marla Jimenez

School: Economedes

Grade: Jr.,

Weight Class: 185

Record: 15-0

Favorite pin combo: Front headlock snap down

Favorite move: Outside trips

Favorite food (when not training): Sushi

Below is the complete list of Valley wrestlers who qualified for the UIL State Wrestling Championship, to be held Friday and Saturday at the Berry Center in Cypress, Texas.

BOYS

Regional Champions (5)

Aiden Baker – Sharyland High, Fr., 106 lbs, 36-3

Sebastian Contreras – Sharyland Pioneer, Soph., 113, 25-2

Paolo Miranda – Sharyland High, Sr., 126, 39-3

Greg Vela – Rio Grande City, Sr., 150, 48-1

Salomon Arroyo – McAllen High, Sr., 190, 19-3

Other state qualifiers (11)

Marcus Perales – Sharyland Pioneer, Fr., 106, 29-9

Erik Duran – PSJA Memorial, Sr., 126, 27-2

Alberto Mendoza – Sharyland High, Sr., 138, 47-3

Juan Escobedo – PSJA Memorial, Sr., 138, 30-4

Cristian Ramos – Sharyland Pioneer, Sr., 144, 32-5

Isacc Garza – PSJA Memorial, Sr., 175, 33-3

Joaquin Cordero – Mission Veterans Memorial, Jr., 190, 25-8

Julian Navarro – La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, Sr., 190, 35-4

Aiden Stafford – Rio Grande City, Sr., 215, 49-4

Maddox Quinonez – Edinburg Economedes, Jr., 175, 47-1,

Remzi Memik – Harlingen High, Sr., 285, 11-5

GIRLS

Regional Champions (9)

Vivien Canales – Rio Grande City, Jr., 107, 35-2

Danielle Silva – Edinburg Vela, Jr., 114, 33-2

Brooklyn Garza – La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, Sr., 126, 41-0

Serenity De La Garza – McAllen Memorial. Sr., 138, 32-0

Eternity De La Garza – McAllen Memorial, Sr., 165, 38-0

Yamilex Hernandez – La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, Sr., 185, 34-1

Mia Diaz – Valley View, Sr., 235, 25-5

Cassandra Medrano – Edinburg High, Soph., 100, 37-0

Marla Jiminez – Edinburg Economedes, Jr., 185, Jr., 15-0

Other state qualifiers (16)

Valerie Arellano – PSJA Memorial, Sr., 100, 30-6

Allie Salas – Mission Veterans, Fr., 132, 26-10

Yaritzi Prado – Valley View, Fr., 132, 21-9

Graciela Juarez – PSJA North, Soph., 138, 14-3

Bronwyn Sadlier – McAllen High, Soph., 145, 38-2

Reanna Zapata – Mission Veterans, Soph., 145, 17-9

Yarisbeth Zarate – Sharyland High, Sr., 152, 20-2

Alekzandrea Uresti – Edcouch-Elsa, Soph., 152, 31-8

Lia Gutierrez – Rio Grande City, Jr., 165, 29-11

Amaya Lopez – Edcouch-Elsa, Sr., 185, 24-5,

Genesis Coss – Donna North, Sr., 235, 20-6

Yvette Rojas – La Joya Palmview, Sr., 235, 29-2

Kenia Islas – Edinburg High, Jr., 132, 27-3

Katie Reyes – Los Fresnos, Sr., 185, 13-6

Lauren Cantu – San Benito, Jr., 185, 28-7

Victoria Castillo – Edinburg North, Sr., 235, 14-5

McALLEN – Savannah Ruiz displayed her golden foot Tuesday, scoring two times, and Gabby Gonzalez put McAllen High on the board early as the Bulldogs claimed a 3-1 win over McAllen Rowe in District 31-5A girls soccer at Rowe.

The win not only avenged a district season-opening 2-1 loss to the Warriors but it was also McHi’s ninth straight victory to remain tied atop the 31-5A standings with Edinburg Vela.

Ruiz has been on fire the past few games, scoring and dishing out assists like candy on Halloween. After Rowe’s Ayloni Garcia scored on a beauty of a move to tie the game with 30:13 remaining, Ruiz scored on a penalty kick with 10:09 remaining.

“I think in practice we talk a lot about not just focusing on district but on playoffs so I want to get to my best now to be ready for later,” Ruiz said. “The PK was exciting. I usually to be annoying I’ll look one way to make them think that’s the way I’m going andI just took the left side.”

It was Ruiz’ ninth and 10th goal of district play. She’s the third player on the team now in double digit scoring and the only oneon the team with double digits in assists as well, recently cranking out four dishes in a 4-2 win over Vela.

Gonzalez has also awakened offensively in the recent games. She took a precision pass through ball from Milan Diaz out wide inthe box, made a quick juke a launched a shot into the opposite corner of the net with 33:15 remaining for a 1-0 McHi lead.

“I just knew I had to put it in the back of the net to give us a lead for this game. This game was a really big for us because we worked together on this day, more than the last time we played them,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve had a connection with my team and been getting in the right mindset.”

Garcia missed some of the first half and all of the second half after what may have been a leg injury. That loss took out Rowe’s most explosive offensive player.

The Bulldogs put on a surgical clinic of precision passing and ball control throughout the second half. Rowe couldn’t find much offense and its set pieces, one of its biggest weapons, were off the mark.

McHi improved to 9-1 in district while Rowe dropped to 6-4, in fifth place, with the loss and Sharyland High’s 6-0 win over PSJA Memorial that moved the Rattlers into fourth place. The top four teams advance to the playoffs. Tuesday’s matches were the first games of the second time through the district teams.

Edinburg Vela is tied with McHi atop District 31-5A while a hot McAllen Memorial is one game behind the leaders following a 9-1 victory over PSJA North on Tuesday night.

EDINBURG — Trevor Hudgins hit a step-back 3 from up top and the RGV Vipers claimed an exciting 124-120 overtime victory over the Mexico City Capitanes on Tuesday at Bert Ogden Arena.

Darius Days scored a career-high 40 points while pulling down 11 rebounds as RGV improved to 5-8 overall, winners of three of their past four games. A team that was slumping hard seems to have found life.

Days was just as big a factor defensively, taking on the challenge to stop former Vipers player Gary Clark, who finished with 23 points but was 9-for-20 from the field.

“Gary was hitting some big shots and we kept switching, but then I told coach I wasn’t switching anymore,” said Days, who was 5-for-9 from 3-point land. “It wasn’t just all ‘bout offense, but picking up the defensive intensity.”

Overtime in the G League is different than in the NBA, using a target score of seven points more than the final in regulation. There is no clock and Tuesday, the target score was 124. The first team to reach that number wins the game.

Days picked up a loose ball and scored to open OT, and Cassius Stanley scored to give the Vipers a 121-120 lead. Then, it was the sharpshooting Hudgins who did a little razzle-dazzle to shun his defender, took the step-back and ended the game.

The Vipers played highly intense, inspirational and possibly the best they’ve performed since the start of the regular season after the first quarter. At one point they were a blistering-hot 29-of-41 from the floor (70.7%) and turned what was an 18-point deficit into a six-point lead, 91-85, with one minute remaining in the third quarter. They held a 91-87 advantage after three quarters.

For the first time this season, Vipers head coach Kevin Burleson played both Willie Cauley-Stein and Ray Spalding together for extended minutes. The duo combined for 16 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and four blocked shots. They also disrupted Mexico City’s offense on multiple occasions.

The Vipers found themselves in a huge hole early, trailing 22-6 with 5:19 remaining in the first quarter. They connected on just three of their first 10 shots while the Capitanes was 7-of-14 from the floor. A Stanley electrifying dunk followed by a Spalding layup in the paint ignited the fans and, seemingly, team.

That, however, was short-lived, and Mexico City led 35-19 after the first period.

Stanley came off the bench to score 24 points, while Hudgins added 18 and Jalen Lecque scored 15.

The two teams played three times during the first part of the season, known as the G League Showcase portion. Mexico City won two of those games. The teams play again at 7 p.m. Thursday once again at Bert Ogden Arena. It will be the final regular matchup between the squads.

It was the first of a critical three-game homestand for the defending NBA G League champion Vipers. The win put the Vipers two games behind Sioux Falls (7-6) for sixth place in the Western Conference. The top six teams from each conference advance to the postseason.

RGV came into the game after splitting its past six games. Prior to that, the Vipers were 1-5 to start the regular season.

McALLEN – Julianna Millin scored twice and Lola Alvarado registered her first goal in district as McAllen High claimed a 3-2 win over city rival McAllen Memorial on Friday in a District 31-5A battle.

McHi improves to 2-1 in the district while Memorial drops to 1-2 after suffering its second straight 3-2 setback. The Mustangs fell by the same score Tuesday at Edinburg Vela.

Trailing 1-0 midway through the first half, Savannah Ruiz laid a beautiful corner kick to the back post, where Alvarado nailed a header into the open corner to tie the game.

“I tried to get my head on it but couldn’t,” Millin said. “I thought it went out of play but then heard the team cheering and saw the ball in the back of the net.”

Millin, last year’s All-Valley Girls Soccer Player of the Year as a freshman, then did what great scorers do: find themselves around the ball, and put it away.

With 16:53 remaining, Millin passed the ball wide to Milan Diaz at the 20. Milan took a few steps with the ball in stride before firing a shot from 20 yards. Memorial’s keeper saved the shot but the ball ricocheted out and a streaking Millin chipped the loose ball straight up into the net for a 2-1 lead.

Five minutes later after Memorial tied the game at 2, Diaz again attempted a shot from about 8 yards out only to be blocked by a Memorial defender. Once again, Millin — right place, right time — and with a quick left-footed sweep put the ball into the corner of the net for what proved to be the game-winner.

The sophomore has scored in all three of McHi’s district games thus far.

“Sometimes it’s better to be in the right place at the right time but I wouldn’t have scored those goals without by teammates and them pushing like they did,” Millin said. “This was a huge win, especially after the loss to (McAllen) Rowe. Hopefully this increases our confidence and we can carry that throughout the season.”

Memorial took a 1-0 lead after Sofia Alaniz-Choy launched a ball into orbit. After a high bounce and a little melee in front of the net, a quick foot gave the Mustangs a 1-0 lead. Rihanna Rodriguez and Cristela Sanchez each scored for Memorial.

“Both of their goals were similar tonight,” Millin said. “The ball was bouncing around in there, and we couldn’t clear it and they got a good foot on it.”

McHi returns to action at 6 p.m. Tuesday at home against Sharyland Pioneer. Memorial hosts Sharyland High, also at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

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McALLEN — McAllen Rowe not only faced a perennially tough Edinburg North defense, but also a first-half wind that made long passes and shots often look like errant fireworks filling up the sky — doing no damage.

When the second half began, the North defense was just as stubborn and the wind that seems to make itself home at the McAllen Rowe soccer field was still there — now it was at the Warriors’ backs, and their cannon-like legs still filled the sky with shots, but this time they went in.

Ayloni Garcia and Camila Gil each scored twice during the first 20 minutes of the second half and Rowe captured a 4-0 win over North on Saturday, the final day of the 25th annual McAllen ISD Girls Soccer Showcase.

Gil started the scoring less than four minutes into the second half, getting the ball in the middle of the field about 25 yards from the goal. She turned to face the goal and found herself in open space. In one fluid motion she let her shot rip and Rowe led 1-0.

“Whatever opening I got, I just turned and shot,” Gil said. “I saw the gap on the side and just shot.”

Gil scored in Rowe’s 4-3 win over San Antonio Warren on Friday. Garcia was the only one to score in a 6-1 loss to power San Antonio O’Connor. Gil said she and the team learned a lot during the three-day showcase.

“Definitely saw that we have some specific things to work on like more pressuring in the back,” she said. “That first game against O’Connor gave us a pretty good wakeup call.”

Garcia, who hit the post on one attempt during the first half then hit the crossbar during the second half on another shot, scored the next two goals for a 3-0 lead. During her second goal, she chased the ball across the field with two defenders in pursuit, lost one defender when she stopped on a dime to reverse course, twinkle-toed around the other and let the shot fly for a 3-0 lead.

“I saw the ball crossing the field and I just said, ‘I have to get it,’” Garcia said. “I looked over my shoulder and the keeper was off line, so I flipped and shot it.”

In some ways, the wind was a detriment to Rowe in the second half as well. Mia Mata, Gil and other Warriors cleared the crossbar high on multiple occasions. Gil, who scored on a shot in the upper 90 on Friday from 35 yards, launched a free kick over the goal from more than 40 yards at one point — and everyone not only knew it was coming, but watched as the drama unfolded.

“We got the wind in our favor in the second half, and Camila would just look over the defense,” Garcia said. “This weekend was about teamwork and dedication. There are a lot of people on vacation, but these girls are still here and working hard.”

In other games Saturday, McAllen Memorial defeated Donna North 2-0, McAllen High and Corpus Christi Calallen tied 1-1, San Antonio Taft beat Los Fresnos 3-1, San Antonio Warren defeated Edinburg Economedes 10-0, Flour Bluff downed Harlingen South 3-2 and Harlingen High shocked San Antonio O’Connor 1-0.

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EDINBURG — The Sioux Falls Skyforce turned a modest six-point halftime lead into an 18-point advantage late in the third quarter en route to a 115-104 win over the RGV Vipers on Friday at Bert Ogden Arena.

It was the third straight regular-season victory for the Skyforce, and they improved to 3-2. RGV fell to 1-4, extending its losing streak to four games. The teams will play again at 7:30 p.m. today, also at Bert Ogden.

“I wish we could’ve had a better effort with a better outcome,” first-year Vipers head coach Kevin Burleson said. “This is these guys’ profession. You won’t win every game, and there will be streaks. We are going to start winning again, and this will start to feel good.”

Darius Days and Jalen Lecque led RGV with 32 and 27 points, respectively. Days also pulled down 12 rebounds. Days, Lecque and Trhae Mitchell were a combined 25-for-49 from the floor (55.2%) while the remainder of the team was 11-for-43 (25.6%) combined.

It was a familiar storyline for the Vipers as of late in losses. They were outrebounded (52-45), dished out just 16 assists and, other than Days and Mitchell, who were 6-of-13 from 3-point land, it was a poor shooting night from beyond the arc. The rest of the team was a combined 3-of-25 (12%) from deep.

Trevor Hudgins was 4-of-20 from 3-point land.

Prior to the regular season, during the first part of the season known as the Showcase Cup, the Vipers were one of the hottest teams in the G League, winning nine straight before their current 2-6 slump. After the Showcase Tournament in Las Vegas, all teams began the regular season with 0-0 records.

Burleson said not all losses are the same and that he wasn’t happy with how his team lost Friday.

“I didn’t like the way we lost tonight,” Burleson said. “Sometimes you lose to a better team or a team played better than you, but they were tougher than us.

“It wasn’t like our guys weren’t hustling out there but there wasn’t a consistent effort by everybody. There might be two guys out there or three … I told (the Sioux Falls) coach that his guys played collectively harder. There were five guys out there playing for their lives. At moments we had five, but sometimes it was just two or three.”

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