VALLEY-GIRLS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Friday, Jan. 27

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial 45, Mission High 13

La Joya Palmview 52, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 26

McAllen High 47, La Joya High 38

District 31-6A

PSJA North 66, PSJA Southwest 27

Edinburg High 72, PSJA High 46

Edinburg Vela 33, PSJA Memorial 30

Edinburg North at Edinburg Economedes, not reported

District 32-6A

Harlingen High 56, Weslaco East 24

Los Fresnos 56, Brownsville Hanna 39

San Benito 31, Harlingen South 23

Weslaco High 57, Brownsville Rivera 21

District 31-5A

Rio Grande City 49, Laredo Nixon 41

Sharyland High 52, Sharyland Pioneer 34

Laredo Martin 48, Roma 35

Laredo Cigarroa 72, Valley View 11

District 32-5A

Mercedes 40, Edcouch-Elsa 25

Brownsville Pace 54, Donna North 27

Brownsville Veterans Memorial at Brownsville Lopez, not reported

Donna High at Brownsville Porter, not reported

District 32-4A

La Feria 54, Progreso 12

Grulla 66, Port Isabel 55

Hidalgo 46, Raymondville 41

District 32-3A

Edinburg IDEA Quest 70, Monte Alto 19

Tuesday, Jan. 31

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial at McAllen High, 6 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at La Joya Palmview, 7:30 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at Mission High, 6 p.m.

District 31-6A

Edinburg Economedes at PSJA Southwest, 6 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at PSJA High, 6 p.m.

PSJA North at Edinburg Vela, 6 p.m.

Edinburg High at Edinburg North, 6 p.m.

District 32-6A

Brownsville Rivera at Weslaco East, 6 p.m.

Weslaco High at Harlingen South, 6 p.m.

District 31-5A

Mission Veterans Memorial at Rio Grande City, 7 p.m.

Sharyland Pioneer at Valley View, 7 p.m.

Laredo Nixon at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

Brownsville Lopez at Mercedes, 6 p.m.

Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Pace, 6 p.m.

Brownsville Porter at Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 6 p.m.

District 32-4A

Progreso at Port Isabel, 6:30 p.m.

Grulla at Hidalgo, 6:30 p.m.

VALLEY-GIRLS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Friday’s Games

District 30-6A

McALLEN MEMORIAL 45, MISSION HIGH 13

Mission High 2 1 7 3 — 13

McAllen Memorial 15 13 8 9 — 45

MISISON HIGH (13) — K. Barrera 3, A. Sanchez 5, A. Sanchez 1, B. Garza 4.

McALLEN MEMORIAL (45) — Ebony Johnson 4, Tani Talamantez 5, Valeria Garcia 6, Selma Regalado 14, Valeria Trevino 11, Fatimna Bonilla 3, Julissa Mireles 2.

RECORDS: PSJA North 24-8, 8-3.

District 31-6A

PSJA NORTH 66, PSJA SOUTHWEST 27

PSJA Southwest 1 6 11 9 — 27

PSJA North 16 20 11 19 — 66

PSJA SOUTHWEST (27) — Lizbeth Melendez 15, Kim Bucio 4, Carla Kestler 3, Karen Prado 2, Dalia Cardenas 3.

PSJA NORTH (66) — Melissa Palacios 23, Gizelle Gutierrez 3, Jannely Zuniga 5, Clarissa Alvarez 2, Caitlin Rodriguez 24, Ashia De La Garza 4, Alexia Neal 5.

RECORDS: PSJA North 24-8, 8-3.

EDINBURG VELA 33, PSJA MEMORIAL

Edinburg Vela 18 2 7 6 — 33

PSJA Memorial 12 12 0 6 — 30

EDINBURG VELA (33) — Terri Garza 4, Bianca Cortez 8, Kayleen Rios 8, Jaida Muhammad 13.

PSJA MEMORIAL (30) — Victoria Hernandez 2, Victoria Gonzalez 2, Debbie Martinez 6, Monique De Leon 7, Alex Soto 13.

RECORDS: PSJA Memorial 19-14, 7-4 district.

EDINBURG HIGH 72, PSJA HIGH 46

PSJA High 13 7 13 13 — 46

Edinburg High 16 22 21 13 — 72

EDINBURG HIGH (72) — Jayla Santa Maria 17, Alyssa Jade Salinas 11, Mercedes Hernandez 14, Jenessah Santa Maria 19, Natalie Roxsburgh 7, Julyane Martinez 2, Brianna Sanchez 2.

PSJA HIGH (46) — Ashley Pecina 5, Sara Jo Hernandez 8, Kassy Gonzalez 2, Sydney Escobar 6, Dariana Galvan 6, Rebekah Trevino 6, Taylor Calderon 15.

RECORDS: Edinburg High 27-6, 10-1 district; PSJA 4-7 district.

District 31-5A

SHARYLAND HIGH 54, SHARYLAND PIONEER 34

Sharyland High 12 9 10 4 — 54

Sharyland Pioneer 4 6 17 7 — 34

SHARYLAND HIGH (54) — Ania Pelayo 24, Ana Marshall 15, Ayzee Hinojosa 11, Ashley Solis 2.

SHARYLAND PIONEER (34) — Kayla Alaniz 8, Miranda Ramos 7, Mariah Youngblood 7, Chelsea Chandler 4, Ashley Briseno 3, Daya Montalvo 2, Gabi Galaviz 2, Daylann Garza 1.

RECORDS: Sharyland High 21-3, 7-6 district; Sharyland Pioneer 9-22, 2-11.

District 32-5A

BROWNSVILLE PACE 54, DONNA NORTH 27

Brownsville Pace 14 11 18 12 — 54

Donna North 6 12 2 7 — 27

BROWNSVILLE PACE (54) — Kaylynn Quezada 11, Crystal Eureste 10, Ebony Casanova 8, Nadia Mendoza 7, Katie Quezada 5, Rosa Salinas 4, Karla Garcia 3, Geaceli Orive 3, Lexy Arce 3.

DONNA NORTH (27) — Jackie Contreras 14, Yomara Ruiz 6, Evelyn DeLeon 4, Gabby Sanchez 3.

RECORDS: Donna North 9-22, 4-7 district.

District 32-4A

GRULLA 66, PORT ISABEL 55

Grulla 19 15 18 14 — 66

Port Isabel 18 11 12 14 — 55

GRULLA (66) — Delma Ozuna 34, Kossett Garza 18, Samantha Sifuentes 10, Larissa Martinez 2, Leslie Guerrero 2.

PORT ISABEL (55) — Not reported.

RECORDS: Grulla 7-4 in disrtict.

HIDALGO 46, RAYMONDVILLE 41

Score by quarter not reported.

RAYMONDVILLE (41) — Not reported.

HIDALGO (46) — Alexis Arjona 3, Ashley Arjona 12, Savannah Sanchez 5, Barbie Gutierrez 4, Carolina Carbajal 4, Elisa De Leon 2, Viviana Chavez 12, Karla Cantu 8.

RECORDS: Hidalgo 10-1 in disrtict.

District 32-3A

EDINBURG IDEA QUEST 70, MONTE ALTO 19

IDEA Quest 19 13 18 20 — 70

Monte Alto 4 9 2 4 — 19

EDINBURG IDEA QUEST (70) — Diana Martinez 8, Alyssa Cuellar 27, Esmer Rodriguez 2, Ana Cantu 6, Marbella Nunez 12, Tanya Reyna 1.

MONTE ALTO (19) — Not reported.

RECORDS: Edinburg IDEA Quest 17-8, 5-1.

BY KEVIN NARRO | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR

WESLACO — After Harlingen High beat Weslaco High in their first district meeting, both teams entered Tuesday’s game battling for first place in District 32-6A.

Weslaco junior Bree Peña took control with a game-high 17 points, while Weslaco’s defense did the rest. Weslaco stymied Harlingen 58-32 to take sole possession of first place.

“We showed up to play today,” Weslaco coach Griselda Fino said. “Things didn’t go well the last time we played them, but tonight we were on our home floor, and as a team we are much better than we were last time. We executed better with our communication, offense, and were such a resilient group and it showed tonight. It really hurt our girls the first time we lost, but if we can keep playing at this level, we will be alright.”

Weslaco set the tone early by taking a double-digit lead into the second quarter. The Lady Panthers gave the Lady Cardinals fits throughout the night on the boards and in transition. Sophomore Jada Lopez teamed up with Pena for a combined 15 points in the first half.

Four of the five starters for Weslaco finished in double figures. Emily Saenz and Andrea Villegas netted 14 points a piece, while Lopez finished with 11 points.

“In the second half, I just picked up my game and fed off of my team,” Pena said. “I kept playing my game. Offensively, I was able to keep the ball moving, and executing the plays were the key for us tonight. Our focus tonight was to rebound. In the first game, we didn’t do so well at rebounding. It was one thing we really worked on, and it paid off tonight.”

Weslaco’s defense held Harlingen to five points in the second quarter. The Lady Panthers pulled away in the second half, leading by as much as 25.

The Lady Panthers extended their win streak to eight games — their second longest win streak of the season. The team’s longest win streak so far this year is 10 — from Nov. 10 against Brownsville Pace until running up against San Antonio Johnson later that month in tournament play.

“By no means are we done working,” Fino said. “Yes, this game was very important, but we have plenty of work to do. It’s important to keep playing at a high level down the stretch run. We can’t afford to sleep on anyone. Bree was a little short on her shots tonight. Tonight, she got plenty of help from her teammates. She plays a lot of minutes for us. I told her at halftime not to put everything on herself. In the second half she calmed down, and found her shot, and that is big for us because we go as Bree goes.”

With the win, Weslaco (24-7, 9-1) takes sole possession of first place with four games left in the regular season. Harlingen (21-11, 8-2) remains in the playoff picture.

BY TJ GARCIA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR

MISSION — Before Tuesday night, District 31-5A was a jumbled mess.

Eight of the nine teams were in position to make a run at the playoffs, including suddenly hot Sharyland Pioneer, which sat in fourth.

The district standings might still be muddled, but the Diamondbacks did what they could to clear up the playoff picture by staying hot behind senior guard Jordan Wilson’s 13 points, holding serve at home and downing Rio Grande City 58-48 Tuesday night.

Wilson led a trio of Diamondbacks in double figures. Pioneer was too quick for Rio Grande City most of the night, building double-digit cushions on multiple occasions.

“This was a huge win for us. A huge win,” Pioneer coach Rene Gonzalez said. “Every game from here on out for us, especially since we started 0-4 in district, is huge for us. That’s what I’ve been preaching to these guys. Every district game we are going to treat like a playoff game.”

The win boosts Pioneer’s playoff chances as the team’s record moves to 6-5 in district and 12-12 overall, which is good for third place after Tuesday’s games. Pioneer will travel to Sharyland High on Friday for another huge match up. A win there would go a long way toward claiming a playoff spot.

If Pioneer can play like it did in the first half, that could bode well.

The Diamondbacks sprinted out to an 18-6 lead in the first quarter, cashing in turnovers for fast break points and easy baskets. Pioneer’s superior speed helped force seven Rio Grande City turnovers during the first period and hold the visitor to just three field goals. In the second quarter, it was more of the same, although Rio Grande City was settled down and began to score. Still, Pioneer led 37-21 at half.

After intermission, the Rattlers’ guards came alive. Frank Gonzalez, Izrael Lambert and Andy Garcia combined to score the team’s 14 points and cut the lead to 45-35 after three periods. And at the start of the final quarter, 6-foot-8 Rodrigo Nunez (15 points, 11 rebounds) spearheaded a 13-6 run that got Rio Grande City to within three (51-48) with 2:30 left as Pioneer went cold.

But Rio couldn’t finish, and Pioneer hit key foul shots down the stretch to preserve the victory.

“We let down a little bit. They hit a couple of threes in a row and we just had to get back down to playing the defense we played in the first half,” Wilson said. “We expect everybody to come at us hard every game because the district is so tight. Everybody is fighting for a playoff spot.”

For Rio Grande City, it was a missed opportunity. The Rattlers (4-7, 15-13) got close and were never out of the game, but coach Homer Garr said the team made too many errors in the critical last two minutes of the game that spoiled its chances.

“I just tell them keep their heads up and keep playing,” Garr said. “We’ve been so close so often and we shoot ourselves in the foot. We were playing hard. The kids are sharing the ball, and we’re growing.”

Pioneer’s Andrew Olgletree had 11 points and Andre Garza added 10 more. Big man Mike Madrigal (6-foot-4) guarded Nunez most of the night and ended up with 8 points, 7 boards and 2 blocks.

VALLEY-BOYS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Tuesday, Jan. 24

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial 56, La Joya Palmview 39

McAllen Rowe 48, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 42

Mission High 55, La Joya High 53

District 31-6A

Edinburg Vela 90, PSJA Southwest 61

Edinburg High 49, PSJA Memorial 46

Edinburg Economedes 63, PSJA High 35

PSJA North 54, Edinburg North 42

District 32-6A

Los Fresnos 59, Weslaco East 36

Weslaco High 56, Harlingen High 45

Harlingen South 60, Brownsville Hanna 49

District 31-5A

Laredo Cigarroa 69, Sharyland High 66

Sharyland Pioneer 58, Rio Grande City 48

Laredo Nixon 73, Mission Veterans 49

Roma 62, Valley View 41

District 32-5A

Brownsville Porter 47, Donna North 43

Mercedes 55, Brownsville Pace 53

Brownsville Veterans 89, Edcouch-Elsa 38

Brownsville Lopez at Donna High, not reported

District 32-4A

Hidalgo 77, Rio Hondo 62

Grulla 63, Raymondville 52

La Feria 55, Port Isabel 49

Progreso at Zapata, not reported

District 32-3A

Santa Rosa 86, Edinburg IDEA Quest 54

District 32-2A

Santa Maria at San Isidro, not reported

Lasara at La Villa, not reported

Thursday, Jan. 26

District 32-2A

Lasara at San Perlita, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 27

District 30-6A

McAllen High at La Joya High, 7:30 p.m.

La Joya Palmview at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-6A

Edinburg Vela at PSJA Memorial, 7:30 p.m.

PSJA High at Edinburg High, 7:30 p.m.

Edinburg North at Edinburg Economedes, 7:30 p.m.

PSJA Southwest at PSJA North, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-6A

Weslaco East at Harlingen High, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-5A

Sharyland Pioneer at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

Roma at Laredo Martin, 7 p.m.

Laredo Cigarroa at Valley View, 7 p.m.

Laredo Nixon at Rio Grande City, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

Brownsville Pace at Donna North, 7:30 p.m.

Donna High at Brownsville Porter, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans at Brownsville Lopez, 7:30 p.m.

Mercedes at Edcouch-Elsa, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-4A

Port Isabel at Grulla, 8 p.m.

La Feria at Progreso, 8 p.m.

Hidalgo at Raymondville, 6:30 p.m.

District 32-2A

La Villa at San Isidro, 5 p.m.

VALLEY-BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Tuesday’s Games

District 30-6A

McALLEN MEMORIAL 56, LA JOYA PALMVIEW 39

McAllen Memorial 14 14 13 15 — 56

La Joya Palmview 10 16 6 7 — 39

McALLEN MEMORIAL (56) — Chris Flores 2, Chris Melendez 9, Elian Reyna 7, Will Garcia 22, Johnny Larson 2, Josh Sanchez 15.

LA JOYA PALMVIEW (39) — John Castañon 16, Tristen Meyende 7, Paco De La O 4, Ever Perez 12.

RECORDS: McAllen Memorial 4-3; La Joya Palmview 3-4.

McALLEN ROWE 48, LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 42

LJ Juarez-Lincoln 14 4 10 14 — 42

McAllen Rowe 9 14 16 9 — 48

McALLEN ROWE (48) — Derek Luna 18, Darrin Everage 11, Tito Moronta 6, Freddy Ayala 5, Adrian Bernal 4, Dominic Clarke 2, Daniel Sotuyo 2.

LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN (42) — Not reported.

RECORDS: McAllen Rowe 21-7, 5-2; La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 1-7.

District 31-6A

EDINBURG VELA 90, PSJA SOUTHWEST 61

PSJA Southwest 12 16 6 27 — 61

Edinburg Vela 31 17 29 13 — 90

EDINBURG VELA (90) — Nate Gomez 1, Noah Sekinger 5, Ryan Rios 1, Carlos Azubell 6, Mark Vallejo 5, Ryan Garza 25, Chris Ochoa 3, Alec De La Cruz 19, Jared Buss 4, Jose Trigo 11, Josh Diaz 6, Vince Olivarez 4.

PSJA SOUTHWEST (61) — Orly Torrez 18, Marco Ramos 9, Nygul Anderson 13, Eddie Rodriguez 2, Oscar Garay 13, Ian De Leon 6.

RECORDS: Edinburg Vela 23-3, 8-0.

PSJA NORTH 54, EDINBURG NORTH 42

PSJA North 20 13 6 15 — 54

Edinburg North 15 10 10 7 — 42

PSJA NORTH (54) — Dante Galvan 20, Oscar Cantu 4, Darren Fuentes 5, Damian Fuentes 3, Leo Torres 8, Randy Adame 8, Jose Rodriguez 6.

EDINBURG NORTH (42) — Noah Chavana 9, Andrew Nuñez 7, Izaiah Rangel 4, Cristian Espinoza 2, Isaiah Rivera 10, Ricky Alaniz 3, Steven Reyes 3, Josiah Vasquez 4.

RECORDS: Edinburg North 8-18, 2-6; PSJA North 5-3.

EDINBURG HIGH 49, PSJA MEMORIAL 46

Edinburg High 15 14 14 6 — 49

PSJA Memorial 14 13 12 7 — 46

EDINBURG HIGH (49) — Miguel Trevino 3, Damian Garcia 7, Matthew Cruz 3, Antoine Woodard 20, Marc Figueroa 6, Jesus Cantu 10.

PSJA MEMORIAL (46) — Javier Romo 2, Jared Koenig 9, J.D. Chavez 4, Rey Salinas 12, Adrian Rosales 17, Vic Salgado 2.

RECORDS: PSJA Memorial 18-12, 4-4.

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 63, PSJA HIGH 35

Edinburg Econ. 16 18 18 11 — 63

PSJA High 6 14 5 10 — 35

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (63) — Miguel Gonzalez 21, Angel Salinas 15, Jonathan Barrientos 9, Saul Alanis 7, Simon Piña 10.

PSJA HIGH (35) — Andrew List 1, Isaiah Garcia 10, Robbie Garza 4, Alejandro Lozano 8, Nathan Sanchez 4, Jesus Ramos 3, Moses Briales 3.

RECORDS: PSJA High 1-8.

District 31-5A

SHARYLAND PIONEER 58, RIO GRANDE CITY 48

Rio Grande City 6 15 14 13 — 48

Sharyland Pioneer 18 19 8 13 — 58

SHARYLAND PIONEER (58) — Jordan Wilson 13, Andrew Ogletree 11, Jorge Suarez 4, Andre Garza 10, Braden Wilson 6, Mike Madrigal 8, Lavar Lindo 3, Sean Curtis 3.

RIO GRANDE CITY (48) — Rodrigo Nunez 13, Aaron Marroquin 4, Frank Gonzalez 11, Izrael Lambert 10, Andy Garcia 8.

RECORDS: Sharyland Pioneer 6-5; Rio Grande City 4-7.

District 32-4A

HIDALGO 77, RIO HONDO 62

Rio Hondo 17 8 16 21 — 62

Hidalgo 20 25 15 17 — 77

HIDALGO (77) — Andy Flores 11, Aaron Anaya 5, Alexis Gonzalez 2, Gus Sanchez 5, Raymond Mancha 11, Frankie Sanchez 1, Andrew Sosa 23, Raul Ortiz 4, Jesse Alaniz 9, Marcos Sanchez 6.

RECORDS: Hidalgo 15-12, 7-1; Rio Hondo 4-4.

VALLEY-GIRLS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Tuesday, Jan. 24

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial 53, La Joya Palmview 31

La Joya High 50, Mission High 33

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 35, McAllen Rowe 32

District 31-6A

Edinburg Vela 67, PSJA Southwest 13

PSJA High 48, Edinburg Economedes 39

Edinburg High 51, PSJA Memorial 44

PSJA North 60, Edinburg North 49

District 32-6A

Los Fresnos 35, Weslaco East 26

Weslaco High 58, Harlingen High 32

District 31-5A

Laredo Nixon 52, Mission Veterans Memorial 46

Rio Grande City 40, Sharyland Pioneer 28

Roma 50, Valley View 44

Laredo Cigarroa 53, Sharyland High 28

District 32-5A

Mercedes 32, Brownsville Pace 27

Donna North 42, Brownsville Porter 8

Donna High 64, Brownsville Lopez 12

Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Veterans Memorial, not reported

District 32-4A

La Feria 36, Port Isabel 28

Raymondville 47, Grulla 45

Hidalgo 58, Rio Hondo 15

Zapata 61, Progreso 28

District 32-3A

Edinburg IDEA Quest 46, Santa Rosa 20

Friday, Jan. 27

District 30-6A

Mission High at McAllen Memorial, 6 p.m.

La Joya Palmview at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.

McAllen High at La Joya High, 6 p.m.

District 31-6A

PSJA Southwest at PSJA North, 6 p.m.

PSJA High at Edinburg High, 6 p.m.

Edinburg Vela at PSJA Memorial, 6 p.m.

Edinburg North at Edinburg Economedes, 6 p.m.

District 32-6A

Weslaco East at Harlingen High, 6 p.m.

Brownsville Rivera at Weslaco High, 6 p.m.

District 31-5A

Rio Grande City at Laredo Nixon, 7 p.m.

Sharyland High at Sharyland Pioneer, 7 p.m.

Laredo Martin at Roma, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

Mercedes at Edcouch-Elsa, 6 p.m.

Brownsville Pace at Donna North, 6 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans Memorial at Brownsville Lopez, 6 p.m.

District 32-4A

La Feria at Progreso, 6:30 p.m.

Port Isabel at Grulla, 6:30 p.m.

VALLEY-GIRLS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Tuesday’s Games

District 31-6A

PSJA HIGH 48, EDINBRUG ECONOMEDES 39

PSJA High 13 14 10 11 — 48

Economedes 4 10 12 13 — 39

PSJA HIGH (48) — Sara Jo Hernandez 18, Taylor Calderon 11, Dariana Galvan 6, Ashley Fuentes 5, Ashley Pecina 4, Kassy Gonzalez 4.

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (39) — Lizbeth Cabrera 20, Alyssa Perez 8, Nelly Morales 4, Theisa Moreno 4, Daniela Castro 2, Tiffany Monroy 1.

RECORDS: Not reported.

EDINBURG HIGH 51, PSJA MEMORIAL 44

Edinburg High 16 15 14 6 — 51

PSJA Memorial 11 11 13 9 — 44

EDINBURG HIGH (51) — Emily Acosta 2, Alyssa Salinas 3, Mercedes Hernandez 6, Jenessah Santa Maria 10, Natalie Roxburgh 10, Jayla Santa Maria 20.

PSJA MEMORIAL (44) — Victoria Hernandez 1, Debbie Martinez 8, Alex Soto 10, Violet Torres 11, Monique De Leon 14.

RECORDS: PSJA Memorial 19-13, 7-3.

District 31-5A

LAREDO NIXON 52, MISSION VETERANS 46

Laredo Nixon 10 22 8 12 — 52

Mission Veterans 7 18 13 8 — 46

LAREDO NIXON (52) — Kathy Lazcano 18, Jennifer Pena 13, Natalie Osoria 1, Destiny Ramos 2, Aliana Adriano 2, Karla Jimenez 4, Allysha Cedillo 3, Alejandra Gutierrez 8.

MISSION VETERANS (46) — Jackie Howell 18, Ronnie Cantu 8, Andrea De La Garza 11, Alexia Hernandez 5, Lyndsey Garza 4.

RECORDS: Mission Veterans 15-16, 7-6.

District 32-5A

DONNA NORTH 42, BROWNSVILLE PORTER 8

Brownsville Porter 0 2 4 2 — 8

Donna North 11 7 7 17 — 42

DONNA NORTH (42) — Tori Valle 11, Jomara Ruiz 10, Jackie Contreras 8, Kali Contreras 6, Melanie Morales 4, Evelyn De Leon 1, Gissel Rodriguez 2.

BROWNSVILLE PORTER (8) — Vanessa H 3, Talia G 2, Aliah Q 2, Micky G 1.

RECORDS: Donna North 9-12, 4-6; Brownsville Porter 3-7.

DONNA HIGH 64, BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ 12

Brownsville Lopez 1 2 6 3 — 12

Donna High 15 20 13 16 — 64

BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ (12) — Nora Espinoza 6, Betsy Perez 2, Brianna Matamoros 2, Amanda Peña 2.

DONNA HIGH (64) — Melanie Arenas 13, Aileen garza 10, Nicole Rodriguez 7, Ashley Moreno 7, Miranda Sandoval 6, Celeste Mata 4, Bridgest Guillen 4, Brianna Quesada 4, Bianca Quesada 3, Mercedes Castañeda 3, Alex Cantu 2, Taty Epperson 1.

RECORDS: Donna High 6-4 in district; Brownsville Lopez 0-10.

District 32-4A

RAYMONDVILLE 47, GRULLA 45

Grulla 9 11 14 11 — 45

Raymondville 8 11 15 13 — 47

GRULLA (45) — Delma Ozuna 17, Samantha Sifuentes 14, Kossett Garza 4, Jenny Morales 3, Leslie Guerrero 3, Jennie Guel 2, Carolina Alamillo 2.

RAYMONDVILLE (47) — Not reported.

RECORDS: Grulla 6-4 in district.

HIDALGO 58, RIO HONDO 15

Score by quarter not reported.

HIDALGO (58) — Ashley Arjona 14, Daniela Estrada 2, Savannah Sanchez 5, Barbie Gutierrez 15, Vanessa Espinoza 5, Carolina Carbajal 4, Elisa De Leon 5, Viviana Chavez 3, Karla Cantu 6.

RIO HONDO (15) — Not reported.

RECORDS: Hidalgo 9-1 in district.

District 32-3A

EDINBURG IDEA QUEST 46, SANTA ROSA 20

IDEA Quest 13 17 12 4 — 46

Santa Rosa 4 6 4 6 — 20

EDINBURG IDEA QUEST (46) — Diana Martinez 4, Alyssa Cuellar 24, Esmer Rodriguez 3, Ana Cantu 4, Marbella Nuñez 9, Tanya Reyna 1, Sharon Marrufo 1.

SANTA ROSA (20) — Not reported.

RECORDS: Edinburg IDEA Quest 16-8, 4-1.

BY TECLO GARCIA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR

MERCEDES — Brownsville Veterans scored 14 fourth-quarter points and held Mercedes to just three in the last four minutes to secure a key District 32-5A victory 53-47 over the host Tigers on Friday night.

Guard Aaron Villarreal and post Alex Marquez sparked the fourth-quarter run. After the game was tied at 43 with five minutes remaining, the Chargers outscored the Tigers 10-3 the rest of the way. With the win, Brownsville Veterans improved to 25-3, 7-0, while Mercedes dropped to 19-5, 6-1.

Villarreal, a 6-foot-2 senior, led the Chargers with 16 points. Marquez scored 11 with 9 rebounds, and guard Kevin Gomez added 12 more. Chargers coach Larry Gibson said his team’s experience made the difference down the stretch.

“ They played us a great game. We knew it was going to be a good game. We’ve seen them two or three times, and it was their quickness that hurt us,” said Gibson. “They are just quick, and it was hard for us to adjust to it. Finally in the fourth quarter we adjusted to it a little bit and got a couple of easy buckets.”

The game was a real see-saw affair, with neither team taking more than a five-point lead until the fourth. Back and fourth the two district heavyweights absorbed each other’s blows. Vets, with the decided height advantage, continually dropped the ball inside for short buckets. Mercedes, with the edge in quickness, routinely drove past Vets defenders for shots in the lane.

But both teams had their miscues, as well. Veterans turned the ball over 20 times in the first three quarters. Mercedes missed some close shots it ordinarily makes and had trouble figuring out the height issue.

But even so, the game was up for grabs late in the fourth quarter. Villarreal said the Chargers were fortunate to keep their composure and defend in such close game.

“ Coach said it was going to be a high-energy game and that the fans were going to get to us, but we just locked in and focused on the game,” said Villarreal, who scored five points in the final period. “We worked on double teaming them. That’s what we had to do. We worked on that all week, and we did a good job tonight.”

Mercedes guards got their fair share of points, but they came at a cost. They missed many more shots than they made, but yet they were still in the game in the final period. Rey Rincon scored 19 and Ryan Reyes poured in 12 for the Tigers.

Tigers coach Rick Trevino said the Tigers still have a lot to play for and will continue to work toward the playoffs.

“ We had some opportunities. I just think two teams went at it, and they came out on top in the end,” Trevino said. “We are going right back to who we need to work on, one game at time. This is how we got here.”

VALLEY-BOYS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Friday. Jan. 20

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial 44, McAllen Rowe 42

La Joya High 48, La Joya Palmview 46

McAllen High at Mission High, not reported

District 31-6A

Edinburg Vela 79, Edinburg High 49

PSJA North 93, PSJA High 50

Edinburg Economedes 54, PSJA Memorial 45

Edinburg North 60, PSJA Southwest 35

District 32-6A

Weslaco East 64, San Benito 46

Weslaco High 39, Brownsville Hanna 37

Harlingen High 74, Brownsville Rivera 57

Loe Fresnos 46, Harlingen South 42

District 31-5A

Roma 57, Sharyland High 53

Sharyland Pioneer 49, Mission Veterans 40

Laredo Cigarroa 68, Rio Grande City 44

Laredo Martin at Valley View, not reported

District 32-5A

Edcouch-Elsa 90, Donna High 76

Brownsville Veterans 53, Mercedes 47

Brownsville Pace 64, Browhnsville Porter 53

Donna North at Brownsville Lopez, not reported

District 32-4A

Hidalgo 48, Progreso 47

Port Isabel 76, Raymondville 60

La Feria 41, Zapata 36

District 32-3A

Santa Rosa 107, Monte Alto 45

District 32-2A

San Isidro 60, San Perlita 56

Tuesday, Jan. 24

District 30-6A

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at McAllen Rowe, 7:30 p.m.

Mission High at La Joya High, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-6A

PSJA Southwest at Edinburg Vela, 7:30 p.m.

Edinburg High at PSJA Memorial, 7:30 p.m.

Edinburg Economedes at PSJA High, 7:30 p.m.

PSJA North at Edinburg North, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-6A

Weslaco East at Los Fresnos, 7:30 p.m.

Harlingen High at Weslaco High, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-5A

Sharyland High at Laredo Cigarroa, 7 p.m.

Rio Grande City at Sharyland Pioneer, 7:30 p.m.

Mission Veterans at Laredo Nixon, 7 p.m.

Valley View at Roma, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-5A

Brownsville Porter at Donna North, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Lopez at Donna High, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-4A

Rio Hondo at Hidalgo, 8 p.m.

La Feria at Port Isabel, 8 p.m.

District 32-2A

Santa Maria at San Isidro, 7 p.m.

Lasara at La Villa, 7:30 p.m.

VALLEY-BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Friday’s Games

District 30-6A

McALLEN MEMORIAL 44, McALLEN ROWE 42

McAllen Memorial 16 10 9 9 — 44

McAllen Rowe 4 9 14 15 — 42

McALLEN MEMORIAL (44) — Josh Sanchez 14, Will Garcia 14, Chris Flores 7, Johnny Larson 4, Chris Melendez 3, Elijah Reyna 2

McALLEN ROWE (42) — Derek Luna 18, Daniel Sotuyo 9, Darrin Everage 7, Freddy Ayala 5, Reagan Witten 2, Dominic Clarke 1

RECORDS: McAllen Memorial 16-12, 3-3; McAllen Rowe 20-7, 4-2

LA JOYA HIGH 48, LA JOYA PALMVIEW 46

La Joya High 18 9 11 10 — 48

La Joya Palmview 14 6 13 13 — 46

LA JOYA HIGH (48) — John Castanon 10, Tristen Meyende 10, Paco De La O 14, Ever Perez 12.

LA JOYA PALMVIEW (46) — Alex Villarreal 3, OJ Saenz 12, Carlos Montelongo 6, Joey Martinez 2, Romel Villarreal 2, Jorge Rosales 6, Julio Gonzalez 14, Justin Pulido 3.

RECORDS: La Joya 6-0 district, Palmview 3-3 district.

District 31-6A

EDINBURG NORTH 60, PSJA SOUTHWEST 35

Edinburg North 15 12 18 15 — 60

PSJA Southwest 8 11 10 6 — 35

EDINBURG NORTH (60) — Andrew Nuñez 4, Izaiah Rangel 9, Cristian Espinoza 8, Isaiah Rivera 9, Jorge Molina 4, Ricky Alaniz 16, Steven Reyes 2, Josias Vasquez 6.

PSJA SOUTHWEST (35) — Orly Torres 4, Marco Ramos 3, Rolando Cedillo 2, Brian Sifuentes 5, Eddie Rodriguez 3, Oscar Garay 9, Ian De Leon 9.

RECORDS: Not reported.

PSJA NORTH 93, PSJA HIGH 50

PSJA High 8 16 18 8 — 50

PSJA North 26 29 27 11 — 93

PSJA NORTH (93) — Dante Galvan 17, Oscar Cantu 23, Darren Fuentes 4, Damien Fuentes 17, Leo Torres 3, T. Adame 12, Adam Martinez 2, Jose Rodriguez 15.

PSJA HIGH (50) — AJ 5, Andrew 4, Isiah 13, Alejandro 7, Nathan 6, Moises 7, Robby 6, Jacob 2.

RECORDS: PSJA North 21-7; 4-3 district.

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 54, PSJA MEMORIAL 45

PSJA Memorial 7 6 12 20 — 45

Edinburg Economedes 9 15 15 15 — 54

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (54) — Hugo Morales 11, Miguel Gonzales 13, Angel Salinas 16. Jonathan Barrientos 3, Saul Alanis 3, Simon Pina 6.

PSJA MEMORIAL (45) — X. Romo 2, T. Koenig 13, J. Chavez 7, R. Salinas 4, A. Rosales 13, O. Munoz 4.

RECORDS: Edinburg Economdes 16-6; 4-3 district, PSJA Memorial 4-3 district.

EDINBURG VELA 79, EDINBURG HIGH 49

Edinburg High 14 18 6 11 — 49

Edinburg Vela 24 24 17 14 — 79

EDINBURG VELA (80) — Noah Sekinger 3, Carlos Azubell 8, Marc Vallejo 2, Ryan Garza 25, Chris Ocoha 2, Kaleb Coronado 3, Alec De La Cruz 21, Jose Trigo 4, Josh Diaz 3, Christian Saenz 3, Harim Diaz 6.

EDINBURGH HIGH (49) — Miguel Trevino 12, Damien Garcia 15, Antwon Woodard 10, Marck Figourea 10, Jesus Cantu 2.

RECORDS: Edinburg Vela 22-3; 7-0 district, Edinburg High 6-1 district.

District 32-6A

WESLACO EAST 64, SAN BENITO 46

San Benito 10 13 14 9 — 46

Weslaco East 15 15 22 12 — 64

WESLACO EAST (64) — Marc Medrano 4, Jonathan Munoz 6, Alex Covarrubias 5, JJ Garza 12, Isian Saavedra 3, Feliz Jimenez 20, Gabriel Rivera 14.

SAN BENITO (46) — Jacob Sauceda 7, Gus Cuistos 5, Aaron Medrano 5, David Sanchez 7, Nick Lucio 11, Isaac Pope 1.

RECORDS: Weslaco East 14-11; 5-2 district, San Benito 1-6 district.

District 31-5A

SHARYLAND PIONEER 49, MISSION VETERANS 40

Sharyland Pioneers 10 10 14 15 — 49

Mission Veterans 8 12 7 13 — 40

SHARYLAND PIONEERS (49) — Jordan Wilson 6, Shaun Weston 10, Andrew Ogeltree 7, Jorge Suarez 8, Andre Garza 8, Braden Wilson 6, Mike Madrigal 4.

MISSION VETERANS (40) — Derek DeLeon 5, Josh Acosta 7, Noe Cantu 10, Alex Rodriguez 8, Adrian Castaneda 6, Marc Doran 4.

RECORDS: Sharyland Pioneers 5-5 district, Mission Veterans 4-6 district.

ROMA 57, SHARYLAND HIGH 53

Roma 14 8 22 13 — 57

Sharyland 6 18 18 11 — 53

ROMA (57) — Armando Rodriguez 6, Jesse Guerra 11, Diario Gonzalez 4, Edgar Ayala 3, Rafael Contreras 11, Hector Lopez 2, Leo Alanis 10, Jesus Ramirez 10

SHARYLAND (53) — Shaun Tucker 25, Jared Carr 2, Alex Castello 2, Jacob Olivares 6, Juan Leal 3, Mauro Fernandez 3, Kale Cater 12.

RECORDS: Sharyland 5-5 district, Roma 5-5 district.

District 32-5A

BROWNSVILLE VETERANS 53, MERCDES 47

Brownsville Vets 15 11 13 14 — 53

Mercedes 12 11 14 10 — 47

BROWNSVILLE VETERANS (53) — Erick Saldana 5, Aaron Villarreal 16, Kevin Gomez 12, Justin Anaya 3, Seth Weaver 2, Alex Marquez 11, Adrian Ramirez 2.

MERCEDES (47) — Ryan Reyes 12, Jaime Rodriguez 6, Joe Garcia 6, Richard Urbina 4, Rey Rincon 19.

RECORDS: Mercedes 19-5; 6-1 district, Brownsville Veterans 7-0 district.

VALLEY-GIRLS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Friday, Jan. 20

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial 50, McAllen Rowe 31

La Joya Palmview 42, La Joya High 32

McAllen High 47, Mission High 33

District 31-6A

PSJA High 63, PSJA North 43

Edinburg Vela 46, Edinburg High 44

PSJA Memorial 47, Edinburg Economeds 23

Edinburg North at PSJA Southwest, not reported

District 32-6A

San Benito 34, Weslaco East 33

Weslaco High 64, Brownsville Hanna 38

Harlingen South 46, Los Fresnos 39

Harlingen High 51, Brownsville Rivera 23

District 31-5A

Laredo Cigarroa 58, Rio Grande City 45

Mission Veterans 58, Sharyland Pioneer 27

Sharyland High 53, Roma 41

Laredo Martin 68, Valley View 28

District 32-5A

Brownsville Veterans Memorial 34, Mercedes 28

Donna High 54, Edcouch-Elsa 37

Brownsville Pace 53, Brownsville Porter 16

District 32-4A

Hidalgo 68, Progreso 22

Port Isabel 55, Raymondville 37

Rio Hondo 45, Grulla 39

District 32-3A

Edinburg IDEA Quest 67, Brownsville Frontier 22

District 32-2A

San Isidro 50, San Perlita 45

Tuesday, Jan. 24

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial at La Joya Palmview, 6 p.m.

Mission High at La Joya High, 6 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at McAllen Rowe, 6 p.m.

District 31-6A

PSJA Southwest at Edinburg Vela, 6 p.m.

Edinburg Economedes at PSJA High, 6 p.m.

Edinburg High at PSJA Memorial, 6 p.m.

PSJA North at Edinburg North, 6 p.m.

District 32-6A

Weslaco East at Los Fresnos, 6 p.m.

Harlingen High at Weslaco High, 6 p.m.

District 31-5A

Laredo Nixon at Mission Veterans Memorial, 7 p.m.

Sharyland Pioneer at Rio Grande City, 7 p.m.

Laredo Cigarroa at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

Roma at Valley View, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

Mercedes at Brownsville Pace, 6 p.m.

Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 6 p.m.

Brownsville Lopez at Donna High, 6 p.m.

District 32-4A

Progreso at Zapata, 6:30 p.m.

Raymondville at Grulla, 6:30 p.m.

Rio Hondo at Hidalgo, 6:30 p.m.

VALLEY-GIRLS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Friday’s Games

District 30-6A

McALLEN HIGH 47, MISSION HIGH 33

McAllen High 9 13 18 7 — 47

Mission High 5 12 4 12 — 33

McALLEN HIGH (47) — Evyn Willbank 16, Sabrina Guzman 11, Victoria Alanis 6, Alex Camino 6, Aubrie Gonzalez 3, Brianna Coffee 3, Celeste Saenz 2.

MISSION HIGH (33) — Brittany Garza 12, Ariel Sanchez 11, Kimberly Barrera 4, Siria Zepeda 4, Ashley Sanchez 2.

RECORDS: Mission High 5-23; 0-7 district. McAllen High not recorded.

District 31-6A

PSJA HIGH 63, PSJA NORTH 43

PSJA High 11 29 39 65 — 65

PSJA North 7 21 37 43 — 43

PSJA HIGH (63) — Ashley Pecina 4, Sidney Escobar 3, Dariana Galvan 2, Rebeka Trevino 25, Ashley Fuentes 2, Tayla Calderon 7.

PSJA NORTH (43) — Melissa Palacios 13, Clarissa Alvarez 7, Mikaela Guerrero 5, Katie Rodriguez 19, Ashia De La Garza 5, Alexia Neal 16.

RECORDS: PSJA North 6-3 district, PSJA High not recorded.

District 32-6A

SAN BENITO 34, WESLACO EAST 33

San Benito 5 9 8 12 — 34

Weslaco East 8 6 6 13 — 33

SAN BENITO (34) — Arlene Lucus 12, Miranda Vallejo 9, Mikayla Garcia 6, Alyssa Naranjo 3, Annie Nunez 2, Amanda Garza 2.

WESLACO EAST (33) — Yaritza Marin 9, Gabriella Kirtley 7, Desiree Garcia 6, Lauryn Marquez 6, Katelyn Rodriguez 4, Valerie Castaneda 1.

RECORDS: Weslaco East 15-16; 2-7 district, San Benito 21-10; 5-4 district.

District 32-6A

WESLACO HIGH 64, BROWNSVILLE HANNA 38

Weslaco High 18 29 48 64 — 64

Brownsville Hanna 5 19 30 38 — 38

WESLACO HIGH (64) — Gabriella Garza 13, Brianna Pena 18, Andrea Villegas 9, Emily Saenz 6.

BROWNSVILLE HANNA (38) — Mia P. 15, Lucille 9, LeeAnn 6.

RECORDS: Not recorded.

District 31-5A

MISSION VETERANS 58, SHARYLAND PIONEER 27

Mission Veterans 9 20 17 12 — 58

Sharyland Pioneer 5 7 13 2 — 27

MISSION VETERANS (58) — J. Howell 6, S. Cortez 9, R. Cantu 8, A. De la Garza 9, A. Hernandez 5, L. Garza 6, L. Gonzalez 3, G. Gallando 11.

SHARYLAND PIONEER (27) — Kayla Alaniz 5, Miranda Ramos 3, Daylann Garza 3, Mariah Youngblood 7, Victoria Mossman 9.

RECORDS: Sharyland Pioneer 9-20, 2-9.

District 32-5A

DONNA HIGH 54, EDCOUCH-ELSA 37

Edcouch-Elsa 12 9 5 11 — 37

Donna High 17 14 14 9 — 54

EDCOUCH-ELSA (37) — Yara Ibarra 16, Shannon Dominguez 5, Desirae Garza 4, Cassie Hernandez 4, Mayra Delgado 3, Alinah Rodriguez 2, Jayda Lee 2, Ashley Galarza 1

DONNA HIGH (54) — Miranda Sandoval 16, Celeste Mata 13, Ashlee Moreno 5, Melanie Arenas 5, Bridget Guillen 4, Nicole Rodriguez 4, Aileen Garza 2, Brianna Quesada 2, Bianca Quesada 2, Alex Cantu 1.

RECORDS: Donna High 5-4.

District 32-4A

HIDALGO 68, PROGRESO 22

Score by quarters not reported.

HIDALGO (68) — Alexis Arjona 9, Shannon De Leon 2, Ashley Arjona 4, Daniela Estrada 2, Savannah Sanchez 8, Barbie Gutierrez 27, Vanessa Espinoza 8, Carolina Carbajal 2, Elisa De Leon 2, Viviana Chavez 4

PROGRESO (22) — Not reported.

RECORDS: Hidalgo 8-1 in disrtict.

District 32-3A

EDINBURG IDEA QUEST 67, BROWNSVILLE FRONTIER 22

IDEA Quest 13 21 14 19 — 67

Frontier 4 1 8 9 — 22

EDINBURG IDEA QUEST (67) — Diana Martinez 5, Alyssa Cuellar 24, Esmer Rodriguez 23, Victoria Rodriguez 1, Ana Cantu 4, Marbella Nuñez 6, Sharon Marrufo 2.

BROWNSVILLE FRONTIER (22) — Not Reported.

RECORDS: Edinburg IDEA Quest 15-8, 3-1.

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

DONNA — Mercedes knew the game against Donna High would be tough. The Tigers knew the game would be decided in the paint.

Donna High’s top two priorities on defense were senior Jacklynn Flores and sophomore Jazmine Flores. And, for the most part, Donna succeeded in slowing them down. But the focus allowed freshman forward Mika Vento and junior forward Roslynn Rodriguez to step up for the Lady Tigers, propelling Mercedes to a 54-50 win to open the second round of District 32-5A play.

“We grinded it out tonight, didn’t we?” Mercedes coach Monica Meza said. “Coming to Donna, it’s always tough. And it’s always tough being here the second time around, because we knew they were going to put up a fight. They did last year, they did this year. It’s a good rivalry game. I’m very proud of my girls for stepping up and hitting some huge shots when we needed them.”

For Mercedes, the game was won in the paint. The physical game with plenty of fouls allowed Vento and Rodriguez to control the paint for the Tigers.

The Flores sisters led the way for Mercedes early, but Donna was able to limit their damage. Jacklynn finished with 8, and Jazmine added 10.

Instead, Mercedes was led by Rodriguez and Vento, who played impressively on the defensive end and scored 16 points, including showing off some range with a 3-pointer in the second quarter.

“Mika played really aggressively,” Rodriguez said. “She did really good. She stepped up her game and helped us get that win.”

Rodriguez did her part, as well, scoring 6 points and helping Vento pester Donna forward Melanie Arenas all night.

“I think (Rodriguez and Vento) stepped up pretty well,” Meza said. “They took on that challenge. I challenged them at the beginning of the game about who is more aggressive, who is more physical and who wanted it more. And I thought they both did a pretty good job. They traded off guarding (Arenas), and sometimes she got the best of them, and sometimes we got the best of her, so I thought they did a heck of a job.”

The focus defensively for Mercedes was on Arenas.

“We knew that (Arenas) was going to be a big threat on their team,” Jacklynn Flores said. “So, we knew that, coming in, we were going to have to shut her down, as well as her teammates.”

Donna’s other forward, Miranda Sandoval, also gave Mercedes problems. But the sophomore ran into foul trouble early and fouled out before the game got close at the end.

Arenas finished with 20 points for Donna, including going 6 of 8 from the free-throw line. Sandoval and Brianna Quesada each added 8 points. Poor free-throw shooting was one of the biggest factors for Donna.

“We lost the battle on the free-throw line,” Donna High coach Kevin Kromer said. “I think we outplayed them. I give them full credit. They are a tough team to beat, and they beat us. But they beat us on the free-throw line for sure, because we missed 14 free throws. Give me four of those and it’s an overtime game. Give me five and its over. I’m proud of my kids. They fought.”

Mercedes dominated in the first quarter, leading 22-12. But Donna High used the time between periods wisely and came back out fighting. In less than four minutes, they closed the gap to 2 points.

Mercedes had to pull back from the full-court press to focus attention on the offensive end. Again, Mercedes grew the lead and took a 39-30 advantage to the locker room at halftime. Midway through the third quarter, Donna High went on a 15-0 run. The final basket of the run, a layup from Quesada, gave the Bravettes a 47-45 lead, their first lead of the game.

Vento hit one of two free throws, then made another basket to get Mercedes the lead back with 2:29 remaining in the game. Donna never retook the lead after that.

“It was a great game,” Kromer said. “Hats off to them, because they put them in when they needed to. But I’m proud of my kids. We did a good job on their two best players, and they had a couple of other kids step up and hit some shots.”

[email protected]

VALLEY-GIRLS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Tuesday, Jan. 17

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial 80, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 23

La Joya Palmview 46, McAllen High 45

La Joya High 37, McAllen Rowe 30

District 31-6A

Edinburg Vela 40, Edinburg North 37

Edinburg High 66, Edinburg Economedes 19

PSJA Memorial 43, PSJA North 39

PSJA Southwest at PSJA High, not reported

District 32-6A

Harlingen High 51, Harlingen South 32

Los Fresnos 44, San Benito 42

Weslaco High def. Weslaco East

District 31-5A

Laredo Cigarroa 53, Mission Veterans Memorial 34

Laredo Martin 46, Sharyland High 33

Rio Grande City 55, Roma 37

Sharyland Pioneer at Laredo Nixon, not reported

District 32-5A

Mercedes 54, Donna High 50

Donna North 46, Edcouch-Elsa 37

Brownsville Veterans Memorial 59, Brownsville Pace 27

District 32-4A

Grulla 55, Progreso 20

Hidalgo 30, La Feria 23

Port Isabel 49, Zapata 34

Friday, Jan. 20

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial at McAllen Rowe, 6 p.m.

La Joya High at La Joya Palmview, 7:30 p.m.

McAllen High at Mission High, 6 p.m.

District 31-6A

Edinburg North at PSJA Southwest, 6 p.m.

PSJA High at PSJA North, 6 p.m.

Edinburg High at Edinburg Vela, 6 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at Edinburg Economeds, 6 p.m.

District 32-6A

San Benito at Weslaco East, 6 p.m.

Weslaco High at Brownsville Hanna, 6 p.m.

District 31-5A

Rio Grande City at Laredo Cigarroa, 7 p.m.

Mission Veterans Memorial at Sharyland Pioneer, 7 p.m.

Sharyland High at Roma, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

Brownsville Veterans Memorial at Mercedes, 6 p.m.

Donna High at Edcouch-Elsa, 6 p.m.

Brownsville Porter at Brownsville Pace, 6 p.m.

District 32-4A

Hidalgo at Progreso, 6:30 p.m.

Grulla at Rio Hondo, 6:30 p.m.

VALLEY-GIRLS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Tuesday’s Games

District 30-6A

McALLEN MEMORIAL 80, LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 23

LJ Juarez-Lincoln 6 4 10 3 — 23

McAllen Memorial 18 21 21 20 — 80

McALLEN MEMORIAL (80) — Ebony Johnson 8, Tani Talamantez 14, Victoria Izaguirre 17, Alice Ojeaga 2, Valeria Garcia 8, Selma Regelado 17, Valeria Trevino 4, Fatima Bonilla 6, Julissa Mireles 4.

LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN (23) — K Munoz 2, E Partida 5, N Millan 6, Y Hernandez 10.

RECORDS: McAllen Memorial 18-9, 7-0.

District 31-6A

PSJA MEMORIAL 43, PSJA NORTH 39

PSJA North 11 11 7 10 — 39

PSJA Memorial 13 3 13 14 — 43

PSJA MEMORIAL (43) — Victoria Gonzalez 2, Violet Torres 3, Alex Soto 4, Victoria Hernandez 6, Monique De Leon 12, Debbie Martinez 16.

PSJA NORTH (39) — Melissa Palacios 1, Aisha De La Garza 6, Clarissa Alvarez 10, Catie Rodriguez 10, Alexia Neal 12.

RECORDS: PSJA Memorial 18-12, 6-2.

EDINBURG HIGH 66, EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 19

Economedes 2 5 9 3 — 19

Edinburg High 20 21 20 5 — 66

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (19) — Not reported.

EDINBURG HIGH (66) — Jayla Santa Maria 18, Emily Acosta 6, Melanie Mercelita 5, Mercedes Hernandez 12, Jenessah Santa Maria 9, Natalie Rocburgh 4, Daniella Rivas 4, Sierra Velasquez 4, Julyane Martinez 2, Brianna Sanchez 2.

RECORDS: Edinburg High 25-5, 8-0.

EDINBURG VELA 40, EDINBURG NORTH 37

Edinburg Vela 8 8 10 14 — 40

Edinburg North 11 4 14 8 — 37

EDINBURG VELA (40) — Jaida Muhammad 15, Julissa Cuellar 9, Bianca Cortez 8, Kayleen Rios 5, Terri Garza 3.

EDINBURG NORTH (37) — Sarah Reyes 2, Brianna Martinez 7, Miranda Faz 2, Tiffany Chapa 18, Tilly Villarreal 4, Anzhelany Jordan 4.

RECORDS: Not reported.

District 31-5A

LAREDO CIGARROA 53, MISSION VETERANS 34

Laredo Cigarroa 11 8 19 15 — 53

Mission Veterans 9 9 8 8 — 34

LAREDO CIGARROA (53) — Catherine Leija 12, Georgina Benavides 10, Larrizza Cantu 4, Carla Flores 5, Larissa Palomares 6, Leslie Alvarado 16.

MISSION VETERANS (34) — Jackie Howell 14, Ronnie Cantu 3, Andrea De La Garza 3, Alexia Hernandez 4, Lyndsey Garza 7, Gaby Gallardo 3.

RECORDS: Laredo Cigarroa 10-1; Mission Veterans 14-15, 6-5.

District 32-5A

DONNA NORTH 46, EDCOUCH-ELSA 37

Edcouch-Elsa 10 7 9 11 — 37

Donna North 16 11 9 10 — 46

EDCOUCH-ELSA (37) — Shannon Dominguez 8, Yara Ibarra 7, Ashley Galarza 6, Cassie Hernandez 4, Lexie Moreno 3, Desirae Garza 3, Nayra Jimenez 2, Myra Delgado 2, Cassie Zuniga 2.

DONNA NORTH (46) — I’Dasha Sorrell 12, Kali Contreras 9, Evelyn Deleon 9, Jomara Ruiz 4, Melanie Morales 4, Tori Vaez 4, Gizelle Rodriguez 2, Alysa Diaz 2.

RECORDS: Donna North 7-21, 2-6.

District 32-4A

HIDALGO 30, LA FERIA 23

Score by quarter not reported.

LA FERIA (23) — Not reported.

HIDALGO (30) — Alexis Arjona 3, Ashley Arjona 6, Savannah Sanchez 6, Barbie Gutierrez 4, Karla Cantu 4, Vanessa Espinoza 2, Elisa De La Peña 2, Vivianna Chavez 4.

RECORDS: Hidalgo 7-1 in district.

GRULLA 55, PROGRESO 20

Grulla 16 12 14 13 — 55

Progreso 6 6 6 2 — 20

PROGRESO (20) — Not reported.

GRULLA (55) — Carolina Alamillo 13, Samantha Sifuentes 12, Larissa Martinez 10, Kossett Garza 10, Jenny Morales 4, Jennie Guel 2, Bryanna Perez 2, Leslie Guerrero 2.

RECORDS: Grulla 18-11, 6-2.