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Orlando Muñoz scored 20 points and J.D. Alaniz added 18 as La Joya Palmview beat Laredo United South 64-58 in the Class 6A bi-district playoffs Tuesday at Zapata.
The Lobos (21-13), the No. 4 seed from District 30-6A, recorded their first postseason win in the school’s seven-year history, setting up an area-round matchup against Harlingen South, which beat Edinburg High 56-26.
“I couldn’t be any happier with the coaching staff and the kids. They truly deserve it,” Palmview coach Andy Saenz said about his team beating the No. 25-ranked squad by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. “No one knows how hard they work behind the scenes. I’m really proud. I’m speechless.”
Palmview, which made its third playoff appearance Tuesday, led by three points at halftime and withstood constant pressure by United South, the No. 1 seed from District 29-6A, and even missed free throws to pull out the upset.
“It was a true David vs. Goliath,” Saenz said. “We’ve always been the underdogs. It’s something the kids are used to. They’ve been under these circumstances many of times.
“The kids still made mistakes but they didn’t hang their heads. They just played a little more focused. They knew it was do or die, especially with a senior ball club, and they all did a good job collectively.”
McALLEN HIGH 56, DEL RIO 43: At Pleasanton, Oscar Rangel scored 21 points to rally the Bulldogs into the area round, where it will face Edinburg North.
Rangel sparked a second-half run in which it trailed 24-21 after starting off the game down 10-1.
“I think we were a little too excited, a little too pumped up,” McHi coach Ryan Flores said. “We missed shots early, but I think the difference was that we settled down. We let the game come to us. We were a little nervous, (it being a) bi-district game. But once we got warmed up and broke a sweat, we settled in. We remembered our defensive assignments and just clamped down in the second half and it helped us on the offensive end.”
He added: “I’m proud of the way we played tonight. With the start we had, to fight back and win this bi-district championship, it showed a lot of character about this team and how hungry they were are to win.”
WESLACO HIGH 57, BROWNSVILLE VETERANS 52: At Weslaco, the Panthers trailed nearly the entire game before pulling ahead in the final minute to advance to the area round against Laredo Alexander.
“Defensively, we just buckled down in the end and it helped us where our offense didn’t,” Weslaco coach Gabe Valdez said. “It just catapulted us to a different level and the kids went in from there.”
LAREDO ALEXANDER 63, McALLEN MEMORIAL 54: At Corpus Christi, the Mustangs struggled on the road against their cross-district rival, losing to Alexander for the fourth time in a little more than a decade.
Memorial’s season ends at 20-12.
LOS FRESNOS 54, PSJA NORTH 47: At Los Fresnos, the Raiders struggled with foul trouble late and the Falcons took advantage.
When Romeo Williams, PSJA North’s top threat down low, fouled out with 7:05 remaining in the final quarter, the Falcons pounced. After having started their comeback late in the third, the Falcons trailed 40-37 at the time of Williams’ fifth foul.
“When (Williams) fouled out, it took us out of everything we could do set-wise,” PSJA North coach Jaime Gongora said. “We were running our sets, we were getting the shots we wanted, but once we got out of our set, we forced a couple of shots.”
The Falcons took their first lead since the first quarter shortly after on a Jose Mansilla bucket with 4:03 remaining in the game, and Los Fresnos outscored PSJA North 10-4 during the remainder of the contest for the victory.
Williams and Danny Torres combined for the Raiders’ lead in points with 11 apiece.
HARLINGEN SOUTH 56, EDINBURG HIGH 26: At Harlingen, the short-handed Bobcats struggled to hang with the Hawks.
“We have one kid with any playoff experience and I knew it would be tough,” Edinburg coach Zeke Cuellar said. “Tonight, we got beat on the boards, didn’t get a lot of looks transition-wise and that’s what we’re all about. That was a tribute to South’s tenacious defense.”
“Everything is new when it comes to the concept of playoff basketball, but we had a great season, made a complete turnaround and the kids did a great job representing Edinburg High School.”
CLASS 5A BI-DISTRICT
EDINBURG VELA 101, PSJA HIGH 57: At Pharr, Ryan Garza poured in a game-high 25 points, leading the SaberCats past the Bears.
Vela (28-6), the No. 1 seed from District 31-5A, led 55-28 at halftime and cruised from there, setting up an area-round battle against Corpus Christi Miller, which beat Laredo Cigarroa 83-75 on Tuesday.
“I just think our mental preparation today was where it needed to be to come out and play at a level that we can play,” Vela coach Lalo Rios said. “I think we set the tempo early on that we were going to push the ball and be as aggressive as possible. That’s what helped us. And we pulled away.”
The Bears, fourth seed in 32-5A, finishes the season at 17-15.
SHARYLAND HIGH 54, EDCOUCH-ELSA 50: At Edcouch, Jose De La Garza scored 23 points and Patrick De La Torre added 19 as the Rattlers squeaked by Yellowjackets.
“It was a good win,” Sharyland coach David Keith said. “Very hostile environment; Edcouch-Elsa is a very tough place to play. Down the stretch, we were patient. We got the ball inside and pull out the lead.”
Sharyland (29-5), the No. 2 seed in District 31-5A, led 27-20 at halftime and used a 15-11 fourth quarter to get by E-E.
Marco Aguinaga scored a team-high 17 points for the Yellowjackets, whose season ends at 16-17.
The Rattlers will take on Somerset, which beat Flour Bluff 67-44, in the area round.
CLASS 4A BI-DISTRICT
HIDALGO 64, BEEVILLE JONES 43: At Odem, the Pirates cruised through the bi-district round to set up an area-round battle against Pearsall.
Hidalgo, the No. 19-ranked 4A team in the state, improves to 29-5.
CLASS 3A BI-DISTRICT
FALFURRIAS 59, MONTE ALTO 40: At Raymondville, the Blue Devils, the No. 4 seed in District 32-3A, struggled on the road to extend their playoff run.