BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — When Weslaco High couldn’t buy a basket in the second half, the Panthers looked to their seniors to answer the call.
Seniors Illiyah Cantu and La-Kysha Saldivar combined to score 16 of Weslaco High’s 19 fourth-quarter points in its 54-47 win against Los Fresnos on Tuesday.
“If we need to score points, it’s important for me to be able to score them,” Cantu said. “Whether it’s La-Kysha scoring or someone dishing the ball to me, I’m glad my team has the confidence that I can finish strong.”
“We struggled to score,” Saldivar said. “Whenever we’re on the break, we’re told to hustle. I know my team has my back and I have their backs. Whatever I had to do to contribute, I did it.”
The Panthers (15-5) were locked in a physical game against the Falcons, their now-former district opponent. Los Fresnos trimmed Weslaco High’s seven-point halftime lead to two before Cantu and Saldivar put their fingerprints on the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game.
Cantu scored nine of her game-high 20 points in the final period. Saldivar finished with 17 points. Aleksa Gallegos followed the seniors with nine points.
“It feels good that we can rely on our 1-2 punch,” Weslaco High coach Griselda Fino said. “We also had other kids step up defensively. We had some breakdowns and we couldn’t put the ball in the hole for whatever reason. But we walked away with the ‘W,’ which is better than the alternative.”
Defensively, the Panthers were charged with containing Los Fresnos sharpshooter Ari Gallardo. Gallardo, a junior, led the Falcons (12-8) with 18 points.
“It was difficult to guard her (Gallardo),” Fino said. “There was a point where they were running staggered screens for her and our girls were getting shuffled around defensively. We changed up our defense, and I think that slowed her down, but other (Los Fresnos) kids stepped up for her. Ari’s a kid where you always need to know where she’s at. That’s what you have to do against good players.”
Cantu is feeling better after suffering a knee injury in the first quarter of Weslaco High’s loss at McAllen Memorial on Nov. 13. She had her knee wrapped during Tuesday’s game and played like her usual self, establishing the Panthers’ post game and grabbing rebounds.
“It’s getting better,” Cantu said. “I pulled it, but I’m able to push through it with the treatment I’ve been getting.”
Saldivar missed her entire junior season due to a torn ACL. She now has stepped into the role of the Panthers’ top scorer on the wing, a position that was once held by former All-Area Player of the Year Briana Peña. She completed an old-fashioned 3-point play opportunity which helped extend the Panthers’ lead to six with 1:09 remaining in the game.
Saldivar scored her final three points of the second quarter on a half-court shot that banked in at the halftime buzzer.
“All I heard was coach Fino saying, ‘Don’t shoot it!’ but I thought, ‘You know what, I’ve got confidence,” Saldivar said. “I let it go and I knew it was going in. Then I heard the crowd scream. I hadn’t hit a shot like that since my freshman year.”
Weslaco High will begin District 31-6A competition at Edinburg Economedes on Friday. Los Fresnos is off until it hosts Laredo United on Monday night.