By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
The Hanna Golden Eagles and Edinburg North Cougars were locked in a tumultuous game during which each team was in charge at times.
It was the Eagles who found their groove during the final minutes, outpacing the Cougars 53-43 during a bi-district game Monday night at Weslaco East.
After having not yet scored during the final quarter, Hanna trailed 34-33 and Eagles coach Todd Barckholtz called a timeout with 5:45 remaining. The Eagles responded as Alex Herrera hit a floater to give his team the lead out of the timeout, and they didn’t look back.
Herrera led the Eagles’ final run with seven points. Gabe Martinez added a pair of 3-pointers, Ed Messbarger scored four points, Andy Lopez made two free throws, and Adrian Barron capped the run with a breakaway layup.
“We made a bucket to get the lead, thenour defense forced them into about three or four 16- or 17-foot shots with a hand in their face,” Barckholtz said. “If they knock those down, we shake their hands, but that’s the shot we want them to take. We boxed out and didn’t give them the second and third chances like we’ve kind of done the last few weeks. Our leaders led, and the other guys followed the leaders and did their job.”
Hanna proceeded to score 21 points — opposed to the Cougars’ nine — during the final quarter by shooting 7 of 7 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line.
The Eagles led last, but each side had a turbulent trip throughout the contest.
When the game started, the Eagles scored 13 points during a five-minute stretch and finished the opening quarter with a 15-7 lead.
However, Edinburg North answered in the second when Hanna hit a scoring drought. The Cougars took advantage by scoring 14 points during the final 4:29 of the half to take a 24-21 lead.
“We were up and down,” Edinburg North coach Rudy Garcia said. “Our point guard was in foul trouble and that set us back a little bit. We found a group that got us back into the game, but then we just made too many mental mistakes and unforced errors.
“We’re very proud of our guys. We told them, no matter what the outcome was today, we’ve battled though a lot of injuries and a lot of things. We ended up winning six out of the last seven games to put us in the position we were in today.”
Neither team gained a significant edge during the third, and after the Eagles carried a one-point advantage into the fourth, they broke out during the final minutes.
Herrera led all scorers with 22 points, and Martinez added 11. The Cougars were led by Rodrigo Romero, who had 10 points and Tito Salazar, who had nine.
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.