BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — On Tuesday, the team that was supposed to have more poise looked lost at the end.
The Weslaco High Panthers, who went further than any other Valley team a year ago and boast a ton of seniors, made costly mistakes at the end of a close game.
The Edinburg High Bobcats looked ready to prolong their first-round woes when they fouled Weslaco High senior guard Braxton Bloomquist in the corner on a 3-point shot. Bloomquist knocked down all three free throws, cutting the lead to just two with less than a minute to play. On the ensuing inbounds pass, the Bobcats committed a five-second violation and turned the ball over.
But Tuesday, after everything they have been through this year, the Bobcats were not going to be denied. Junior forward Antoine Woodard got a steal and was immediately fouled. He swung the momentum back by hitting both free throws.
The Panthers’ troubles didn’t stop there. On the ensuing offensive possession, just as they got past half court, senior forward Khalil Fino-A-LaSelf uncharacteristically lost the ball out of bounds.
The Bobcats finished off the 57-50 win to advance past the bi-district round for the first time since 2011. Edinburg High will face South San Antonio later this week at a site to be determined.
“This win feels amazing,” senior center Jesus Cantu said. “Bringing this tradition back to this program. We haven’t gone to the second round in few years. It’s been a while, and it feels amazing.”
Woodard had 23 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
“Antoine is always going to be our X-factor,” junior guard Matt Cruz said. “He carries us, basically, and we feed off of him.”
The Bobcats looked at peak form earlier this year. They started off the District 31-6A season undefeated, but a few tough losses cost them the district title. When Weslaco was announced as their first-round opponent, the optimism surrounding the program started to dissipate.
“No one gave us a chance to win this game,” sophomore guard Jorge Hernandez said.
Still, the Bobcats came out on fire to start the game.
Edinburg High hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter, and Woodard scored eight points to lead EHS to a 17-7 first-quarter lead.
“We have done that in the past,” Bobcats coach Esequiel Cuellar said. “When we played Harlingen a while back — they have a good team — we came out firing. We came out hot, and that’s what we preached to our kids for this game. ‘We have to set the tone early.’ I think we did that tonight. We dictated the tone, we set the tempo, and we were able to do what we wanted to, early on.”
While Weslaco did not close the gap much in the second quarter, the Panthers pushed EHS into foul trouble. The game was very physical, and 41 total fouls were called as a result. Cantu and junior guard Marc Figueroa each picked up three first-half fouls. By the break, the teams were tied at 10 fouls each.
“It was extremely frustrating today,” Cantu said. “I don’t usually pick up fouls. I know how to time blocks well and move my feet. Today, I just had to be careful, and it was extremely frustrating.”
Despite being in heavy foul trouble, Cantu scored three points, had eight rebounds and connected on two tremendous rejections. Fellow senior Damian Garcia had 15 points.
“This win is for our seniors,” Cruz said. “Jesus was talking to me and he said, ‘I don’t want this to be my last game.’ I told him, ‘We will play together, and I promise you we will get this win.’ We did it, and we did it as a team.”
Foul trouble forced the Bobcats to go deeper into their bench than they would like to. Sophomores Jerry Lopez and Hernandez played extended minutes.
“I just did what I had to do,” Hernandez said, “I played defense. I didn’t have any points, but playing defense is my key to the game, and I just had to do it.”
“I’m really proud of them,” Cruz added. “They did an excellent job, and they gave it everything they had.”
In the final moments, Weslaco High went with a small lineup, sitting senior center Derek Cedeno in favor of junior guard Safi Fino-A-LaSelf.
Cedeno had just two points and two rebounds, while Safi Fino-A-LaSelf had a team-high 19 points and four rebounds. Still, Cuellar was glad the Panthers didn’t rethink the idea.
“I was surprised at some of the rotations (Weslaco coach Gabe Valdez) was bringing in,” Cuellar said. “I don’t think it benefitted him when he went small. Unfortunately, Jesus was in foul trouble, so we had to go small, too. … Last time we played them, when they would go small, we would stay big with Jesus, and we had trouble. I think this time, it kind of helped us that Jesus got into foul trouble early on, because we went small, and he went small.”
In last year’s bi-district round, Edinburg High lost 42-41 to Harlingen South. The year before, Brownsville Veterans eliminated EHS 51-38 in the opening round.
“As a senior, it’s a great feeling,” Garcia said of Tuesday’s win. “We have been putting in so much work, starting in the summer, all throughout the year. We are very hungry right now.”
For Weslaco, Bloomquist finished with 16, and senior forward Jesus Payes contributed seven.
For the Bobcats, junior guard Marc Figueroa scored 11 after taking a hard foul to the jaw early in the game that left him checking for blood throughout.
The gym was packed with fans and the noise was electric, even before tipoff. Now, the Bobcats have to find the same energy for an area–round matchup in a few days.
“It’s tough with teenage boys,” Cuellar said. “It will be tough, but we have been preparing for this, and we will be ready.”