SAN ANTONIO — Liberty Hill made its shots late and Edinburg Vela did not.
The SaberCats (31-5, 18-0) finish their best season in program history with a 56-52 loss to Liberty Hill in the Class 5A Region IV semifinals at the Blossom Athletic Center in San Antonio.
Liberty Hill converted its free throws, made open looks and protected the rim just enough to make the difference against an Edinburg Vela team that fought back on multiple occasions.
“We are a resilient type of team,” Edinburg Vela head coach Lottie Zarate said. “We tell the girls never to give up, chip away. We applied the pressure, we jumped in our press and got some steals. We converted on some, and some we did not.
“At the end of the day, free throws are going to kill you. Majority of their points were free throws. They can hit their free throws. When we were in the double bonus, we should have capitalized on that.”
Edinburg Vela senior Emma Lucio created space for game-tying shots, but the rim was not as kind to the senior from beyond the arc. Lucio still had 16 points, and chipped in defensively when the SaberCats pressed to help keep her team in the game.
The rim was kind to guard Janai Coleman if she needed it. Coleman was fantastic on the night from deep and at the rim to lead the team in scoring with 20 points. A Coleman 3-pointer gave Edinburg Vela a 44-42 lead in the fourth quarter.
Liberty Hill’s Evie Bruce answered with a 3-pointer to go up 45-44. The Panthers would not relinquish the lead. Bruce, a sophomore, finished with 16 points. Fellow sophomore Gabriella Muindy was a thorn in Edinburg Vela’s side all night and finished with a game-high 21 points.
Coleman’s go-ahead bucket capped off a 16-4 run by the SaberCats after Liberty Hill came out swinging out of the locker room. The Panthers jumped out to a 38-28 point lead before a pair of Lucio free throws and a Coleman 3-pointer kick-started the comeback.
“Great run,” Zarate said. “The kids achieved their dreams by getting to the regional tournament. Of course, we wanted to win this game and get into the regional championship, but I am very proud of these young ladies. They worked hard day in and day out – from day one.”
The teams went into the break tied at 22. Coleman led the game in scoring at the half with 10 points.
Edinburg Vela struggled early to go down 8-3. Liberty Hill gained momentum with some nice layups by Muindy. Coleman was there to keep the SaberCats in the game and give her team the lead when she hit a 3-pointer to make it 12-11.
The SaberCats finish the season as the District 31-5A champions, area champions and regional semifinalists.