Harlingen South boys basketball head coach Brian Molina said this season’s non-district schedule was one of the toughest he has had during his 17 years in charge of the Hawks.
The Hawks started the season 2-8 with losses to Sharyland Pioneer, Corpus Christi Miller, Pflugerville Connally, Lytle, Katy Seven Lakes, Boerne, San Antonio Southwest and crosstown rival Harlingen High in the Bird Bowl.
After becoming battle-tested in non-district and tournament play, the Hawks are 6-0 in District 32-5A.
Harlingen South has wins over Brownsville Pace, Brownsville Porter, Brownsville Lopez, Edcouch-Elsa, Donna High and Donna North. Combined with two non-district wins, the Hawks are on an eight-game winning streak.
| Harlingen South Hawks’ Steven Ortegon (2) .(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
“It is going according to plan,” Molina said. “I’d like more games than what we did in non-district, but our strength of schedule was put together for that reason. We were coming into a district that is going to be a real tight race with a lot of tough opponents.”
Harlingen South faces one of its toughest tests, Weslaco East, with the midway point of district looming at 6 p.m. Friday at Weslaco East High School.
The Wildcats are the second-place team in the district with a 5-1 record and are coming off a 62-36 win over Edcouch-Elsa on Tuesday.
“They are a pretty good team that has beaten some good teams,” Molina said. “So it should be a pretty good game Friday night.”
| Harlingen South Hawks’ Dylan Maldonado (1) .(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
Harlingen South could have a two-game lead on the pack after Friday night or be in striking distance of the pack.
Weslaco East could solidify itself as a district title contender with a win, or possibly be sucked into a tie with Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Brownsville Pace.
District 32-5A is beginning to take shape.
Brownsville Pace and Brownsville Veterans round out the top four with 4-2 records. The Chargers defeated the Vikings 39-36 on Tuesday and are on a three-game winning streak.
“The guys are hungry,” Chargers head coach Albert Briones said. “They are starting to be more consistent. They just know we have to take it one game at a time.”
| Brownsville Veterans’ Alejandro Ocampo (11).(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
The Chargers’ two losses came in close contests, 54-53 to Brownsville Lopez and 43-41 to Weslaco East. Brownsville Veterans had chances to win both games late.
Brownsville Veterans takes on Edcouch-Elsa at 6 p.m. Friday at Brownsville Veterans Memorial High School.
Mercedes, Brownsville Lopez and Brownsville Porter are on the outside looking in at 3-3 in district. They still have a lot to say in the race for the top four with two-thirds of district still to play.
| Mercedes’ David Clower (left) and Brownsville Lopez’s Marco Coello (right). |
The Tigers have scorers David Clower and Joaquin Gonzales. The Lobos have recent 2,000-point scorer Marco Coello, and Brownsville Porter plays a tight zone defense that can stifle offenses.
Donna North, Donna High and Edcouch-Elsa hold their own, even though they sit at the bottom of the standings and are capable of making a push in the competitive district.
Twelve games remain in the competitive District 32-5A. Expect more tightly contested games as the games become even more important as teams fight for the title and the four playoff spots.