By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
HIDALGO — Hidalgo entered the season facing an uphill battle in its quest for a fifth consecutive district title, given it graduated its entire starting lineup, including the RGVSports.com Player of the Year.
Yet, the Pirates now find themselves in favorable position to hang another district banner after beating La Feria 54-41 on Tuesday.
The win gave Hidalgo (17-10, 7-1) sole possession of first place in the 32-4A standings, after knocking off the Lions (19-9, 6-2), who entered Tuesday in a two-way tie for first place with the Pirates.
“It says a lot about our kids,” Hidalgo coach Gus Sanchez said. “They came in with a burden (of trying to live up to past teams), but they stepped up to the challenge.
“Of course, we have a lot of games left, but we’re in a good place right now.”
Hidalgo evened the season series at one game apiece, after losing to La Feria in the first round of district.
Senior Jacob Anaya led the way with a game-high 21 points, including four 3-pointers, for Hidalgo. A reserve on past district-title teams, Anaya has come up big this season — though no performance more bigger than Tuesday’s.
The Pirates needed it on a night in which center Miguel Coronado sat out after injuring his ankle through a morning walk-through. Without Coronado, a consistent double-double threat, Hidalgo relied on its outside shooting, especially in the second half as it outscored La Feria 28-18.
With a 10-2 run to open the fourth quarter, the Pirates slowly pulled away. They had seven players score Tuesday, including one other double-digit scorer in Jesse Alaniz, who finished with 10 points.
“We all played as a team,” Anaya said. “We played great. We executed when we needed to. We stepped up.
“It really boosts our energy and gives us some momentum. Hopefully we could finish it up.”
As it stands, Hidalgo controls its own destiny, having endured only one district loss all season. Should the Pirates win out, and beat the teams it has already beaten, it would be crowned district champions for a fifth consecutive year.
La Feria, by virtue of Tuesday’s loss, falls to second place in 32-4A after picking up its second district loss. The first came at the hands of Rio Hondo.
It came on a night in which La Feria struggled defensively, and was outscored 12-5 in a pivotal stretch during the final period.
“We didn’t come out as hard as we should have,” Lions coach Dario Sanchez said. “We didn’t understand that maybe that’s the defending district champs, and in order to win a district championship we have to go through them first. That was difficult today.”
La Feria was in the game through halftime, when it trailed 28-23. But Hidalgo imposed its will against its biggest threat for a district title.
“Overall, they stepped up and played a great game,” Sanchez said. “It gives us momentum. But it’s just a one-game cushion in a tough district.”