BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
The Pirates’ fortunes in the second round of the playoffs have been anything but kind since Saul Arjona took over.
The biggest example of is Hidalgo’s 52-50 second round defeat to Crystal City in double overtime last season. After the Pirates faced a 9-0 deficit early in Friday’s second round game against Pearsall, it was starting to look like they had a long night ahead of them.
“Even though we were down, I still thought we had the quicker team,” Arjona said. “We were pressuring but they were breaking our press. We still turned it around quickly.”
The Pirates took a nine-point lead into halftime. After the break, Hidalgo (31-8) forced two of Pearsall’s key weapons to foul out which eventually resulted in a 54-34 victory.
“That really helped us out a lot,” Arjona said. “They were tough inside but then we were able to penetrate a little bit more.”
The Pirates’ third round appearance is the first for Arjona. Corpus Christi West Oso will be their opponent.
“We’re taking it one game at a time,” Arjona said. “I don’t want to say how far we can go because the further we go, the tougher it gets. We’re going to play it safe and concentrate on West Oso.”
CORPUS CHRISTI FLOUR BLUFF 58, MISSION VETERANS 25: Mission Veterans were no match for Corpus Christi Flour Bluff on Friday night. The Patriots finished at 25-14 overall.
CORPUS CHRISTI TULOSO-MIDWAY 47, RIO GRANDE CITY 34: Rio Grande City had cut Tuloso-Midway’s lead to 36-31 but they couldn’t inch any closer. Senior Jocy Amaya, the Valley’s top scorer, ended her career with 20 points.