LA JOYA — On the final night of round one of district play, La Joya High was determined to end on a good note against Mission High.
The Coyotes got just what they were looking for as they clawed their way to a 69-53 victory over the Eagles at La Joya High School. The win sends La Joya to 16-11 on the year and 3-4 in District 30-6A.
“It took a collective effort. We got the ‘W’ as a team,” La Joya High forward Santi Rodriguez said. “It doesn’t matter who had the most points, who had the most rebounds, we all worked as a team to get this ‘W.’ We needed this one.”
Rodriguez scored a game-high 17 points and was joined by three more Coyotes in double figures as J.C. Barrientos had 15, Cesar Villarreal had 12, and Zeke Garcia added 10 points from his center position.
La Joya High head coach Eric Montalvo was satisfied with the contribution the Coyotes received from starters and key reserves.
“I’ve never yelled at a kid for a bad shot unless we’re trying to slow it down. I tell them we’re going to play basketball and we have a team where we feel anyone can score points at anytime,” he said.
After playing to a 12-11 first-quarter lead, the Coyotes turned up the pressure and jumped on the Eagles. Barrientos and Villarreal each took turns making defensive stops down the stretch with break away steals and a five-second closely guarded violation.
Those momentum-shifting plays made everybody sitting on the La Joya bench get on their feet, coaches included.
“It got us hyped, it made an impact for me and for the team,” Barrientos said. “Monty (Montalvo) told us to play with effort, be on that spot, get those steals, easy buckets, and that’s what we did tonight.”
Mission’s Jahel Salinas and Dominick Gomez kept the Eagles competitive throughout the game as they combined to score 31 points. But the complete effort from the Coyotes was too much to overcome as the Eagles were shot down, falling to 1-6 in district play.
Meanwhile, the La Joya victory sets up an exciting finish down the stretch of 30-6A action as the Coyotes sit at the No. 5 seed in the district. Heading into the final seven games of the regular season, the Coyotes have their work cut out for them if they hope to capture one of the four playoff spots.
On deck for the Coyotes is a road matchup against PSJA High set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“We just talk about one game at a time. We’re trying to get this next one on Tuesday and we’ll go from there,” Montalvo said.
Mission High will look to get back on the right track when it takes the court next against McAllen Memorial at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Mission High School.