BY KEVIN NARRO | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
MISSION — Mission Veterans has been in playoff mode for the last two weeks. After a win against Rio Grande City on Tuesday, the Lady Patriots needed a win Friday to keep their playoff push alive in District 31-5A. Mission Veterans answered the bell with a solid second half en route to a 39-26 win against Sharyland High on Friday night.
“Our girls came up big again tonight,” Veterans coach Rafael Cantu Jr. said. “We exchanged runs in the first half. At halftime, I told our girls it was our turn to go on a run in the second half. I thought we did a good job of reestablishing ourselves in the second half. It’s hard to get the momentum back, but we were able to settle down and execute in the second half.”
With the win, Mission Veterans (9-6, 17-16) is tied with Rio Grande City (24-11, 9-6) for the No. 4 seed in District 31-5A. The Lady Patriots will square off against Valley View on Monday night, with Rio Grande City facing Sharyland High on Tuesday night.
Mission Veterans and Rio Grande City split the season series, thus upping the stakes for the final week. If both teams finish with the same record, they would meet in a play-in game.
“Our girls grinded it out tonight, they weren’t going to be denied,” Cantu Jr. said. “Obviously, Monday is big for us. We have always told the girls to play to the whistle, and to maximize their effort. Our girls have put a lot of time and sacrifice this season, and they’re not ready for their season to be over just yet.”
Mission Vets grabbed a 16-6 lead midway through the second quarter, but later Sharyland High’s Ania Pelayo hit back-to-back threes to cap a 10-0 run and tie the game at 16 at halftime.
Despite giving up the lead, Mission Veterans began the third quarter on an 8-2 run and never looked back. The Lady Patriots never trailed in the second half, with Sharyland only tying the score once.
Sophomore Jackie Howell and Senior Lyndsey Garza led the team with 10 points, while freshman Ronnie Cantu netted 7 points.
“Tonight was big for us,” Howell said. “We have one more game left, and our goal is to make the playoffs. So our approach is the same, and we know what our job is. It’s just a matter of execution.”