BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — The Thanksgiving holiday must be a welcome sight for Edinburg High after an injury-plagued two-week start to its season. Key players on coach J.D. Salinas’ roster are either injured or going through an illness that forced them out of the rotation.
Sophomore starter A’nnika Saenz, last season’s District 31-6A Newcomer of the Year, was out with a swollen knee while starting center Brianna Sanchez and point guard Brianna Martinez weren’t in the lineup due to separate injuries. Circumstances were dire enough for Salinas to move two players up from the junior varsity team, bringing the grand total of Bobcats who dressed to eight on Tuesday.
The worst-case scenario for the Bobcats would be if they faced a deep, disciplined basketball team without some of their best pieces. On Tuesday afternoon, they did when Laredo United South paid a visit to Edinburg.
The Panthers are coming off a season where they went four rounds deep in the UIL Class 6A state playoffs for the second time in four years. Laredo United South’s size, shooting and depth proved to be too much as the Panthers captured a 64-48 victory.
“We played a Laredo United South team with a lot of experience,” Salinas said. “We did a good job of maintaining, but they shoot the ball extremely well. They put us in positions where our defensive rotations weren’t getting out on their shooters and their press got to us.”
The Bobcats (10-5) held a four-point halftime lead, but the bottom fell out in the third quarter. Twelve Panther players saw the floor and turned up the pressure on Edinburg High. The Bobcats were telegraphing passes, which led to turnovers and easy Panther baskets.
Laredo United South made five 3-pointers to start the second half on its way to outscoring Edinburg High 23-7 in the third, turning the Bobcats’ 26-22 halftime lead to a 45-33 deficit. The Panthers made 13 3’s on Tuesday afternoon.
Edinburg High senior guard Jenessah Santa Maria led all scorers in the gym with 23 points, but she was held scoreless in the third.
“Playing without A’nnika and big Bri(anna Sanchez) and my sister Julissah (Santa Maria), who was at a church retreat, is tough,” Santa Maria said. “We held our own in the first half, but we got tired with only six of us who played on varsity and the two JV players out there. I was tired as well. I’m in shape, but I was just tired. They put pretty good pressure on me. I guess I couldn’t get the ball in the hoop enough.”
Santa Maria has had to assume the role of top scorer and leader after sister Jayla, The Monitor’s 2017-18 All-Area Player of the Year, graduated along with point guard Mercedes Hernandez, who was an All-Area Second Team selection by The Monitor last season.
“Transitioning from last year to this year is totally different,” Santa Maria said. “I’m playing the same amount, but I’m getting the ball in my hands more. Other teams are going to put their best defender on me. It’s taught me to keep my composure and try and lift everyone else up. I’ve also got to be patient and more confident in my shot.”
“She’s been at least one of our top players for a few years,” Salinas said. “She’s carrying a lot on her shoulders and she hasn’t let us down one bit.”