BY JON R. LAFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
MCALLEN — It is completely understandable when a coach is terse, brooding and unapproachable following a 16-point blowout.
When PSJA North girls basketball coach Randy Bocanegra found himself in such a scenario, however, his mood was genial, warm and frank.
His Lady Raiders were the only Valley team left standing at Saturday’s annual Border Bash tournament at McAllen High School. They faced a superior San Antonio Churchill squad in an afternoon semifinals matchup.
“To be honest, we’re just happy to be here,” Bocanegra said.
And his team played like it.
The Lady Raiders routinely left opposing shooters wide open for 3-point shots, collapsed too often against penetrating guards, were consistently outrebounded and couldn’t defend the pick-and-roll.
The scoreboard reflected the team’s errors, as Churchill rolled to a 74-50 win.
“We worked hard, and (Churchill) just shot phenomenal,” Bocanegra said. “They lit us up.”
The Lady Chargers (11-1) were dead-on from long range throughout the contest, sinking 10 shots from behind the arc. Many of Churchill’s 3-point attempts were the result of an effective slash-and-kick offense, led by point guard Mikki Flores who collected a game-high seven assists.
PSJA North (5-1 at press time) never had an advantage or mismatch they could exploit. Lacking any semblance of a viable post threat, the Lady Raiders were resigned to hoisting contested jumpers.
While the team made their first quarter shots, including a pair of 3-pointers from senior guard Cynthia Martinez, PSJA North went cold in the second, not scoring until one minute before halftime on a Tiffany Puente free throw.
“We definitely were a little fatigued,” Bocanegra said.
The Lady Raider’s shooting touch never returned, and were at times blocked by Churchill’s lengthy defenders.
“I thought they were a little faster than us, a little quicker than us,” Bocanegra said.
Don’t forget taller, as Churchill finished with a 29-16 advantage on the boards.
Despite the loss, however, Bocanegra and the Lady Raiders were by and large upbeat and optimistic. The team advanced to the Border Bash final four for the first time in their history.
“We’re happy this happened,” Martinez said. “People don’t really notice us, and so now we feel like we’re going to get some notice.”
The Lady Raiders are in a loaded District 31-6A, and will compete against PSJA Memorial and the Weslaco and Edinburg programs once district play begins. Five of the seven teams in the district finished with winning records last season.
Martinez is undaunted.
“Our goal is to get district,” she said. “I’ve been trying to get better with shooting, attacking and getting better of defense as well.”