BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — Tani Talamantez knew her team would come away with a victory. During a pre-game huddle, the freshman point guard sensed a level of intensity and focus that had been eluding the McAllen Memorial Lady Mustangs in recent games.
“Everyone just knew what they had to do,” Talamantez said. “There was an energy there. We wanted this one bad.”
And so, with renewed vigor and homecourt advantage on their side, the Lady Mustangs turned their premonition into a self-fulfilling prophecy, beating McAllen Rowe 55-50 on Friday. The win pulls the Lady Mustangs a game-and-a-half behind Rowe in the District 30-6A standings with three regular-season dates remaining.
The Lady Warriors (20-9, 8-1) have been the class of the district the last two years. The loss marks just the second time Rowe has succumbed to a district opponent since 2014 — both losses coming at the hands of the Lady Mustangs (19-12, 8-2).
Friday marked Memorial’s most impressive win of the season. Aside from toppling a quality opponent, the Lady Mustangs demonstrated their strengths in nearly every facet of the game.
Junior post Ebony Johnson scored game-high 19 points while displaying her ability to stretch the defense with outside shooting. Johnson hit four shots from downtown, including a trio of 3-pointers during the third quarter to help Memorial to a 12-point lead.
“I’ve really been working on my shot,” Johnson said. “And my teammates did a good job of getting me open and getting me looks.”
While Johnson was firing away from long range, Memorial’s bench was getting it done, too, combining for 19 points. Senior post Draik Banks collected timely offensive rebounds, and senior guard Victoria Izaguirre, who played in her second game after missing six weeks with a knee injury scored nine points.
Memorial saw more promising signs from the budding play of Talamnantez, who scored nine points, grabbed three boards and three steals as well as a pair of assists. Her demeanor and production stood in contrast to her early-season performances wherein she played every bit like the freshman she is.
“She would force a lot of things and not let the game just come to her,” Memorial coach Clarisse Arredondo said. “Now, she’s much more patient, makes better decisions and does a good job of drawing in defenders for open passes.”
Though Memorial got the win, it was Rowe which looked like the better team during the opening quarter. Thanks to five points from Mayda Garcia and Jovanni Solis, the Lady Warriors took a 17-8 lead into the second quarter.
The remaining 24 minutes, however, were controlled by the Lady Mustangs, who outscored Rowe 47-33 during that span. While Rowe was turnover-prone and saw key starters in Ryela Rodriguez and Deanna Spear sit on the bench with foul trouble, eight different Memorial players scored to give their team the cushion it needed.
Despite the loss, Rowe coach Raul Vega was nonchalant and confident.
“I’m not worried,” he said. “I thought my team played well, and I like their effort. They never quit. … It’s a McAllen school versus another McAllen school. I’ve been around long enough to know that sometimes games like this just happen. We’ll be fine.”