BY TJ GARCIA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
MISSION — Senior Jaden Conrow scored 19 of 24 points in the second half to lead the McAllen High Bulldogs to an impressive come-from-behind victory Friday over the Mission Eagles 61-49 and claim the District 30-6A third-place tiebreaker.
The victory awarded McHi a bi-district matchup with Laredo Nixon, a successful program with lots of playoff experience.
But without Conrow’s excellent performance, solid team defense and Mission foul trouble, it may have not gone the Bulldogs’ way.
Conrow, a 6-foor-4-inch forward, took matters into his hands after hitting just one field goal in the first half, and sparked the Bulldogs to a decisive third quarter and a 10-run to end the period, which culminated with a half-court 3-point shot at the buzzer.
“Well, my coach wanted me to attack the basket more in the second half and that’s what I did,” said Conrow, who’s long shot gave McHi it’s first lead since the game’s onset. “I felt that got me and also got my teammates going.”
To be sure, McHi’s victory wasn’t a one-man show. The Bulldogs got key contributions from senior guards Matthew Ibarra (17 points) and Bryan Argil, who added 12 points. Conrow also pulled down seven rebounds and blocked two shots.
But it didn’t come easy. Mission’s crisp passing game revolving around its twin towers, postmen Rey and Louie Garcia, was clicking in the first half. The Eagles hit an array of open shots as they were often quicker than McHi’s defensive rotations. They even opened an eight-point second-period lead before McHi slowed things down.
“I think what was working for them is they were just out-hustling us. They were getting offensive rebounds left and right,” said McHi Coach Ryan Flores. “They had 28 points at half and they must’ve had half of those off second- and third-chance opportunities.”
Mission played to its strengths, but what eventually took them out of their game was Louie Garcia’s foul trouble. The 6-foot-5 post played sparingly in the first half and fouled out with 7:25 left in the game. McHi and Conrow had a much easier time only having to deal with one Garcia big.
Louie Garcia finished with just four points on two field goals, meanwhile Rey posted 15 and had a team high 11 rebounds.
After trailing by four at the half, McHi led 42-39 by outscoring Mission 18-11 in the third. Then the Bulldogs unleashed a 14-4 run to start the fourth quarter and pushed its lead to a commanding 54-42 with nearly three minutes left.
Although the scorebook won’t show it, the Bulldogs got outstanding efforts from forward Jackson Helmcamp and reserve guard Quinn Canada. Helmcamp had eight rebounds and four points while guarding the much bigger Garcias all night. And Canada, who had no points, also earned extra floor time with judicious ball handling and hustling defense.