BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Mercedes Hernandez didn’t miss a shot all night. It didn’t matter where the Edinburg High guard was on the court — behind the arc, the charity stripe, or getting layups while drawing contact from defenders. Once the ball left her hand, it was automatic.
“Even her floaters went in,” teammate Jennifer Galvan said. “They usually look a little off when she lets it go, but they went her way tonight.”
Indeed, everything went right for the Lady Bobcats during Tuesday’s game at Morris Middle School. Behind an 18-3 run during the second quarter, Edinburg ran away to a 47-22 win over La Joya Palmview to improve to 12-3 on the season.
Edinburg received scoring contributions from seven players, but none as efficient as Hernandez, who totaled 14 points while shooting 4-of-4 from the field and 7-of-7 from the line. As a team, the Lady Bobcats connected on all 13 of their free throw attempts.
This is the second consecutive game where Edinburg boasted a 20 point lead. During their last game, the Lady Bobcats allowed Laredo Cigarroa to hang around. Against the Lady Lobos, the aim was to play a complete defensive game.
“We wanted to bring that energy and close out,” Hernandez said. “At halftime (teammate Natalie Roxburgh) said we had to keep it mean face.”
And it was that mentality that flustered a high-powered Palmview offense. The Lady Lobos never scored more than nine points in a quarter, and their dynamic backcourt of Renee Flores and Samantha Gutierrez combined for nine points on 3-of-12 shooting.
Gutierrez, a senior, did not start for unspecified reasons. The left-handed guard came off the bench midway through the first quarter and was held scoreless on the night. Brittany Cano led Palmview (8-4) in scoring with 10 points.
“We never got going offensively,” Palmview coach Anisa Reyna said. “…We’ve still got some kids that are learning the ropes, trying to learn their responsibilities and their roles. We just made too many crucial errors. Offensively, we didn’t’ get enough shots up. They probably got more shots than us in one half period. We deserved to lose.”
Palmview led 9-8 after the first quarter, but a 5-0 Edinburg run at the beginning of the second quarter set the tone for the remainder of the game. Hernandez scored 10 points while Jenessah Santa Maria contributed six. Jenessah’s sister Jayla hovered near a double-double, scoring nine points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Jayla scored all of her points during the second half.