BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
SAN ANTONIO — The Edinburg High Bobcats didn’t have a firm handle of the basketball to start their UIL Class 6A Region IV semifinal against San Antonio Clark.
The Bobcats coughed up the ball six times in the first quarter. The six EHS turnovers led to four fast-break baskets for San Antonio Clark, who won going away 64-40 Friday at the Northside Sports Gym in San Antonio.
The Cougars (33-2) will advance to the UIL Class 6A Region IV final and meet Converse Judson at 2 p.m. today back at the Northside Sports Gym.
“We came out, I guess you could say, nervous,” Edinburg High coach J.D. Salinas said. “Our passes were very slow. We weren’t competing the way we should be. We tried to make those adjustments in the first half, but our halftime discussion was about how competitive we were going to play in the second half. We gave up around 12-14 points on breakaway layups because we weren’t careful with the basketball.”
“I don’t think everyone was on the same page. We had nerves, each of us,” Edinburg High guard Jenessah Santa Maria said. “I believe we could have come out stronger, but in the end, we still have each other and we’re proud to represent the Valley.”
A lot of Edinburg High’s first-half problems were exploited by San Antonio Clark senior guard Ta’Niya Jackson.
Jackson, who will stay in San Antonio to play college basketball at the University of the Incarnate Word this fall, showed off her quickness and defensive prowess. Jackson hounded Bobcat ballhandlers all night, jumping into passing lanes and converting one fast-break opportunity after another.
The senior scored 17 of her game-high 27 points in the first half.
“(Ta’Niya) Jackson is extremely fast and knows how to read loose balls,” Salinas said. “We played (San Antonio) Clark in November and we were missing some players. We knew what we were preparing for. When we were down 20, we started to second guess our own abilities.”
After breaking into the area round in 2017-18, the Bobcats defeated Brownsville Hanna, PSJA North and Harlingen High to advance to the regional tournament for the first time under J.D. Salinas.
“I came up with a lot of talented girls and each and every one of them pushed me to be my greatest,” Santa Maria said. “I had played with my sister (Jayla) and I tried to follow in her footsteps, doing what she did. This year, my senior year, I did my best to lead the team with the help of my teammates. It’s a great feeling to know that we made it this far.”
While seniors like Santa Maria, Alyssa Jade Salinas and Brianna Martinez depart, the Bobcats will bring seasoned starters A’nnika Saenz, Brianna Sanchez and Daysha Tijerina back into the fold. Sanchez will be a senior, while Saenz and Tijerina will both be juniors.
“We’ve got six out of 10 girls coming back,” J.D. Salinas said. “We’ve got some JV girls that came in second in our district and that’s not even talking about our seventh- and eighth-grade district champion teams coming up through our feeder middle school Barrientes. Whether we win or not, getting to the Sweet 16 is a great experience for these girls to go through. We’re excited about where our program is headed.”