BY NATE KOTISSO | THE MONITOR
PHARR — Edinburg Vela coach Lottie Zarate told her players that PSJA North’s game plan would be the same as it was during the teams’ first district matchup of the season.
“We knew (PSJA North coach Randy Bocanegra) was going to set the two screens at the top of the arc to create some space for their shooters,” Zarate said. “We prepared for it very well, but you can’t defend the 3 when they’re shooting it well way behind the line.”
Guards Melly Palacios and Caitlin Rodriguez, PSJA North’s top 3-point threats, combined for 10 3-pointers in the Raiders’ 64-49 win on Tuesday night.
“Any year when you’re able to sweep them (Vela) is a good thing,” Bocanegra said. “They played hard, because they’re fighting for a playoff spot. We expected a tough game.”
Palacios led all scorers with 26 points, her highest point total since scoring 28 against PSJA Memorial on Dec. 15.
“Normally, I would just shoot on my own in practice,” Palacios said. “The coaches told me that my steps have been off, and that’s why I’ve been slumping a little bit. I had one of the coaches throw me the ball in practice, and I’d shoot, but I kept missing. We kept shooting for 30 minutes, and when I got to tonight, I started feeling it. It felt good to break out of that.”
Rodriguez was scoreless in the first quarter but finished the half with 11 points. She ended the game with 20.
“I was just lagging early,” Rodriguez said. “If Melly is on, I’ll give her the ball. If she knows I’m on, she’s going to pass me the ball. Once I started to get the feel, the ball worked its way toward me, and since we were both going, we just worked off of each other. We’re a great one-two punch.”
Rodriguez made three 3-pointers in the second quarter after going 0 for 3 from the field through the opening eight minutes. During a whirlwind sequence late in the first half, the Raiders (29-4, 11-1) went on a 9-0 run that took just 40 seconds of game time. The run stretched PSJA North’s five-point lead to 14.
“In our last home game, she (Rodriguez) went 6 for 6 from 3,” Bocanegra said. “We told her that if she had a shot, then she had to take it. You can’t hold back. She had to continue shooting.”
The loss drops Edinburg Vela (23-12) to 6-6 in district play, which puts the team in a fourth-place tie with Edinburg North, which also lost on Tuesday.
“I told them in the locker room that you cannot control what you cannot control,” Zarate said. “Worrying about the officiating is irrelevant. You can control a missed layup. You can control a missed free throw. They know the situation we’re in. We have to move forward, focus and regroup for PSJA High and finish the season strong.”
PSJA North has 29 wins, which is three more than what the team had all of last season.
“We play so many games,” Bocanegra said. “We got to 26 last year, but we thought we could have got to 30 wins. When we got to 25 this year, we believed 30 could be a goal for us. We needed to run the table after losing to Edinburg, and now we have one more to get there before we play Edinburg again next week.”