FREDDY GONZALEZ | Staff Writer
LA FERIA — PSJA North’s tournament MVP Melissa Palacios had 26 points as the Lady Raiders withstood a late second-half surge to defeat La Feria 47-30 Saturday afternoon at the 43rd annual Tommie Wiseman girls basketball tournament.
It was the Lady Raiders’ third straight Wiseman crown.
Palacios hit eight three pointers in the game, including four that came in the first period.
The Lady Raiders’ suffocating defense combined with a precision-passing offense was too much for the host Lionettes.
PSJA North finished the tournament 4-0 with wins over Zapata (64-30), Brownsville Rivera (51-47), Mercedes (51-21) and La Feria.
“We moved the ball really well and executed our offense, and played really, really good defense, which is something we had lacked earlier these past weeks but we seem to put it together for this tournament,” said PSJA North head coach Randy Bocanegra.
“We seem to run into each other a lot, but La Feria played extremely well. I saw their previous two games before this one and they never stopped, and they never quit.”
Saturday’s game marked the third consecutive year the Lady Raiders and the Lionettes met each other in the championship game of the Tommie Wiseman Tournament.
For the Lionettes, Camryn Lopez led the team with eight points, Myah Salas added seven, and both Anelli Rodriguez and Syerra Montalvo contributed six points.
“I told the girls before the game that we could not afford a slow start against a good team like PSJA North, but they jumped out on us quickly with their great shooting,” said La Feria head coach Angel Martinez.
Leading up to the final, the Lionettes had rallied from 11 points or more to win their previous games. However, the Lady Raiders shot lights-out early on, building a 26-11 halftime lead.
With their backs against the wall, La Feria outscored PSJA North 16-13 in third period to cut the Lady Raiders’ lead to eight. But with time dwindling, Palacios continued to hit from beyond the arch putting the game out of reach for the Lionettes.
“At the half I told the girls to settle down and to communicate with each other, and play defense like we’re capable of,” said Martinez. “They came out in the second half with a sense of urgency and cut the lead.
“But give credit to Randy Bocanegra and his girls for withstanding our charge. They are very well coached and he should be proud of his girls, just as I am for my girls’ never-quit mentality.”
The Lionettes finished the tournament 3-1 with wins over Mission (27-12), Raymondville (29-28) and La Joya (48-45).
Mercedes defeated La Joya 37-31 to win third place.