EDINBURG — The Harlingen High Cardinals came into the season ranked No. 20 in the Texas Girls Coaches Association 6A State rankings. Friday night, they proved why by rolling past the Edinburg High Bobcats 52-40.
Coming off a 78-9 victory over La Joya Juarez-Lincoln on Monday, the Cardinals got off to a slow start as the Bobcats jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead early in the first.
That’s when Harlingen High head coach Ashley Moncivaiz changed the defensive scheme to a full-court press, putting the pressure on the Bobcats. Led by junior point guard Avery Hinojosa, the Lady Cardinals ended the first quarter on a 10-2 run giving them an 10-8 lead going into the second quarter.
Moncivaiz credited the press and the energy from her rotation for the turnaround during the first quarter.
“Our press and I think our energy from the players (made the difference),” she said. “We had some people coming in and subbing in. We had 13 people go in and out and just go in there and (were) contributing to that (the win) with their effort.”
Edinburg, however, stayed close and led 29-27 at halftime.
Moncivaiz’s squad turned up the intensity during the third quarter, outscoring the Lady Bobcats 16-6. Led by junior Emery Scoggins and her timely 3-pointers, the Cardinals took a 43-35 lead into the fourth and never looked back.
“She’s (Scoggins) doing really well this year,” Moncivaiz said. “She’s turned it around from her freshman year to now as a junior. She contributes in different ways. She’s that type of player that’s fearless and goes out there and competes. Even though you see her so small, she’s out there shooting lights out.”
The Bobcats cut the lead to five early during the fourth behind a 3-pointer by senior A’nnika Saenz, but the Cardinals responded quickly going on a 7-0 run to put the game out of reach. Hinojosa and Scoggins led all scorers for the Cardinals with 15 and 13 points, respectively.
Moncivaiz made the decision to put her team to the test early in the season to prepare for district play and her team has answered the call.
“Like we said, every night is going to be a tough night but that helps us out,” she said. “Whether it’s us or Edinburg, it just makes us better for our district play in a month.”
With her team now 2-1 after losing an overtime thriller to Laredo Alexander in the season opener, Moncivaiz said she felt fortunate to have her team playing this season, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“It feels great for us to be able to play ‘cause that’s one of the things that we didn’t know if we were,” she said. “And so for these kids to be out here doing something, that’s a good thing for them. It’s better than them being at home. They get to be out here and do something they love to do.”
Daysha Tijerina led Edinburg in its season opener, scoring 19 points.
Harlingen (2-1, 0-0) travels to La Joya High today, while Edinburg (0-1, 0-0) hosts McAllen High on Monday.