KEVIN NARRO | Valley Morning Star
HARLINGEN—The Weslaco Lady Panthers remain the team to beat in district 32-6A. Weslaco used a strong first half and earned a 54-38 win against Harlingen South Friday afternoon.
“We’re in the position that we need to be in,” said Weslaco coach Griselda Fino. “We still have a lot of basketball left to play. To be in the position we’re in right now is something to be proud of.”
Three Lady Panthers finished in double figures, led by Bree Pena who scored a game high 21 points. Emily Saenz scored 12 and Illiyah Cantu dropped 11 points in the win.
“We’re excited to be 5-0 in district, but there is still a lot of work to be done,” said Pena. “We need to focus on the things we need to correct and we will be OK.”
After a shaky start, Weslaco led 21-10 after the first quarter. Weslaco adjusted and slowed down their pace after coming out too aggressive in the opening minutes. At the break, Weslaco was in cruise control 31-16.
With the win, Weslaco is 5-0 in district play while their next opponent, San Benito, also picked up a 60-33 victory over Brownsville Hanna, thus setting the stage for Tuesday.
Both teams are 5-0 and will get a shot at taking the district lead as we reach the midway point. Weslaco will have a date at San Benito Tuesday, then Los Fresnos Friday to wrap up the first round of district play.
“Up next is San Benito, this is definitely the toughest girls district in the Valley,” Fino said. “They’re a tough, senior led team and they have a lot of experience. They have some good guards who can shoot and attack the basket.
“I think it’s going to come down to who executes better defensively, but I’m looking forward to an exciting and tough game Tuesday.”
While the upcoming week may be a big one for the Lady Panthers, it’s a -been there, done that- mentality for the Lady Panthers.
“I take the younger girls under my wing and I’ll show them the little things in practice,” Pena said. “I tell them to work hard and keep pushing. Today I kept driving to the basket, they were manning up on us, we were able to execute our game plan, but we managed to contain ourselves and get the win.”