WESLACO — The Weslaco High Panthers continued their hot streak in District 32-6A by dishing out a 66-52 beat down against Brownsville Hanna on Friday night at Weslaco High School.
The victory was the Panthers’ eighth in a row, as Weslaco improved to 16-3 overall and 9-1 in District 32-6A.
Weslaco High senior post Vince Peralez led the way with a double-double as he finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks for the Panthers.
The Eagles didn’t make it easy, however.
The Panthers found themselves trailing 23-13 midway through the second quarter. But a gritty sequence on the defensive end of the floor by a pair of Panthers quickly shifted all momentum back in Weslaco High’s direction.
Junior point guard Andrew Olmeda sparked it with his on-ball pressure which resulted in a steal and coast-to-coast finish. On Hanna’s next trip down court, senior forward Juan Galindo put his body on the line and drew a charge, giving possession back to his team to further cut into the lead.
Then, Olmeda came up with another steal, his third of the quarter, drove the ball into the paint and drew three Hanna defenders who attempted to cut him off in the lane. The Panthers’ junior guard didn’t panic. He simply dumped the ball off to a cutting Galindo in the paint for an easy two, as Weslaco High was on its way to its eighth consecutive victory.
Olmeda finished with 11 points, six steals, three assists, two rebounds and two blocks. Point guard Leonard Smith added six points and dropped off a game-high five assists, while Galindo scored eight points and pulled down five boards for the Panthers.
Brownsville Hanna’s Charles Thirwall matched Peralez’s 24 points and had seven rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the all-around effort from a hot Weslaco team.
The Panthers began the week in second place in District 32-6A at 7-1, one game behind Los Fresnos in the standings. After beating Los Fresnos on Monday and Hanna on Friday, combined with the Falcons losing their second game of the week against Harlingen on Friday night, Weslaco High has catapulted itself into first place in 32-6A with four games to go.
Next up for Weslaco High is another pivotal 32-6A bout against Harlingen South (17-4, 6-3). The Panthers pulled out a 53-47 win on their home floor in their first meeting Jan. 16. Now, they’ll travel to face the Hawks at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Harlingen.
Meanwhile, Hanna (10-12, 4-6) will host Los Fresnos at 7:30 p.m. Monday.