The Harlingen High Cardinals extended their winning streak to 22-straight games after taking down the Los Fresnos Falcons 80-78 in a matchup of District 32-6A powers Friday at Harlingen High School.
The Cardinals improve to 27-3 overall and 3-0 in district, while the Falcons drop to 22-7 and 2-1 in 32-6A play.
“Los Fresnos is a very talented team with very talented players and coached extremely well, so we knew it was going to be a battle,” Harlingen head coach Clayton Cretors said. “We knew it was going to be a fast-paced, high-scoring, back-and-forth game. When we hit 13 3s, it’s tough to beat us, but a lot of credit to Los Fresnos. They stayed in the game and kept going body blow for body blow, and that’s what you want when you have two great teams going at it. I think we made each other better tonight and we feel fortunate that we were able to come out tonight on top and move to 3-0 in district.”
The Cardinals drilled 13 3-pointers against the Falcons, including eight during the second half, to secure the district victory. Senior Andrew Galdamez led the Cardinals with seven makes from beyond the arc as he finished with a game-high 26 points.
“I think it was not giving up, pushing the pace and trusting our teammates. I just felt confident, I was open and I just trusted my own shot,” Galdamez said. “
Luis Rodriguez had 13 points with three made 3s, and Joaquin Cisneros added 11 points off the Harlingen bench to provide a spark during the second and fourth quarters.
The Falcons fought until the final buzzer as buckets from Gio Galvan, Andrew Munoz and JJ Salazar kept Los Fresnos within striking distance. Galvan finished with a team-high 18 points and seven rebounds. Salazar posted a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Munoz scored 16 for Los Fresnos.
Los Fresnos will look to bounce back against Brownsville Rivera at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Brownsville Rivera High School in Brownsville. Meanwhile, Harlingen High will look to extend its winning streak to 23 when the Cardinals face Weslaco High at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Harlingen High School.
The Cardinals haven’t lost a game since Nov. 21 against Corpus Christi Carroll.
“I think it’s just a perfect mixture of kids. You never expect to lose games, but you never expect to go on a 22-game streak, either — there’s just too many talented teams out there,” Cretors said. “There’s been some fortunate plays that have gone our way in the streak, and I don’t think you have streaks like that unless you get a little lucky, and we have, but luck is the product of preparation. The more you prepare, the luckier you get, and we’re just riding that wave right now. These kids are hungry still. We want to be undefeated district champs and they’re playing hard for it right now. They’re a bunch of tough individuals. They play very well as a team and are a tight-knit group, and I think the combination of all that has led to the success that we’re having this year.”
