LYFORD — The last time the Harvest Christian and Rio Hondo girls basketball teams met on the hardwood, the Eagles’ Ashley Gonzalez and Bobcats’ Eliza Rodriguez put on a show, combining for 72 points.
Harvest Christian emerged with the victory during the contest, taking down Rio Hondo 68-64 behind Gonzalez’s career-high 45 points.
The teams are set to clash once again, with both taking care of business during the opening round of the Lyford Girls Basketball Tournament on Thursday to set up a highly anticipated rematch during Round 2.
“Games like this will make us better in the long run,” Harvest Christian head coach Jaime Gonzalez said. “Playing against players like Eliza (Rodriguez) and trying to contain her or slow her down, those are challenges that we like. … Going into that game, we know it is going to be a good one. We were able to win the first one, but we don’t think they’re going to come in and just lay down. I think both teams are going in with a mindset of getting at it. I believe there is respect both ways, so it should make for a good game.”
The Eagles cruised to victory during their first-round matchup against Brownsville IDEA Riverview, picking up a 74-15 win over the Rockets. Gonzalez led the team with a game-high 23 points.
Rio Hondo ran past La Villa during their opening-round contest, crushing the Cardinals 88-11 behind Rodriguez’s game-high 41 points, topping her season average of 29.2 points per contest.
“(Rodriguez) has been a good player for me for a long time,” Rio Hondo head coach Victor Sauceda said. “She is somebody who works on her craft and does it year-round. All her hard work is paying off, and it is showing every game she steps out there. The girls are looking forward to (today). They feel we let one slip away. Hopefully we can put on a better showing and finish it off this time.”
The Bobcats and Eagles are slated to kick off Day 2 of the tournament at 8:30 a.m. at Lyford’s Memorial Gym.
The teams were just two of several to pick up blowout wins during Day 1 of the three-day event. Edinburg North crushed Brownsville IDEA Frontier 53-9. Jayli Rivera led the way with 18 points.
Edinburg North will take on Port Isabel in the quarterfinal round following a 49-32 victory by the Tarpons over Harlingen High’s JV team. Layni Mata finished with a game-high 19 points during the win.
Tournament host Lyford ran past Santa Maria during the first round, coming away with a 52-29 win behind a 15-point performance by freshman Brooklyn Burns.
For full results from Day 1 and Day 2 pairings, visit RGVSports.com.
