EDINBURG —Edinburg High and Harvest Christian are two different weight classes on paper.
The Bobcats are a Class 6A program with an enrollment of just over 2,400 according to the latest realignment numbers. The Eagles on the other hand have an enrollment just under 70 and compete in the TAPPS 1A class.
On the hardwood, however, the two are near equals, with the Bobcats and Eagles ranking as arguably the top two girls basketball teams in the RGV this year.
The basketball titans squared off Tuesday, with the Bobcats outscoring the Eagles 17-7 during the fourth quarter to take down the reigning TAPPS 1A state champions 66-60 during a non-district contest Tuesday at the Edinburg High Gym.
“Honestly, Harvest Christian are state champs in the private schools for a reason,” Edinburg High head coach J.D. Salinas said. “We got a lot of respect for what Coach Jaime (Gonzalez) does with his program. He has really great basketball players on that end, but we got some good ones, too. The summer league, we got to play them a couple of times, and every time we have played them it has been a good game. That’s the reason we scheduled them, to get games like this.”
Edinburg High entered the final period trailing 53-49 following a 25-point outburst during the third by Harvest Christian.
A quick basket by senior guard Lexi Garcia to start the fourth sent the Eagles’ crowd into a frenzy, with the visiting team taking a six-point advantage.
The bucket by Garcia was the last for a while for the Eagles, as Edinburg High responded with a 10-0 run to take a 59-55 lead midway through the final period.
A pair of made free throws by Harvest Christian junior Riley McClaugherty ended Edinburg High’s run, cutting the Bobcats’ lead back down to two.
Edinburg High responded once again, with senior Madison Martinez netting back-to-back 3-pointers to silence the Harvest Christian crowd and all but seal the Bobcats’ victory.
“It was really a playoff atmosphere,” Salinas said. “I can’t say enough about our girls and how they were ablet to fight adversity. This is exactly what great basketball entails. You have a game of runs. If you go back and see the number of times the lead changed, it is incredible. We were just fortunate enough to come out with the victory on our end.”
Martinez finished with five 3-pointers made en route to 17 points. Edinburg High’s Kimora Fagan led all scorers with 28 points. Freshman Yuri Perez added 10 points off the bench.
Harvest Christian senior Ashley Gonzalez finished with a team-high 22 points, including 11 during the team’s 25-point third quarter. Senior guard Lexi Garca chipped in 17 points, and sophomore Jamie Gonzalez added 12.
The Bobcats (19-2) return to action at 7 p.m. Friday against Laredo United at Edinburg High. The Eagles (27-1) will look to bounce back at home against Edinburg North at 6 p.m. on Dec. 19.
