McALLEN — McAllen Memorial needed a victory against Sharyland Pioneer on Tuesday to secure the District 31-5A championship outright.
The Diamondbacks had other plans.
Sharyland Pioneer played spoiler and defeated the Mustangs 67-59 at McAllen Memorial High School to create co-district champions between McAllen High and Memorial.
The Diamondbacks, who finish as the No. 3 seed in District 31-5A, also avenged a 70-44 loss to the Mustangs suffered on Jan. 21.
“That was unbelievable; these guys are crazy. Nobody gave us a chance in the world,” Pioneer head coach Rene Gonzalez said. “When we played Memorial (the first time) they beat us pretty handily at home, so I told them ‘we’re going to party today and we’re going to get after it and do what we got to do. This is a tune-up game for the playoffs for us, so just relax and play your game.’”
The Diamondbacks (20-12, 10-3) didn’t allow anything easy inside for the Mustangs and hit key shots down the stretch. Senior forward Isaiah Reyes finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while point guard Evan Yong scored a team-high 21 points with five assists.
The Mustangs (24-12, 12-2) were in catchup mode for the majority of the second half. They tied the game at 50-50 early during the fourth quarter before a Pioneer run put the game away. Memorial’s Arian Elizondo finished with a game-high 33 points.
The Mustangs will now either meet crosstown rival McAllen High (29-8, 12-2) in a seeding game or flip to decide the top team in District 31-5A. Memorial and McHi split their season series 1-1. Details are to be determined. The winner will face Brownsville Veterans in the bi-district round of the playoffs. The loser will meet Edcouch-Elsa.
Sharyland Pioneer will face Weslaco East in the bi-district round. Game details are to be determined.
