EDINBURG — Edinburg Vela trailed Brownsville Hanna by four entering the second quarter of their Region IV-6A bi-district playoff game Monday night at Edinburg Vela High School.
Then, SaberCats senior guard Alec Mancillas got the hot hand.
He erupted for 14 straight points during the period to lead Edinburg Vela past Hanna 66-52 and into the area round of the playoffs.
Mancillas finished with a game-high 21 points and hit four 3-pointers during his third quarter run. He finished with five 3s.
“The first 3 I hit, I didn’t think it was going in, but once I sank it, the energy came and I started feeling it,” he said. “Hit the second, hit the third, fourth and fifth — I let it fly and I said to myself ‘that’s going in.’”
The District 31-6A SaberCats improved to 30-7 overall.
“The ball finds energy and the ball kept moving and got in the right hands and went in,” Edinburg Vela head coach Lucio Rodriguez said. “Guys were looking for him because they know he can hit those open shots. It was a total team effort. Alec made the shots, but the other guys created the open looks for him and that’s how we like to play.”
While Mancillas was in the middle of his hot streak, the SaberCats defense did its part to keep Hanna off the scoreboard. Vela outscored the Eagles 20-7 during the second quarter to take a 31-22 lead into the locker room.
Edinburg Vela’s Jacob Rodriguez posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while teammates Tony Requena and Rollie Rodriguez finished with 13 points apiece. The trio scored key buckets down the stretch to keep the SaberCats ahead.
The Eagles made a run during the third quarter to cut the SaberCats’ lead to 42-40 but failed to get over the hump. Hanna’s season ends at 18-17 overall.
“That’s kind of how our whole season has been — we lose two or three in a row then go on a five-game winning streak. Same thing in games, we’ve been down and fought back,” Hanna head coach Fermin Lucio said. “That’s what I love about this team — they fought all season long and I knew they were going to fight here today and that’s what they did.”
Ricardo Roman led the Eagles with 14 points. Kevin Flores had 12.
Edinburg Vela will meet the winner of Laredo United and San Antonio O’Connor’s opening-round game. United and O’Connor are scheduled to play at 6 tonight at Alice High School.
The SaberCats played the United Longhorns during non-district play and came away with a 71-67 win Nov. 16.
