LA JOYA — Edinburg Economedes earned its spot in the UIL Class 6A playoffs as the Jaguars defeated the District 31-6A champion La Joya High 60-56 in a high-stakes battle Tuesday night at La Joya High School.
“This was a big win for us because not only did we beat the District 31-6A champions, we clinched a playoff spot. This was a complete team-effort, and I’m proud of the team and excited for the community,” Edinburg Economedes head coach Carlos Ramos said.
The two playoff teams delivered a back-and-forth battle from start to finish as the game was tied twice during the fourth quarter.
But each time the Coyotes (20-3, 12-2) came up with a bucket late, the Jaguars (16-6, 10-4) had an answer. On most occasions, that answer was Economedes junior Ray De Leon.
After La Joya beat Economedes 71-51 on Jan. 2, the Jaguars knew they needed to switch things up this time around. In order to improve down low, which is where the Coyotes hurt the Jaguars during their first meeting, Ramos let De Leon go to work in the paint on both ends.
The Jaguars’ forward delivered as he double-doubled with 18 points and 14 rebounds, while also tallying four assists, one steal and one block to fill each stat category in the book.
When the Coyotes’ swarming defense locked in on De Leon, three more Jaguars stepped up. MJ Barrientos had 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. Orly Martinez added 11 points, five rebounds and two blocks. And Rolando Moreno came up big off the bench with 12 points and four key assists during the second half.
“Ray can score at any time, but tonight we had a few guys get going. Rolie was big for us. Usually we’ll rotate in and out, but he was playing so good I had to leave him out there,” Ramos said of the sophomore guard.
Economedes won just three district games last season, finishing with a 12-19 record overall. But after Tuesday’s win, the Jaguars are now 10-4 in District 31-6A and back in the playoffs for the fourth time in six seasons.
“We had a chance to clinch a playoff spot last Friday against PSJA North, but we lost. I told the guys, ‘Last year we won just three (district) games, this year we’re plus-six,’ which is something to be proud of.”
For La Joya, the loss ends a 12-game winning streak which began Dec. 15.
La Joya’s big-man Bernie Vera finished with a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block, while Cesar Villarreal and Ethan Moya scored 14 and 11 apiece, respectively.
Despite the loss, La Joya needs just one win over its next two games to win the 31-6A championship outright.
The Coyotes are scheduled to host Mission (5-9 in district) at 7 p.m. Friday, and Edinburg Vela (10-13, 6-7 in district) on the road at 7 p.m. Monday.
Meanwhile, Economedes faces Edinburg North (14-7, 10-4 in district) at 7 p.m. Friday at Edinburg North.
