LA JOYA — Edinburg High’s sophomore trio of Emily Carranco, Kimora Fagan and Madison Martinez garner headlines for the Bobcats, ranking first, second and third on the team in scoring, respectively.
On Wednesday, however, it was senior Genesis Hall coming up with two of the game’s biggest plays. With 1:54 left in regulation, fellow senior Larissa Martinez delivered a cross court pass to Hall, who knocked down her second 3-pointer of the day to tie the contest.
Moments later, Hall drove to the basket, drawing the defense to her and finding Carranco driving towards the basket for the go-ahead score. Martinez sealed the deal for the Bobcats, hitting five straight free throws as the Bobcats edged the La Joya High Coyotes 51-46 in a District 31-6A contest Wednesday at La Joya High.
“She had a big 3 at the end and she secured a big rebound in the closing seconds after one of our free throws,” Salinas said. “The ball was in Madison’s hands a lot towards the end, and she was pretty consistent at the free throw line. Overall, I think we were 14-of-18 from the line, with Madison going 9-of-11. That was big. It’s big for a girl in a big moment with the game on the line being able to go up and hit those shots.”
The game marked the second straight contest the Bobcats have gone to the wire with their opponents, winning their last contest against PSJA North on a last second 3-pointer by Martinez.
Despite a young squad, Edinburg High has shown promise this season, opening district play with a 5-1 record, its lone loss coming at the hands of the undefeated Edinburg Vela SaberCats.
Still, Salinas said he believes his team isn’t playing to their full potential yet, with some growing pains evident in their 34% field goal percentage this season.
“We’ll take it as young as we are, still growing and trying to find out our identity,” Salinas said. “We’re going to start figuring that out as we finish up the first round of district. … I’ll take 5-1. We’re hoping we’re going to come around. Our shots are going to start falling for us. It’s just a matter of time. When they start falling for us, you better look out.”
La Joya’s duo of Karmen Cantu and Maggie Guajardo led the Coyotes’ offensive efforts, combining for 31 points. Guajardo did most of her damage from beyond the arc, draining six 3-pointers en route to a team-high 20 points, while Cantu did her best to keep the Coyotes in the game, scoring eight of her 17 points during the fourth.
Martinez finished with a game-high 21 points for the Bobcats. Carranco added 10 points, while Hall finished with eight points.
The Bobcats (20-7, 5-1) return to the hardwood against crosstown rival Edinburg North at 3:30 p.m. Friday at Edinburg High. Meanwhile, the Coyotes (10-8, 3-2) face off against PSJA High at 3:30 p.m. Friday at PSJA High.
