DONNA — The Donna High Bravettes came into Wednesday’s night tilt against Edcouch-Elsa, a district game rescheduled due to previous COVID-19-related schedule shuffling, looking to climb the District 32-5A standings and send a clear message in the process.
From the opening tip, the Bravettes blitzed the visiting Yellow Jackets, who were playing their first game in two weeks, and never looked back.
Donna’s dominant defense set up its offense in transition and flustered Edcouch-Elsa offensively all night, as the Bravettes rolled to a 60-36 home victory to leapfrog the Yellow Jackets into second place in 32-5A with a week and a half remaining in the regular season.
“We needed to start off strong,” Donna High point guard Ivette Valladares said. “We knew that Edcouch likes to push the pace, so we needed to start off strong on defense and know where the shooters were at all times. Communication was key tonight.”
Valladares — who finished the night with a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double and a team-high five assists — was instrumental in Donna’s defensive attack in the early going.
The Bravettes employed an extra-effective, full-court press to gain an early jump on a fast-paced Edcouch-Elsa offense. That allowed Donna to take advantage of the Yellow Jackets’ rust early during the game after several weeks on the sideline.
Valladares and forward Alyssa Perez spearheaded Donna’s defensive effort, which caused plenty of confusion and several turnovers that translated directly into points for the Bravettes on the fast break.
“We just wanted to press their top ball handlers so that way it would just be frustration for all of them all night long,” Valladares said.
Donna led 13-3 at the end of the first quarter after holding the Yellow Jackets to just one made shot from the floor.
The second frame, however, was all about offense for the Bravettes, who were able to find paths to the basket with surgical precision in their half-court sets.
With Valladares running the show at point guard, Donna connected on shots from every part of the floor. Whether it was a mid-range jumper, a baseline slash to the rim or a contested 3-pointer from the top of the arc, the Bravettes could not seem to miss en route to a 22-point quarter that gave them a 22-point lead at the half.
“Our key was just to pass the ball as fast as we could. It was all about pass, pass, pass,” Valladares said. “We wanted to keep going until we got a nice open shot rather than forcing it like we did in our last game.”
Edcouch-Elsa found its rhythm in the second half defensively and thrived in transition, but it was ultimately unable to make a meaningful dent in the Bravettes’ lead after their first-half surge.
The Yellow Jackets also struggled to get second-chance scoring opportunities due to a 37-18 disadvantage in the rebounding battle and found themselves frequently in foul trouble, making it difficult to play their brand of pressure defense needed to stage a second-half comeback.
The victory elevates Donna High to 8-2 in district play while Edcouch-Elsa falls to 6-3 in District 32-5A with five and six district contests remaining, respectively.
It also brings the Bravettes one step closer toward the postseason, and likely the opportunity to host their bi-district game, after Donna’s playoff dreams were crushed in the final game of the regular season last year.
Valladares and her teammates have used that moment as fuel and are determined to continue maximizing their opportunities to step onto the court during a season defined by unique challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were just fighting. Last year we didn’t make it to the playoffs and we knew we had to step it up this year,” she said. “It feels great like we’re going after it. We are hungry for it.”
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Twitter: @ByAndyMcCulloch
