McALLEN — McAllen Memorial’s Cori Talamantez is no stranger to performing on big stages.
Whether helping the Mustangs’ basketball or volleyball squads battle deep into the postseason or roll through district competition, Memorial’s senior point guard delivers when the lights are shining brightest.
Talamantez delivered one of her top performances of the season so far Thursday night, dropping a game-high 25 points and tallying six assists and five steals, both team highs.
That helped lead the Mustangs past crosstown rival McAllen High 54-46 to move into third place in District 31-5A and notch the team’s third win in five days since returning from quarantine, as both Memorial, McHi and Valley View fight for control of 31-5A’s two remaining postseason berths.
“Coming into a rivalry game is always intense because anybody can take the victory, so it all comes down to who wants it more,” Talamantez said. “Everybody came out hustling and motivated. … We knew it was going to be a tense game and we wanted it more.”
The Mustangs had trouble finding the bottom of the net during the early going and had to play catch up after McHi’s physicality dominated the first 5 minutes of game time.
The Bulldogs dominated during the opening minutes thanks to their full-court pressure defense and tenacity in the paint defensively, which generated several steals and a huge advantage in rebounds throughout the first quarter.
Junior power forward Celina Saenz was nearly unstoppable during the first quarter down low by recording three steals and 12 boards, effectively outrebounding the Mustangs by herself during the opening frame. Saenz ended the night with nine points and a game-high 20 rebounds.
But the Bulldogs quickly got themselves into foul trouble with their physical style of play. Memorial entered the bonus 5 minutes into the contest, capitalizing from the free-throw line to make it a 10-7 McHi advantage heading into the second quarter.
“At practice, we get punishments if we don’t make (free throws) from running to sit-ups and crunches,” Talamantez said. “That helps us going into games … we’re used to the pressure.”
The rest of the first half was a frenetic back-and-forth duel between the Bulldogs and Mustangs that featured five lead changes.
Memorial slowed its offensive attack, which helped Talamantez spread the floor and find her teammates in space for consistent scoring opportunities.
McHi, meanwhile, turned to center Addy Fleischmann and point guard Kaylee Lopez to respond offensively.
Fleischmann provided the Bulldogs with a reliable scoring option down low and along with Sanez, helped provide several second-chance scoring opportunities thanks to her work on the board en route to a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Lopez provided the spark McHi’s offense needed and kept the ball moving in the half court. She tallied eight points and a team-high six assists in addition to hitting a buzzer-beater to cut Memorial’s lead to two heading into halftime.
That’s when the tide began to turn.
Memorial came firing out of the gates during the second half determined to make its defense create breakaway opportunities in transition offensively.
“We always have at least one player sneaking back,” Talamantez said. “We were more active on defense. In the first half, we would go for a trap and then let it go once the ball got over to the other side (of the court). In the second half, we made sure we were going back and forth with active hands on defense.”
Talamantez, forward Serenity De La Garza and guard Ivory Gutierrez led the charge, as the Mustangs combined for 10 steals to throw McHi’s offense out of sync.
Sofia Alaniz-Choy, Anna Heikes and Iasia Goldman helped wall off the interior too and made buckets increasingly harder to come by for the Bulldogs. The trio combined for 21 rebounds to help even out the battle on the boards, while Goldman added four blocks.
The Mustangs ultimately held the rival Bulldogs to 28% shooting from the floor and an 18% clip from behind the perimeter and never gave the lead back during the second half.
The victory moves Memorial to 8-4 in district play while McHi drops to 7-5. After Valley View forfeited its Thursday game to Sharyland Pioneer, both the Mustangs and Bulldogs will have several highly consequential games Friday and Saturday.
McHi will host McAllen Rowe at the same time Friday and Valley View at noon Saturday. The Bulldogs must win at least one of those two games to remain in the hunt for 31-5A’s final postseason berth.
Memorial, meanwhile, will travel to Valley View, which sits at 5-5 in District 31-5A, at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and then hosts PSJA Southwest at 1 p.m. Saturday to conclude its regular season. The Mustangs will clinch a spot in the state playoffs with a victory Friday.
“We were quarantined for 14 days and we’ve had to play games back to back to back. Winning one game at a time helps us emotionally and physically,” Talamantez said. “It makes us feel like we can do it. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it and you’re focused and determined.”
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Twitter: @ByAndyMcCulloch
