The PSJA North Raiders throttled the Harlingen South Hawks, securing a 56-19 bi-district playoff victory Thursday night in Pharr.
The Raiders dominated defensively from the opening tip. Junior center Trinity Bane, the Rio Grande Valley’s leading shot-blocker, sealed off the paint and made buckets difficult to come by for the Hawks’ offense.
The Raiders led the Hawks by 16 points at the half, but kept their foot on the gas and went on a 17-2 run during the third quarter to blow the game wide open.
Bane and senior point guard Carolina Sanchez each tallied 18 points to lead all scorers while sophomore forward Emma Lucio, the third member of PSJA North’s big three, added 11 points.
“We went into the game with a lot of confidence, and we knew we had it. The big three showed up today and we gave it our all,” Sanchez said. “We are looking forward to the next game and we are all grateful for the opportunities that have been given to us.”
The Raiders secured their first postseason victory since 2019 with their win over Harlingen South.
PSJA North advances to the area round of the Class 6A state playoffs against Laredo United, which won a nail-biter 68-66 over San Antonio Taft on Thursday night.
EDINBURG SHAKES OFF SLOW START, DOWNS LOS FRESNOS
The Edinburg High Bobcats found themselves in a tight game early but pulled away late for a resounding 54-27 victory over the Los Fresnos Falcons in their bi-district playoff game Thursday night in Edinburg.
The Falcons and Bobcats traded blows in the early going before Edinburg High jumped out to a 13-point halftime edge.
Los Fresnos was able to cut into Edinburg High’s lead throughout the third quarter and trimmed the deficit down into single digits, but the Bobcats dominated the final 8 minutes of play.
The District 31-6A champions held the Falcons to one made shot from the floor and outscored their opponent 19-2 during the fourth quarter to run away with its fourth consecutive victory in the bi-district round.
Senior guard Daysha Tijerina, the team’s leading scorer in the regular season, gave the Bobcats a veteran presence on a night when the team’s trio of freshmen stars — Janai Coleman, Kimora Fagan and Madison Martinez — all shined offensively.
Tijerina tallied 10 points while Coleman, Fagan and Martinez combined to score 23 in the win.
“We didn’t come out with that much energy, but we knew in order for us to pull the win off we would have to step it up on defense and that’s exactly what we did to excel our lead,” Tijerina said. “At the end of the day, we pulled the win off and that’s all that matters. It feels great, on to the next one.”
Edinburg High heads into the area round of the 6A state playoffs looking for its first trip to the regional quarterfinals since 2019.
The Bobcats will face the winner of the Laredo United South Panthers and San Antonio Warren Warriors, who will play one another at 7 p.m. Friday at Corpus Christi’s Moody High School.
United South defeated Edinburg High in the area round last season.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @ByAndyMcCulloch
