Weslaco's Morgan Peralez (21) on a drive to the basket against PSJA's Norma Mendez (15) during the 2nd half of a girls 6A bi-district game at PSJA High gymnasium on Friday, Feb.12,2021 in Pharr. Photo by Delcia Lopez/The Monitor | [email protected]

SAN JUAN — Weslaco High and PSJA High each came out swinging in their highly-anticipated Class 6A bi-district playoff matchup.

The Bears and Panthers traded blows throughout a back-and-forth first half that looked like anyone’s ballgame.

Then the Panthers flipped a switch after the break.

Led by its “Big Three” of Melanie Carrion, Alexa Davila and Morgan Peralez, Weslaco rallied during the second half and surged ahead for a 61-39 victory over PSJA High, thanks to dominant defense to storm into the area round Friday night.

“We knew coming in that we had to show up,” Carrion said. “After halftime, we knew we had to step it up and clean some things up. … I think it was our press and helping each other close out those traps and going for steals did it for us. We just had to push the ball.”

“Defense is the name of the game for us,” Weslaco High head coach Griselda Fino said. “I thought we really came out and flexed our defensive muscles, especially in the second half. … There were moments in that first quarter and second quarter where we did get punched in the face a little bit, but I told the kids there’s no need to panic. Our girls just needed to settle into it.”

The first quarter began as an intense offensive affair with the Bears and Panthers each racing up and down the court, exchanging buckets.

The first 8 minutes of featured five ties and four lead changes before PSJA High settled in and started to find its groove offensively.

Junior power forward Kaylah Hernandez led a hard-charging Bears offense, driving the lane and finishing through contact, which allowed point guard Ileana Martinez to fire away from deep.

Weslaco’s Kennedy Villalpando (12) snags a rebound away from PSJA’s Norma Mendez (15) during the first half of a girls 6A bi-district game at PSJA High gymnasium on Friday, Feb.12,2021 in Pharr. Photo by Delcia Lopez/The Monitor | [email protected]

That helped PSJA High mount a quick 6-0 run and seize a seven-point edge, its largest of the game, midway through the second quarter.

Hernandez finished with a team-high 14 points and six rebounds, while Martinez and fellow point guard Lesly Tinoco combined for an additional 19 points as the Bears carried a slight 24-21 lead into the half.

“The message at the half was simple: we’re definitely not ready to go home,” Fino said. “We’ve been through a lot this season with us starting off and the double quarantine that really hurt us. … There was a lot of talk about how Weslaco is not the same team (this year). We’re not the same team, but we’re still the Lady Panthers and that was important for them to understand.”

That’s when the tide began to turn in Weslaco’s favor.

The Panthers shifted gears and transitioned into a half-court press that gave the Bears fits.

Carrion and Davila, the team’s only two returning varsity lettermen in the backcourt, pick-pocketed PSJA High’s point guards with surgical precision to begin racking up steals and creating fast-break scoring opportunities.

The duo combined for 11 of the team’s 15 steals and five assists. That helped break the game wide open and the Panthers surged ahead during a dominant 26-point third quarter.

Weslaco’s Destinee Ramos (1) and PSJA’s Heaven Estrada (24) attempt to control a ball after a steal during the first half of a girls 6A bi-district game at PSJA High gymnasium on Friday, Feb.12,2021 in Pharr. Photo by Delcia Lopez/The Monitor | [email protected]

“Our communication was pretty good in the second half and we were looking for each other,” Davila said.

Davila ended the night with a game-high 21 points and Carrion added 17, but the standout star of the night for Weslaco was sophomore center Morgan Peralez.

Peralez, the Panthers’ only varsity returner in the frontcourt and The Monitor’s All-Area Co-Newcomer of the Year in 2020, took command of the low block on both ends of the floor.

She held Hernandez, Hidalgo County’s second-leading scorer, mostly in check during a physical second half and provided countless second-chance scoring opportunities with her work on the boards. Peralez finished the game with a monster double-double that included 19 points and a game-high 18 rebounds.

“They’ve been there before,” Fino said of Carrion, Davila and Peralez, who combined for 47 points. “They have to understand some of these younger kids might have a little bit of jitters, and we told those younger kids that’s OK because we have our big three leading you. … They truly believe in their ability to finish games.”

The victory pushes the Panthers to 20-4 overall on the season and into the area round of the state playoffs for the ninth consecutive season.

Weslaco will face the San Antonio Stevens Falcons (18-6), champions of District 29-6A, in the area round early next week at a to-be-determined location. The Falcons defeated Laredo Nixon 41-21 in the bi-district round Thursday to advance.

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Twitter: @ByAndyMcCulloch