MERCEDES — A District 32-5A matchup in hostile territory wasn’t the only adversity Weslaco East was forced to battle Friday night.
COVID-19 knocked four starters out of the Wildcats’ lineup in recent weeks. They were cleared to return to action against Mercedes and didn’t skip a beat as Weslaco East earned a 52-45 road win over the Tigers.
“They had been out for 10 days. I didn’t start them, but they came in a little bit in the second half nervous, out of shape, but they came out to compete and play. It’s a district game, that got them fired up a little bit,” Weslaco East head coach Esequiel Rodriguez said. “They themselves motivated each other because they want to compete against (defending district champion) Brownsville Pace.”
Mercedes took a 33-30 lead into the half, but Weslaco East responded with a second-half surge, outsourcing the Tigers 37-24 during the third and fourth quarters.
During the fourth, Weslaco East freshman point guard EJ Garza dribbled down the left sideline and drew two Mercedes defenders in his direction. He kept his head up, saw a streaking Nacho Aranda under the basket and hit him for an easy bucket. Garza then threw his hands over his eyes on his way back on defense, a tribute to his court vision.
“I love those moments when you get excited after making a play. We did a good job seeing everyone and moving the ball,” Garza said. “We lost four guys these past practices, they came back and I don’t think we lost a beat. We played well together and came out with the win.”
Garza posted a team-high 12 to lead Weslaco East, while fellow freshman Zion Rodriguez scored all eight of his points during the fourth quarter with five free throws and a 3-pointer. Senior Nacho Aranda finished with nine and Danny Mendoza delivered with a seven-point third quarter.
Mercedes’ David Clower scored 13 of his game-high 19 during the second half to give the Tigers life late, but Weslaco East had an answer each time. Forward Joaquin Gonzales added 10 points for Mercedes while post Kemper Ledesma finished with seven points and nine boards.
Next for Mercedes is a District 32-5A test against Brownsville Lopez at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Mercedes High School.
Meanwhile, Weslaco East will look for another district win as it hosts Donna High at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The Wildcats have their eyes on qualifying for the postseason for the second-straight season for the first time in program history.
“They want to be the group that goes back-to-back,” Rodriguez said. “East is a school that does well in football, they go back-to-back year after year. This is my second year here, and I told them they could be the group that goes back-to-back, and that’s motivation for them.”
