HARLINGEN — On a night where points were hard to come by, Harlingen South needed a spark and got one from sophomore point guard Karla Reyes.
Reyes stepped in and made the difference by making one of two free throws to seal the game with 0.7 seconds left giving South a 27-26 win Tuesday night against Edinburg Vela.
“It feels good to bounce back after Friday’s loss,” Reyes said. “We did a better job tonight on finishing and we’re trying to get some momentum going before we start district. Coach told me I needed to be smarter with the ball and I did what she asked tonight, and when I went to the free-throw line I wasn’t nervous. I believe in myself to make the play.”
Reyes finished the night with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
The win came at the right time for the Lady Hawks. After losing 50-49 against Brownsville Veterans last week, coach Kelly Garrett was optimistic about her team and the resiliency it showed. With the win, South improved to 11-6 on the season.
The Lady Hawks have now won three of their last four and will host McAllen High on Friday before they open district play next Tuesday when they welcome in Harlingen High.
“We have been in this situation before,” said Garrett. “It has been like this the last few games, but we’re learning and when Karla has the ball in her hands she does a good job on calming everyone down.”
At the break, both offenses managed just eight points each. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter where both teams found their footing.
Edinburg Vela looked to be in control with four minutes left in the game when Julia Cordon gave the Lady SaberCats a four-point swing and led 21-17.
But Reyes answered quickly with a pair of baskets making it a one-point game at 24-23 with 1:20 remaining. Laura Ramirez gave the Lady Hawks their first lead of the half. Vela tied the game on the next possession with 18 seconds left and that set up the Reyes free throws.
“At halftime, I told the kids to keep attacking the basket. That’s all we could do,” Garrett said. “We started attacking the baseline and our posts were getting touches. We just struggled to put the ball in the basket, but we were able to attack and that was a good thing. Toward the end I wanted the girls to be smart, protect the ball and not foul, and they did a good job of finishing.”
