McALLEN — Fresh out of a program-wide quarantine, McAllen Memorial came into their first game in two weeks without a lot to prove and even more at stake.
The Mustangs are fighting to clinch a postseason berth in District 31-5A, one of the deepest across the Rio Grande Valley this season, and a backlogged schedule that will feature five games in six days to get there.
Memorial, however, started off that stretch strong by rallying for a 52-49 road victory over crosstown rival McAllen Rowe on Saturday to claim its seventh victory in its past eight games and bolster its chances of claiming home-court advantage in the bi-district round of the Class 5A state playoffs.
“We changed our energy from round one (of district play),” Mustangs senior point guard Cori Talamantez said. “The energy from getting something good on offense to defense changes the whole mood of the game. It brings you up more.”
Rowe started off red-hot from behind the 3-point arc thanks to forward Ziomara Jasso, whose early work from deep helped the Warriors jump on the Mustangs early and remain in control for much of the first half.
Jasso finished with a game-high 20 points on 4-of-10 3-point shooting to go along with 11 rebounds on her way to a double-double.
That made her a priority target for Memorial after the team was able to regroup before the beginning of the second quarter.
“We tried to find their key players,” Talamantez said. “(Jasso) was killing us on the shot, so we just closed her out. We made everyone else have to shoot, which caused them to have to hold the ball (which gave us steal opportunities.)”
In that second quarter, the Mustangs came charging back due to their work on the defensive end of the floor.
Talamantez and guard Victoria Alvarado jumped passing lanes and cornered Rowe’s ballhandlers in half-court traps that spurred Memorial’s transition offense and allowed the team to battle back to a tie at 17 by halftime.
The Mustangs’ backcourt duo combined for 23 points on the night, with Talamantez leading the way with 17 points, seven assists and six steals, all of which were team-highs.
With the Mustangs carefully guarding the 3-point line, though, the second half quickly developed into a battle for the paint that featured two of the RGV’s elite interior defenders.
Memorial’s Lasia Goldman and Rowe center Yulissa Yebra went back and forth in a one-on-one battle that characterized the course of the contest from that point forward.
Goldman and Yebra went back and forth swatting shots, side-stepping defenders to get to the basket and wrestling away rebounds from their opponent in a game that ultimately featured nine ties and three lead changes.
Yebra ended the night with eight points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks, while Goldman tallied 13 points, four rebounds and three blocked shots.
“We were really hustling and trying to get any steals that we could and frustrate them,” Goldman said. “At first, I started off pretty bad, but (my teammates) were telling me to dish out if I didn’t have a shot and move the ball around, and once you’re open, take the shot. Cori did real well moving the ball around too.”
The Mustangs truly found their groove late in the fourth quarter.
Memorial tied the game at 37 with 5:25 left to play before Rowe’s Yebra and guard Destiny Menchaca were able to take back the lead momentarily.
The Mustangs caught up again to force another tie at 43 and ultimately took the lead with just over 2 minutes to play as part of a 7-0 run that put them ahead by as much as four, the team’s largest lead of the night, with 75 seconds to go.
Rowe upped the tempo in the waning moments of the game as part of a ferocious comeback attempt, but Talamantez’s pressure defense and Goldman’s steady presence down low prevented the Warriors from being able to claw back into the game.
“After 14 days of quarantine, everyone expected us to get tired and shut down after the second quarter, but we pushed ourselves,” Talamantez said. “We were throwing our hands and diving after loose balls. Defense, not even offense, was the No. 1 key why we won today.”
McAllen Memorial improves to 5-3 in district play with the win, while Rowe drops to 6-3 in District 31-5A competition, giving Memorial a window to move from fourth to second place in the final two weeks of the regular season and potentially earn a home game in the bi-district round of the playoffs.
Memorial will return to action to face the Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks, who sit in first place, at 6:30 p.m. Monday in Mission, while Rowe will host Valley View at the same time for the first of five games in six days to close out the regular season.
“It was actually really hard coming back since we haven’t practiced together,” Goldman said. “But we just talked on the floor, and I guess those virtual workouts helped, too.”
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