Seniors honored: Seniors on the San Benito Lady Greyhound Varsity Basketball Team were recognized prior to their district game against Brownsville Veterans Memorial last Tuesday night. Seen from left are: Angelina Reyes, Jade Maya, Railyn Garcia, Valerie Vela, and Kayla Rodriguez. (Courtesy photo/Albert Villegas)
By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
HARLINGEN, TX —The San Benito Lady Greyhounds rebounded from three consecutive District 32-6A losses by defeating the Brownsville Hanna Lady Eagles in an away game this week.
So far, Hanna (7-21 overall) is the only team the Lady ’Hounds have beaten in district play, but the victory was much-needed, San Benito Head Coach Abel Moreno said.
“It was a must-needed win in order to keep ourselves in a position to try and make a run at the playoffs. With such a small district, every win is amplified. You want to not only win but gain momentum to have an honest chance to do well in the state playoffs,” the Coach said.
Once the district portion of the regular season is completed, San Benito will be competing in the big school division of the revamped state playoffs, regardless of finish.
“So the sweep of Hanna was big for us. Now we try to make a run here in the last three games and try to gain a good position,” Moreno said. “Our two losses to Harlingen and Vets, we pretty much lost in the first period with first period starts of 22-8 and 22-9, respectively. We lost both games in double digits but we made a run in both to get the game close.”
Against Hanna, seniors Angelina Reyes (20 points, 3-of-4 free throw attempts) and Kayla Rodriguez (12 points) led the team in scoring. Freshman Kalista Olivares added eight points, and senior Jade Maya six points (six assists). San Benito had 23 attempts from beyond the arc, making just three; Olivares had two three-pointers, and Reyes one.
Against the Harlingen Lady Cardinals, the game lived up to its intensity and drama, as the Lady ’Hounds battled and didn’t allow Harlingen to play comfortably with its lead.
After a 33-16 halftime deficit, San Benito, in the third quarter, came within seven points when Reyes made a free throw.
Then, in the fourth quarter, the Lady ‘Hounds went on a couple of 5-0 runs, but failed to keep the offense going.
Seniors Reyes (19 points) and Maya (17 points) scored in double digits, but additional baskets from sophomore Hailey Davila (four points), Olivares (four points), Rodriguez (two points), and Railyn Garcia (two points) kept the Lady Cardinals guessing on defense.
Harlingen had seven of its 11 roster players score, with Sarah Sanusi leading her team (19 points). The Lady Cardinals were shooting superbly from the arc as they made 9-of-11 attempts. San Benito had 21 attempts and made half dozen with Reyes and Maya each getting three.
San Benito will host Los Fresnos on Friday, Jan. 24. Next week, the district portion of the season ends with a game at Brownsville Veterans Memorial (Jan. 31) and a home game against Harlingen (Feb. 4).
San Benito improved on the season to 20-11.
The San Benito boys, meanwhile, fall to 0-3 in district.
The San Benito Greyhounds will close out the first portion of their district schedule when they host the Los Fresnos Falcons on Friday, Jan. 24. They take a 0-3 record after losing to Brownsville Veterans Memorial (56-47), Harlingen (68-37) and Brownsville Hanna (47-30).
The ’Hounds fell to 7-11 on the season.
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