Edinburg North holds off Los Fresnos in bi-district playoff battle

LOS FRESNOS — It’s not often district champions face off in the opening round of the state playoffs, but Edinburg North and Los Fresnos found themselves locked into a tight bi-district battle Tuesday night.

The District 31-6A co-champion Cougars defeated the District 32-6A tri-champion Falcons 78-73 in a back-and-forth playoff matchup Tuesday at Los Fresnos High School to punch their ticket to this weekend’s area round.

“We knew coming in they were going to be well-prepared. I knew when we were up in the first quarter, I knew it was a game of runs,” Edinburg North head coach Carlos Ramos said. “I knew they were going to close (the lead), but our kids came out and battled through. They did a hell of a job.”

Edinburg North’s Dre Estrada takes a jumper during a Region IV-6A bi-district playoff game against Los Fresnos on Monday at Los Fresnos High School. Photo by Andrew Cordero.

North (30-9) raced out to an 11-0 lead in the opening minutes and held a 25-7 advantage after the first quarter. Dre Estrada scored 10 of his 17 points during the opening frame.

The Falcons (27-10) fought their way back possession by possession, however, making it a 58-57 game midway through the fourth quarter. JJ Salazar scored 20 of his game-high 31 during the second half, and Jude Barreda scored 10 of his 16 during the fourth.

Los Fresnos’ JJ Salazar takes a jump shot during a Region IV-6A bi-district playoff game against Edinburg North on Monday at Los Fresnos High School. Photo by Andrew Cordero.

But the Cougars counterpunched as Osmar Alanis and Josiah Cruz closed the show with big baskets inside and solid free-throw shooting down the stretch.

Alanis finished with 19 to lead North. Estrada finished with 17 points, Raul Palacios scored 16 points with four made 3-pointers, and Cruz finished with 14 points.

Edinburg North’s Josiah Cruz goes up for a shot during a Region IV-6A bi-district playoff game against Los Fresnos on Monday at Los Fresnos High School. Photo by Andrew Cordero.

Andrew Munoz added 11 points for Los Fresnos and Gio Galvan chipped in with nine.

“It was definitely a battle. We came out hot, but they put up a fight,” North senior guard Joseph Cruz said. “It was a good game and they played until the end. I got to give props to my team, though. They hit big time shots, made big time stops, so just being part of this team, I love it.”

Edinburg North will meet the winner of Laredo United South (26-9) and San Antonio Jay (22-8), who are scheduled to play at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

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