Fourth-quarter surge pushes McHi past Rowe

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McALLEN — Crosstown rivals McAllen High and McAllen Rowe collided for the second time in four days on Tuesday night.

First, the Warriors edged the Bulldogs by two in the championship game of the City of Palms Tournament on Saturday in McAllen.

But the Bulldogs got their get back in their District 31-5A opener Tuesday with a 49-46 win at McAllen Rowe High School in a battle between the two district title hopefuls.

“It was just as close and just as good of a game,” McHi head coach Ryan Flores said about the back-to-back matchups against Rowe. “Both programs are playing good basketball right now. It’s tough to play the same team in a non-district game and then a district game back-to-back, both games here on the road, but I’m proud of my boys. They made it exciting for everyone that showed up and were able to finish it off.”

Rowe led at the end of each of the first three quarters before McHi’s defense sparked a 7-0 run to start the fourth.

McHi junior D’Aundre Canada did his scoring damage early, and in the fourth, drew multiple defenders his way to find open teammates for easy looks. He finished with eight points, five rebounds and six assists.

“After that first game, we knew what they had. I know what me and my teammates are capable of, so we came today ready to play and were able to pull out the win,” Canada said. “Defense won us that game. They won three out of four quarters, but we were able to pull out the fourth quarter only because of our intensity and defense. That’s what won us the fourth quarter.”

But Rowe refused to go away. The Warriors trailed by as many as six late in the quarter before 3-pointers from Jonathan Echeverria and Sebastian Olvera pulled them within striking distance. Rowe guard AJ Menchaca also had a couple late layups to make it a one-possession game, but McHi guards Dylan Benavidez and Judah Rios were money from the free throw line to keep the Bulldogs in front.

A last second heave from the Warriors fell short as the Bulldogs came away with the 49-46 victory.

Benavidez led McHi with a game-high 12 points. Teammates Dylan Gonzalez had 10 and Rios added nine for the Bulldogs.

“We lost that one on Saturday so we had to fix a couple things here and there to pull it off here today in district,” Benavidez said. “It’s great to start off district 1-0. We’re aiming for that district championship, so it’s a great way to start off.”

Menchaca scored a team-high 11 off the bench for the Warriors and post Danny Cardoza had 10. Echeverria and Olvera both finished with eight points apiece.

Next for McAllen High is a 31-5A matchup against PSJA Southwest at 7:30 p.m. Friday at McAllen High School. McAllen Rowe, meanwhile, will look to bounce back against Sharyland High at 7:30 p.m. Friday at McAllen Rowe High School.

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