Hawks rally past Lobos, remain unbeaten in district

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BROWNSVILLE — Harlingen South found itself in unfamiliar territory Friday. For the first time during district play, the Hawks trailed at the break, facing a four-point deficit after two.

Harlingen South responded to the adversity in dominating fashion, outscoring Brownsville Lopez 22-12 during the final two quarters en route to a 42-36 win during a 32-5A contest on the road.

The victory makes the Hawks the last remaining unbeaten team during District 32-5A play, moving into sole possession of first place over the Lobos. Harlingen South improved to 16-5 overall and 6-0 in district following Friday, while the Lobos dropped to 11-8 and 5-1 in district.

“It was a great hard win,” Harlingen South head coach Rebecca Littleton said. “Lopez always puts up a fight with us. We had some injuries in the beginning. I felt like we came out a little bit scared, but I’m just glad we played as a great team unit to get the win.”

Leading the rally during the second half were senior Serena Cano and freshman Mia Reyna, with the duo combining for 16 of the team’s 22 points over the final two quarters.

A pair of free throws by Cano midway through the third sparked a 7-0 run by the Hawks, with Reyna capping it with a deep 3-pointer to make it 33-26.

A trio of free throws by Cano and a pair by Reyna made it a nine-point game during the fourth, with the Lobos unable to recover from the deficit.

Cano finished with a game-high 18 points, including 10 during the second half. Reyna, who saw an expanded role following an injury to leading scorer Giselle Montemayor, finished with 10 points.

“I just told the girls to put up a fight,” Littleton said. “Adversity is going to come out at you. I just felt like today certain kids stepped up in certain roles. Obviously having our kid, Giselle, out and having our freshman, No. 4 (Reyna), step up, it was big. And then Serena. She is an outstanding kid on and off the court. During the second quarter I told her if she was ready to play now. I feel like she stepped up big time and played that leadership role. Usually, she has Giselle out there with her, but today she did a great job getting this team to victory.”

Lopez jumped out on the Hawks during the opening quarter, taking two-point lead at the break behind a pair of big 3s by senior Jasmine Cortinas.

The Lobos pushed their lead to as many as 11 during the second thanks to big time second-chance points by senior D’Arrah Howard, but Harlingen South’s defense kept them in the game, making it just a two possession game at the break.

Lopez couldn’t continue to match the Hawks during the second half, however, mustering just 11 points during the final two quarters, including five which came with the Hawks already in control.

Senior Sophia Carrizales finished as the team’s leading scorer, finishing with 11 points. Cortinas added nine points on a trio of 3-pointers.

“This was just a good hard fight,” Littleton said. “I feel like all the teams in our district are able to put fights up, but for some reason with Lopez it’s a mental thing. We need to handle this adversity. Going into that second round matchup in just a few weeks, this is a good game for us to see what we have to fix and work on.”

The Hawks and Lobos both enter a district-wide holiday break next week before returning to action on Dec. 28.

Harlingen South hosts Donna High at 2:30 p.m. that day, while the Lobos hit to road for a tilt against Edcouch-Elsa at 2:30 p.m.

“I just think we’re taking it one day at a time,” Littleton said. “We’re thinking one possession at a time and one game at a time. That’s kind of what we’re looking for. Every game will be different. The second round of district will be a whole new adjustment, so we’re just going to take it one day at a time.”

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