Late run pushes Hawks past Raiders in 32-5A opener

BROWNSVILLE — With Brownsville Rivera slowly cutting into the Harlingen South lead back-to-back 3-pointers by Jiselle Montemayor and a corner three by senior Serena Cano quelled the Raiders’ comeback as the Hawks opened up District 32-5A with a 58-37 victory in Brownsville.

Hawks head coach Rebecca Littleton said it was a great-team effort to start district in the win column. Even though the scoreline suggested a blowout it was a tough game against a possible playoff team Tuesday night.

“It took us awhile to get going, but I am just happy we came up with the win – Rivera did a great job with their traps – we struggled with ball pressure but we found a way to win our first district game,” Littleton said.

The Hawks ended the game on a 13-0 run. Harlingen South was quick to respond when Brownsville Rivera would fire back. When the Hawks beat the traps they found easy buckets and the Hawks have numerous finishers this season.

Harlingen South played a cleaner game offensively and it showed on the scoreboard, but Brownsville Rivera had its moments.

“We stopped turning the ball over which helped us, we got some momentum and easy layups,” Littleton said before praising multiple Hawks for their performances.

Harlingen South’s Allison Miller pulls up for an open shot against Brownsville Rivera in a District 32-5A game Tuesday night in Brownsville. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

Cano found space early in the second half for back-to-back easy baskets, while junior Allison Miller also benefited from similar situations in the fourth as the Hawks always had a multi-possession advantage on the Raiders since late in the second quarter.

The Raiders cut the lead to 45-37 when Abani Perdomo drained a 3-pointer. Perdomo finished with six points. Katy Zamora also kept the Raiders in it with shots from distance, Zamora finished with nine points.

Junior Xandria Johnson was a consistent presence down low with a team-high 12 points.

Brownsville Rivera’s Abani Perdomo shots over an opponent Tuesday night in a District 32-5A contest against Harlingen South. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

Seven different Hawks scored baskets with Montemayor scoring a game-high 22 points. Cano had 11 and Miller put up 10.

“I think the spark was there,” Cano said. “We had to pick it up after the first quarter … to pull out the win tonight.”

This is probably Littleton’s deepest squad since taking over four years ago and this Hawks team is one of the favorites to lift a gold ball after coming in second with a 16-2 district record last season.

“I have a great team,” Littleton said. “My bench, they are young, hungry and ready to work. We are focusing on details. They are doing all the different things because everyone obviously wants to be on the court, but I’m excited for the whole group we have this year.”

The Hawks face another Brownsville opponent at 7:30 p.m. Friday when they host Pace. Brownsville Rivera is on the road against an Edcouch-Elsa team that could be a surprise playoff contender at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

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