Big Battle: Late brawl mars Panthers' 32-5A win over Eagles

The Weslaco High Panthers drained clutch free throws down the stretch Friday to hold off a determined Hanna Golden Eagles team 63-55 in Brownsville.

With just three minutes left in the tightly contested District 32-5A opening match, it was no surprise to see the game turn into a match of back-and-forth free-throw shooting, but how both teams got to that point was intriguing.

With 3:33 remaining, after an official stopped play on an out-of-bounds call, a fight broke out in the backcourt with two players from the opposing teams throwing punches. Both benches cleared while security guards and coaches scrambled to control the players.

After order had been restored, the referees did not allow 15 players back on the court, leaving Hanna with five players, and Weslaco with six. According to the official scorebook, only three players were officially thrown out.

With depleted rosters, each team struggled to finish a game in which a very strong Weslaco squad took down last year's district champs.

"Considering the circumstances, our kids kept their composure and pulled out the win," Weslaco coach Gabe Valdez said. "Being able to go to Hanna and pull out the win is a great way for us to start the district season."

The game started out with a very slow tone as the teams were tied at 11 with just more than one minute left in the first quarter. Hanna (10-9, 0-1) then finished the period on a 4-0 run, with Miguel Ramos knocking down two free throws after a flagrant foul.

The second quarter was played to a completely different tune however, as Weslaco (16-3, 1-0) pushed the tempo of the game and started the period off on a 18-2 run to take a lead it did not relenquish. During the run, Weslaco's Daniel Ryan knocked down six points and Marcus Cabrera contributed seven points as Hanna struggled to penetrate the Panthers' stiff half-court defense.

"They got their momentum going," Hanna coach Don Denson said of his team's rough second quarter. "They capitalized on our mistakes, and we didn't capitalize on their mistakes."

After halftime, the Eagles looked poised to get themselves back in the game after a quick layup by Noe Santibanez, but Weslaco's Eddie Cantu made sure the Eagles stayed put by knocking down a 3-pointer and scoring an easy layup after stripping the ball away from a Hanna guard.

Hanna still cut into the lead, though, as Javier Villarreal knocked down three big 3-pointers to help keep the Panthers within reach.

With Weslaco still hanging on to a 47-39 lead entering the final quarter, the Panthers maintained their advantage and helding a 10-point lead when the fighting broke out.

Afterward, the Panthers knocked down 7-of-12 free throws and held the Eagles to nine points on its way to victory.

"It was a very highly competitive game," Denson said. " It was a rough game that showed the physicalness of both teams, and it just so happened to favor Weslaco more than Hanna."

Although concerned about the way the game turned out, Valdez was still glad to see his team leave with the win and hopes to have his team concentrated on their next game.

"I've got a good group of kids, and we just have to continue working on the little things," Valdez said. "We'll just keep doing the things we do and focus on the next game."