South Sweep: Torre keys Lady Hawks past PSJA North

HARLINGEN - Implementing tenacious defenses, the Harlingen South Hawks girls and boys varsity basketball teams emerged victorious against their PSJA North opponents in double-header home games played Saturday afternoon.

However, both teams got off to slow starts. The Lady Hawks prevailed, 73-38, after a sluggish first half.

At the end of the first quarter, the score was knotted at only 12. But after toughening up on defense, and Bianca Torre contributing 23 points, the Hawks pounded the Lady Raiders in the second half. Indeed, the Lady Raiders were able to score only 14 points in the half. Torre was the high scorer for the Lady Hawks with 33 overall points.

Head Coach Dawn Engleman chided her team at halftime, a tongue-lashing that apparently sparked the dominant performance to which Valleyites have become accustomed.

"I told them that we're supposed to be the best team in the Valley, and that they didn't look like it," she said. "That they were just playing sluggish. They've got to realize that every single team that plays us is going to play their best game against us. We've got to step it up quickly."

After the Lady Hawks' win, the boys took the floor. The contest ended with the Hawks on top, 68-50.

After a close first quarter, which ended with the Hawks behind, 13-15, South hunkered down and outscored the Raiders 22-10 in the second quarter, including a crucial 12-0 run over a three-minute span.

By keeping the pressure on by consistently scoring throughout the second half, particularly Rajohn Lassiter's 9 points in the last few minutes, the Hawks kept any Raider thoughts of a comeback at bay.

Lassiter was the team's top scorer, with 28 points. Rico Herrera added a clutch 15.

Hawks Head Coach Brian Molina was pleased with his team's performance.

"Anytime you can beat a tough team like PSJA North, that's a good win," he said, adding that because North is a really good shooting team. "We just tried to keep constant pressure on them, tried to contest every shot."