Hawks hammer Panthers for bi-district win

HARLINGEN — The effort, hustle and defense were all working for the South Hawks on Tuesday night.

So were the offensive rebounds, three-point shots and teamwork.

Buoyed by a considerable rebound advantage, the Hawks stymied Weslaco and routed the Panthers 54-26 in their Class 5A bi-district playoff game.

With the win, South (27-8) moves on to the area round to take on Laredo Nixon at Calallen on Friday. Weslaco, the third seed from District 32-5A, ends its season at 20-14.

"I told our kids that Weslaco is a good team and they’re well-coached by coach (Gabe)Valdez," said South head coach Brian Molina, a former Weslaco assistant. "I told them when all else fails, to try and play harder than them (Weslaco). That’s exactly what they did tonight."

No kidding.

The Hawks asserted themselves early soaring out to the game’s first five points. Then South went up 12-2 when Mark Villegas hit from downtown and Nick Garcia capped the first quarter with a pretty pullup three of his own at the buzzer as they led 15-4. Garcia had a game-high 14 points for the Hawks.

South didn’t let up in the second quarter.

The Green Birds’ lead swelled when Garcia (7 steals) intercepted a pass and hit a streaking Anjel Gonzales for a 20-4 lead. South got several second-chance scoring opportunities thanks to seven first-half rebounds from David Nogueira among others. The Hawks held an 18-6 advantage on the glass for the half.

Weslaco just couldn’t get going and was burned by 10 first-half giveaways. The Panthers struggled on both ends, stagnant on offense (failing to score double digits in any quarter) while getting outworked on the boards.

South held Weslaco sharpshooter Gabe Valdez Jr. to five points, all on free throws. Carlos Madrigal led the Panthers with 11 points and was the only player in double figures. Eric Pemelton chipped in six.

"The kids really stepped up on defense," Molina said.

For good measure, South super sophomore Garcia kept the good times going when he hit another three at the buzzer, this one from NBA range, to make it 31-10 Hawks going into the lockerroom.

It didn’t get much better for the Panthers in the second half.

Weslaco scored just seven points in the frame, led by five from Madrigal.

But South got five quick points from Johnny Sauceda and added to its lead, which became 25 points at 42-17 heading into the fourth.

South’s Garcia swished home a three in the fourth quarter to punctuate the win as many of the reserves came on to close it out. Sauceda and Mark Villegas each had nine points for the Hawks, while Nogueria chipped in eight.

After dropping its final two games, the win was big for South, and couldn’t have come a better time.

"This feels pretty good especially coming out of a tough district," Molina said. "Our kids came out and performed tonight and that’s a testament to them."