Brennan upends Brack in 28-4A showdown; McCollum emerging in 29-4A
TEAMS INCLUDED: Brackenridge, Burbank, East Central, Edison, Fox Tech, Harlandale, Highlands, Jefferson, Kennedy, McCollum, South San,Young Women’s Leadership Academy.
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East Central has had its ups and downs with a young roster this season, but the Hornets were ready for their District 28-5A opener last Friday.
Although the Hornets (8-12, 1-0) hadn’t played since Dec. 20, they showed no signs of rust against South San at the Durbon Center. They prevailed 40-31 in the first district game for both teams.
The host Bobcats (9-13, 0-1) took a slim 15-14 lead at halftime. East Central took charge in the final 16 minutes, outscoring South San 26-16.
East Central’s young posts led the Hornets to the victory, which ended a two-game losing streak. Sophomore Janik Alexander-Smith and freshman Brittany Rodgers each scored 11 points.
The pair also are the Hornets’ leading scorers for the season. Rodgers, at 5-foot-9, has averaged 10.8 points a game in her initial season. The5-10 Alexander-Smith has provided 9.7 points per game. Senior guard Claudia Flores is next on East Central’s points list with a 6.6 average.
No other East Central players scored more than six points against South San.
Senior Kimberly Tobias, as usual, was the Bobcats’ scoring leader. Tobias improved her season average with a 15-point outing. Tobias averages 14.2 points a game.
Junior Lauren Estrada added seven points for South San.
East Central hadn’t played since absorbing a 53-25 loss to Judson, No. 6 in the Express-News area rankings. The Hornets had lost six of their previous eight games, but two of those losses were at the hands of the Rockets.
Brennan 79, Brackenridge 37
Brackenridge (19-5, 7-1) ran the table with nary a challenge in District 28-4A until the Eagles were pitted against defending champion Brennan (17-0, 8-0) last Saturday at Lanier.
The undefeated Bears, No. 1 in the Express-News rankings, made 53.1 percent of their field-goal attempts and 17 of 19 free throws (89.5 percent) as they overpowered the Eagles from the start. Brennan led 20-5 after a quarter as they took possession of the district lead.
Eagles senior guard Miranda Acuna scored a team-best 13 points. Skyler Reyna and Breeann Hernandez each contributed 10 points.
Tanaeya Boclair led Brennan with 25 points and 13 rebounds.
McCollum 56, Uvalde 53
The Cowboys (6-13, 2-3) began the season with a largely inexperienced lineup, but they’ve caught fire recently to enter the playoff picture in District 29-4A.
McCollum claimed its first two district wins last week and bolted into a fourth-place tie with Kennedy (7-10, 2-3). The Cowboys prevailed by three points over the Coyotes (7-11, 1-4) last Friday at McCollum behind four double-figure scorers.
Aileen Alonzo led the Cowboys with 15 points. Miranda Moreno chipped in with 14. Elva Rios scored 13 points. Senior Emilee Almazan had 10.
Highlands 58, Jefferson 37
The third-place Owls (17-9, 6-2) were a streak killer last week in 28-4A. Highlands won its third in a row Friday, defeating Jefferson after felling Lanier on Tuesday. The fourth-place Voks (8-13, 5-3) who had won three of their previous four before falling 60-36.
Jefferson (8-12, 3-6) was coming off a win when Highlands put the game out of reach in the second half at Highlands. The Mustangs were within 25-24 at halftime. The Owls outscored Jefferson 13-8 in the third quarter and produced 20 points in the last eight minutes.
Highlands sophomore Jazzmine Jackson recorded a career-high 28 points. Freshman Kiara Pesina scored 14. The Owls only had four scorers. The remaining points were supplied by Emily Pearce and Aaliyah Prince.
The Mustangs received nine points from senior Adriana Aguinaga and eight from Mary Loera.
Harlandale 48, Kennedy 36
The third-place Indians (14-9, 3-2) got back on track after two consecutive losses. Harlandale outscored host Kennedy 20-9 in the first quarter and rolled to the District 29-4A win Friday.
Junior Cameron Orta scored more than two-thirds of Kennedy’s points. Orta scored 21.
Individual scoring for Harlandale was unavailable.
Burbank 50, YWLA 21
The Bulldogs (5-14, 2-6) broke open a close game against Young Women’s Leadership Academy (1-18, 0-8) in the second half Friday at Lanier.
The score was tied 7-7 in the first quarter. Burbank pulled out to a 16-10 lead at halftime and produced 34 points in the second half.
Scrappy senior Alejandra Martinez led Burbank with 17 points. Sophomore post Antwanisha Riddle accounted for 11 points. Freshman Cory Sepulveda supplied eight points.
For the Cardinals, senior Serena Trevino led the way with nine points.
Edison 58, Fox Tech 17
The Golden Bears (10-15, 4-4) limited Fox Tech (4-17, 1-7) to eight points in the first half Saturday morning at Lanier.
Junior Dashia Miles led Edison with 18 points. Miles also finished with eight rebounds and six steals. Post Paula Moreno collected a team-high 10 rebounds to complement eight points and four steals. Marisa Salas provided 10 points, 10 assists and five steals.
Golden Bears sophomore guard Rachel Campos added six assists and six steals. Amy Marcos finished with eight rebounds and five steals. Hannah Diano grabbed four rebounds and made three steals.
Elizabeth Narezo and Carla Ponce led the Buffaloes with six points apiece.
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