Harlandale pushes Victoria West to brink in 53-50 loss; Holy Cross ends season with blowout win

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TEAMS INCLUDED:East Central, Harlandale, Highlands, Holy Cross, Lanier, Sam Houston, Southside, Southwest.

Southwest recorded its second bi-district win in four years Tuesday at the University of Texas-San Antonio Convocation Center, defeating O’Connor in a Class 5A playoff game.

The Dragons (24-10) separated itself from the District 27-5A runner-up early in the fourth quarter for a 66-56 victory.

Senior guard Tiffani Rodriguez led Southwest with 25 points. Alexandra Busby contributed 18 points. Freshman Missy Lockridge added eight points.

Amber Vidal scored 28 points for O’Connor (24-8), which was ranked No. 8 in the Express-News area poll and posted a 14-2 district record.

Southwest, which finished third in District 28-5A, will play Reagan (27-4). The Rattlers defeated Smithson Valley 50-29 in their bi-district game.

Victoria West 53, Harlandale 50

The victorious Warriors (27-4) didn’t secure their 13^th-consecutive win until the final minutes of the Class 4A bi-district game Tuesday in Gonzales. Senior post Connie Garza had 25 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots helped keep the final outcome in doubt in her final Harlandale game.

The Indians (19-14) took a 39-35 lead into the final quarter. The Warriors led 24-22 at halftime.

Harlandale sophomore Justyne Perez scored 12 points, including two 3-point baskets. Junior Elizabeth Herrera corralled seven rebounds.

Tiana Davila led Victoria West with 17 points.

Holy Cross 64, Austin Hyde Park Baptist 43

The Knights (13-23, 3-6) finished their season with a resounding victory Monday at Holy Cross. They bounced back from a tough loss to San Antonio Christian in their previous district game.

“We regrouped,” Holy Cross coach Jesse Arguello said. “I was really happy with the way we played (Tuesday). It was the first time in a long time we’d put four good quarters together.

“It was great to be able to end the season playing well.”

The TAPPS District 3-4A teams were tied 13-13 at the end of the first quarter. Holy Cross inched ahead 27-26 at halftime. The Knights opened the floodgates in the second half, outscoring Austin Hyde Park Baptist 37-17.

Seniors Joslyn Flores and Julia Flores led Holy Cross with 20 and 12 points, respectively.

“It’s always tough saying goodbye to our seniors,” Arguello said. “It was nice that the two seniors that start led us in scoring.”

Hayley Andrade supplied nine points for the Knights.

The game had been rescheduled from last Friday because of the icy conditions that day. Holy Cross finished seventh in the district. The top six teams qualified for the playoffs.

Kerrville Tivy 58, Highlands 40

District 27-4A runner-up Tivy (25-6) built a 16-11 lead in the first quarter and continued to extend it against the Owls (23-12) in a Class 4A bi-district game Tuesday at Alamo Convocation Center.

Highlands sophomore Aaliyah Prince recorded 22 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots. Fellow sophomore Jazmine Jackson grabbed a whopping 19 rebounds – including 12 from the offensive glass – to go with 10 points and four steals. Freshman Kiara Pesina and junior Emily Pearce each were credited with two steals.

Olivia Robertson scored 20 points for the Antlers.

Clemens 66, Lanier 46

Clemens (27-4), which won District 27-4A with an undefeated record, opened a 21-7 lead on Lanier (14-17) Tuesday in Schertz.

The Buffaloes had a 40-16 halftime lead in the bi-district contest. The Voks recovered to have a 30-26 scoring advantage in the second half.

Lanier sophomore Ruby Garza scored a game-high 21 points. Ashley Lopez added 11 points.

Fredericksburg 49, Sam Houston 29

Sam Houston (10-18) made this Class 3A bi-district game a battle through the first half. The Hurricanes were tied with the Battlin’ Billies (17-13) at halftime, but they fell behind in the second half Monday at Boerne Champion and weren’t able to catch up.

Fredericksburg had a 7-6 lead after the first quarter. Sam Houston pulled even at 14-14 by halftime. The The Battlin’ Billies took charge in the third quarter, outscoring Sam Houston 19-9.

Individual scoring for Sam Houston was unavailable.

Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway 56, Southside 31

The Cherokees made things tough for Southside (18-14) early in a Class 4A bi-district game Monday at Kenedy (Texas). Tuloso-Midway (22-10) established a 17-2 lead in the first quarter.

The Cardinals matched the Cherokees in the second half. Both teams scored 18 points.

Seniors Sabrina Guzman led Southside with 14 points, six rebounds and four steals. Sophomore Mayra Sendejo scored eight points, cleared 10 rebounds and made three steals. Desiree Rodriguez also had three steals.

Stevens 61, East Central 35

The Falcons (23-6) bolted to a 20-3 lead over East Central (10-20) in the first quarter Tuesday at Paul Taylor Gym.

Freshman Brittany Rodgers scored nine points and Janik Alexander-Smith added eight for the Hornets. Julia Rendon led the Falcons with 19 points, six rebounds and five steals.