Flour Bluff spoils Raiders' postseason run
PHARR — The Flour Bluff Hornets went into a nest of their own as they traveled here to take on the PSJA North Raiders in the Area round of the 5A Division I basketball playoffs.
Essentially an away game for the Hornets, the squad from Corpus Christi took the win, 47-38. Coincidentally, last year Flour Bluff hosted the Raiders and won in the area round.
This time around, it was a battle of height vs. speed as the Flour Bluff Hornets pretty much outsized every Raider on the court.
In the first quarter, the Raiders showed tenacity with their speed but struggled tremendously to get anything going on the offensive end. Flour Bluff outrebounded the home squad and were able to control the paint for the most part. With five seconds left to go in the first quarter, Tatiana Reyes hit a little putback to make it 15-5 with the Hornets leading.
The Raiders, though, were catapulted into a little 5-0 run of their own at the start of the second quarter as Madison Stanfield hit a much-needed three and then the defensive pressure from Alexandra Gonzalez resulted in a fast-break layup and made it 15-10.
Couple of possessions later, the press from PSJA North rattled the Hornets a tad as turnovers ailed Flour Bluff. Gonzalez would have a scoring spurt as she hit a tough layup with the foul — knocking down the free throw. Afterward, another layup made it 18-15 with the Raiders trying to get closer.
But, anyone who knows anything about hoops will tell you that if you're playing a team in the playoffs — especially those from Corpus, San Antonio or anywhere upstate — squads are able to earn a basket at any whim.
Kate Croft for Flour Bluff proved that as on two back-to-back possessions, she dialed in from downtown with threes that hit nothing but the net. She had a game high 19 points.
The Hornets led 26-20 at halftime.
The third-quarter surge for Flour Bluff really dampened the morale of North as the Raiders were outscored, 12-5. The offensive struggles for PSJA North really showed as Gonzalez was the only player to get a field goal. Khloe Badillo hit three out of four free throws.
In the fourth, Stanfield broke her scoring drought with a much-needed basket to stop the bleeding that the Raiders were facing being down 40-27.
With some fuel in the gas tank, Head Coach Daniela Azubell really emphasized the full-court defensive pressure which caused some turnovers by Flour Bluff.
As much as the three-point ball is the achilles heel for the Raiders, it did help them on a spurt as Anaissa Bautista and Isabella Gonzalez hit consecutive shots to bring the game within four at one point.
However, as PSJA North was over the limit, the Hornets hit 7 of 12 from the free throw line to take the win.
Head Coach James McMinn said he prepared his team for the tough setting that comes with playing an away game. As previously reported by The Advance, when you play at PSJA North's gym, you're essentially battling the crowd, too.
"We started preparing two or three days ago more about the environment than the actual 'X's' and 'O's," McMinn said. "I mean, we had to prepare mentally for what was gonna be."
McMinn has taken the reins as head coach for the girls' basketball team since 1993. This was also the team's third straight year winning the championship for their own district.
The win improves Flour Bluff's record to 25-6 overall. The Hornets advance to the Sweet 16 and will play the Glenn Grizzlies — a school out of Leander.
PSJA North's season comes to an end with a 30-8 record.