Basketball Game Preview: Hidalgo Early College Pirates vs. Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Bears

The Hidalgo Early College Pirates will head out on the road to challenge the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Bears at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Hidalgo Early College is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.

On Tuesday, Hidalgo Early College took a blow against Harlingen, falling 79-45. While losing is never fun, the Pirates can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 900th, while the Cardinals are ranked 217th).

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Pharr-San Juan-Alamo, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They simply couldn't be stopped on Tuesday as they easily beat Porter 78-45. The Bears have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five contests by 26 points or more this season.

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-7. Those home wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 72.7 points over those games. As for Hidalgo Early College, their loss dropped their record down to 8-8.

Hidalgo Early College strolled past Pharr-San Juan-Alamo in their previous matchup back in December of 2024 by a score of 38-24. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pirates since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.