Basketball Preview: Pace Vikings vs. Harlingen South Hawks
Pace is 0-6 against Harlingen South since November of 2014 but things could change on Friday. The Pace Vikings will challenge the Harlingen South Hawks at 7:30 p.m. Pace has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
Last Tuesday, Pace didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Weslaco East, but they still walked away with a 33-27 win.
Pace's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Andrea Salgado, who posted ten points along with two steals, and Bre Nelson, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and ten rebounds. Nelson is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 11 games she's played. Rebecca Ruiz was another key player, scoring six points in addition to three blocks.
Meanwhile, Harlingen South made easy work of Rivera on Tuesday and carried off a 58-37 victory. The Hawks have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matchups by 21 points or more this season.
Jiselle Montemayor was her usual excellent self, going 6 for 9 en route to 22 points plus five assists and five rebounds. That's the most assists she has posted since back in January. The team also got some help courtesy of Allison Miller, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 12 rebounds.
Harlingen South smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 29 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in eight consecutive contests.
Harlingen South's win was their 14th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-5. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.6 points per game. As for Pace, their record is now 6-9.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Pace has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 32.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Harlingen South struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.1. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Pace took a serious blow against Harlingen South in their previous matchup back in January, falling 58-17. Can Pace avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
