Basketball Game Preview: Harlingen Cardinals vs. Los Fresnos Falcons

The Harlingen Cardinals will head out on the road to face off against the Los Fresnos Falcons at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Harlingen knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 12 games -- so hopefully Los Fresnos likes a good challenge.

Last Friday, Harlingen made easy work of Hanna and carried off a 68-48 win. The Cardinals have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matches by 20 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Los Fresnos was able to grind out a solid victory over Veterans Memorial on Friday, taking the game 67-59. Given the Falcons' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 347th, while the Chargers are ranked 806th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Los Fresnos' win came from a few key players Harlingen will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Eric Salazar, who posted 18 points along with eight steals and five boards. Those eight steals gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Gio Galvan, who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine rebounds.

Los Fresnos smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in seven consecutive contests.

Harlingen pushed their record up to 22-4 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.6 points per game. As for Los Fresnos, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 20-7 record this season.

Harlingen was able to grind out a solid victory over Los Fresnos in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, winning 54-47. Does Harlingen have another victory up their sleeve, or will Los Fresnos turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.