Panthers fall in epic regional quarterfinal

EDINBURG — A short 369 days later, the McAllen Bulldogs can think redemption.

On February 29, 2008, the Bulldogs disappointedly bowed out of the Region IV-5A tournament following a loss to SA Wagner.
On Wednesday, McHi secured its chance to finally get rid of that bitter taste that remained all these days.

McHi survived a double-overtime thriller against Weslaco High in front of a capacity-filled UTPA Field House, 54-53, earning a return trip to San Antonio. Reported attendance was 4,435.

McHi will take on SA Wagner in the Sweet 16 at UTSA.

"This was the biggest game I've been a part of," McHi head coach Roy Swift said. "And only because of what it meant. There was so much on the line and it had a lot of ramifications. I don't recall the Field House being this packed since the mid 1980s. We (Broncs) were pretty good then."

And Swift's Bulldogs are pretty good now.

Senior Corey Pace made one-of-two free throws as regulation ended to tie the game at 42 and send it to overtime.

J.J. Avila - who'd been quite most of the second half - made a jumper with 28 seconds left in the first overtime to tie it at 46 and send it to the double OT.

Then with three seconds left in second extra stanza, Avila came to the free-throw line.

Having scored only four points in the second half and first OT, Avila missed the first free throw but made the second to give McAllen the lead and ultimately the huge win.

"Everything was shaking," Avila said. "It's like something you see in the movies. But when you're watching it in the movies it doesn't look that hard. But there's a lot of pressure. It's tough."

And so was McAllen.

Avila finished with a team-high 15 points and Pace added 13, including 11 in the second half when Avila went quiet.

"You just can't panic," Pace said. "If you panic, you can't play. I'm just so happy right now."

The entire game was an emotional roller coaster, trailing 49-46 with 2:12 left in the second OT, Hutton Edwards nailed a three-pointer to tie the game.

Weslaco's Eddie Cantu countered with his fifth three of the game but Edwards' shot gave life to McHi at a moment when the Bulldogs had gone cold on offense.

"Hutton's shot was huge," Swift said. "When that shot left his hand it looked so good."

Cantu was the man for Weslaco.

The senior guard finished with a game-high 30 points and made several heroic shots in the course of the game.

At the end of the first period, Cantu knocked in a long range three as time ran out.

Cantu later nailed another three and got fouled as time expired in the third period.

"Eddie's stepped up all year," Weslaco head coach Gabe Valdez said.