La Feria Lionettes Rally Behind Explosive Third Quarter to win the Bi-District Championship against Kingsville

By RAUL GARCIA JR | La Feria Journal

The La Feria Lionettes overcame an early deficit to defeat the Kingsville Lady Brahmas 55-41 in a high-energy Bi-District Championship matchup at home in a first round meeting of the Girls Texas State Basketball Playoffs.

Kingsville struck first, hitting two three-pointers to take a quick 10-5 lead while the Lady Lions struggled to find their rhythm offensively. Despite the cold start from the field, La Feria stayed within striking distance at the free-throw line.

Maxine Rivera ignited the Lionettes with a coast-to-coast finish off a forced turnover to cut the deficit to 10-7. Alejandra Cazares followed by attacking the basket, drawing contact and converting at the line to make it 10-9. The defensive intensity picked up as the crowd roared after another Kingsville turnover late in the first quarter.

The game remained physical and tightly contested. Kingsville’s Mercedes Everett knocked down two free throws to give the Lady Brahmas a 12-9 edge. La Feria answered in the second quarter when an offensive rebound kicked out to Alesandra Torres, who buried a three-pointer to tie the game at 12-12 with 6:52 remaining.

Everett continued to be a factor, returning to the line to regain a 14-12 lead for Kingsville. Both teams battled for possession in a gritty stretch marked by missed shots and aggressive play in the paint. After trading baskets, Cazares helped even the score at 17-17, but Everett converted a three-point play to put Kingsville back up by three.

Rivera responded at the line, and after forcing another turnover, tied the game 20-20. Jurli Merrell briefly pushed Kingsville ahead 22-20 before Torres drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key to knot the score at 22-22.

Kingsville managed a late surge, converting at the line and hitting a three-pointer with 14 seconds left in the half to take a 26-22 lead into the break.

The Lionettes came out firing in the second half, and scoring 21-points in the third quarter.

Rivera and Torres quickly connected to tie the game at 26-26. After forcing consecutive turnovers, Rivera finished a contested layup in transition to give La Feria its first lead. Torres followed with a stop-and-pop jumper on the break, sending the crowd into a frenzy as the Lionettes went up 30-26.

Torres then converted a one-and-one and knocked down another three-pointer to extend the lead to 34-26. La Feria’s defense clamped down, disrupting Kingsville’s offensive flow and controlling the tempo.

With 2:42 left in the third quarter, the Lionettes held a 34-26 advantage. Isabella Loredo swung the ball to Heaven Sanchez, who banked in a three-pointer to stretch the margin to 37-26. Torres, who caught fire in the second half, added a strong right-side layup before Sanchez connected again from beyond the arc. Torres capped the quarter with another contested finish inside, giving La Feria a commanding 43-29 lead entering the fourth.

The Lionettes continued to pour it on, building a 55-36 advantage with 2:20 remaining. Kingsville attempted a late push, but La Feria controlled possession down the stretch to secure the 55-41 victory.

Torres led all scorers with 26 points for La Feria, followed by Rivera with 11 and Cazares with 10. Sanchez added 6, and Harley Alfaro contributed 2.

Kingsville was led by Everett’s 23 points. Angelica Rivera added 11, while Leah Garza scored 3, Jurli Merrell had 2, and Gabriella Garza finished with 2.

After a competitive first half, La Feria’s defensive pressure and explosive third quarter proved to be the difference-maker.