Cowboys lose to SA Cole, 69-43; snap 13-game win streak

By Beth Foley

Staff Writer

     Coach Sheldon Moor’s Edna Cowboys have lived by the philosophy of defensive stops fueling the offense all season.

     Tuesday night, though, third-ranked San Antonio Cole had too much firepower to shut down, and the Cougars pulled away in the second half for a 69-43 win over Edna in the Class 3A Region 4 boys Regional Quarterfinals.

     Senior point guard Markel Soto and junior guard Braylen Harris paced Edna with 12 points each, post Jaiden Clay added 10 points and Kalub Caesar had 5 points. Carlos Gonzales and Javone Ragston each scored 2.

     “Credit to Cole. Hat’s off to them,” Edna coach Sheldon Moor said. “They executed beautifully and played a really good game. Our kids fought. We gave them everything we had. We just have to accept the fact that last night we were not the better team, so, tough pill to swallow.”

     The Cougars (30-9) were led by Texas A&M-Kingsville commit James Livingston with 22 points, 6-1 senior shooting guard/forward Ajian Hasadinratana scored 18, and 6-4 forward Logan Beckstrom had 11.

     “The kids have zero to be ashamed about, zero to be embarrassed about,” Moor said. “They played with no fear. They didn’t just bow down walking into the gym, thinking they were beat. They played a very, very good first half and gave themselves a chance. We were only down five at halftime. Number 2 (Livingston), number 5 (Beckstrom) and number 10 (Hasadinratana) stepped their game up to a level we just are not capable of playing at.”

     For most of the season the Cowboys had been able to use their smothering press to create turnovers and points in transition. But the Cougars had the ball handlers and shooters to adjust and spread the press too wide for the defense to be able to trap or to provide help-side defense when they did attempt to trap.

     “We tried to press for about three possessions, but at that point I had to make an adjustment because of the ball handlers they had and the spacing they could use on the court,” Moor said. “Going to trap in that kind of spacing is not smart. It puts kids in a bad position, so therefore our press was eliminated, in effect, due to their abilities, and then it became a half-court game. We didn’t get a whole lot of stops.”

     Soto was forced to sit because of fouls for much of the second quarter, but those who came off the bench played well and the Cowboys trailed only 33-27 at halftime. But shots didn’t fall as much as they needed and the Cougars made them pay, particularly Livingston, whom Moor described as unstoppable.

     “He was in control of the game the entire second half, and pretty much the whole game,” Moor said. “Credit to Coach Isaacs. They cleared out one side of the court and said ‘2, go to work,’ and if we were to help off he would kick it, make the good pass, make the right decision. If we didn’t help, he found a way to get to the rim. He was on last night.”

     Edna finished its season at 18-9 overall, with a second straight playoff run three rounds deep. The Cowboys lost to Cole last year in the third round and in the Bi-District round two years ago. They ran off 13 straight wins before Tuesday’s loss and remained unbeaten in district at home for a second straight season.

     “It’s been a really great season,” Moor said. “Anytime you can win 18 ball games you’ve got a successful year. We had a 13-game win streak. That’s pretty good. Lots and lots of success, lots of growth.”

     Edna loses Soto, Ragston, Clay, Gonzales and Campton Hicks to graduation, but returns Harris, Caesar, Tyce Holmes, Brady Peters, Myles Randle and others who played important minutes and contributed significantly this season. 

     “These seniors are definitely going to be missed next year but they’ve laid a foundation and taken this thing to a new level,” Moor said. “Hopefully, that can be the new expectation, that we can compete for a district championship every year.

    “Sooner or later, we’ve got to find a way past this third round. Unfortunately it is what it is with the bracket. We’re going to see San Antonio Cole before we get to a regional tournament, but that’s tournament basketball, you can’t control who you face. You just got to keep upping your game every year and keep closing that gap.”