By RAUL GARCIA JR | The Mercedes Enterprise

WESLACO — David Clower stepped up to the free throw line with 21.7 seconds left in the game for after a Wildcats blocking foul. The Tigers were down 55-53. And he had two shots.

The sound of the crowd trying to rattle Clower concentration thickened with intense shouting and pounding on the bleachers as he prepared for his shot and gazed at the rim.

The pressure was on for Clower, but heading to the line he was 15 for 15 from the charity stripe on the night.

For the Tigers, his next two shots were going to be automatic.

The Tigers had not missed a free throw all game. Clower had been perfect from the line.

He bounced the ball three times, spun the ball into his left hand as if loading a bullet, put his shooting hand under the ball, raised his arm acting like the barrel of a shotgun, and his eyes dead locked on his target.

And he pulled the trigger, the ball floated through the air with backspin from the flick of his wrist.

His first shot bounced off the rim, and his second rattled in and swirled out into the hands of Wildcat Danny Mendoza who was immediately fouled.

Mendoza made his two shots to go up four 57-53.

And like a flying bullet, Clower took the inbound pass and dashed his way coast-to-coast and finished for two with seconds remaining to cut the Wildcats lead back to two.

But it was too late. The Wildcats played a quick game of keep away as time burned out.

Weslaco East defeated Mercedes 57-55 at home in a District 32-5A thriller that went down to the wire as both teams went head-to-head, toe-to-toe and blow-for-blow all game.

To start the game Weslaco East settled into their offense and sinked consecutive thee pointers that ignited the scoring slug fest the rest of the contest.

Each team one-uping each other on the offensive side with buckets around the basket that led to multiple lead changes and tie games.

To tie the game at six, Mercedes Guard Joseph Rocha attacked the basket and finished with a right hand floater in the lane.

On the other end Wildcats Nacho Aranda attacked the rim with an up and under scoop layup to regain an 8-6 lead.

After swinging the ball around the Tigers tied the game again 8-8 off a tip pass from J.J. Alvarado down low to Kemper Ledesma who scored an easy two points.

The Wildcats tied the game again 10-10 with a short perimeter shot by Nacho Aranda.

Clower was on fire as he carried the Tigers in the first quarter putting up 7 of 11 points on the board, and converted on a three point play to take a Tigers 10-15 lead.

Clower ended the game leading all scores with 27 points.

Also scoring for the Tigers, Joaquin Gonzales, 9, Noah Villanueava, 9; Kemper Ledesma, 4; Joesph Rocha, 4; J.J. Alavarado, 2.

But Wildcats Zion Rodriguez made the Tigers pay with a bomb from downtown for leaving him open two feet beyond the three point line to cut the Wildcats deficit down13-15 with less than 30 seconds left in the first quarter.

Wildcats again tied the game at 15-15. This time from the free throw line to open the second period.

But Clower followed up as he sinked two free throws of his own and converted on the baseline with a stop and pop shot to stretch the Tigers lead 15-19.

After an East score, Clower scored again with a heavely contested stop in pop shot from the other side to hold on to a 17-21 lead.

And again the Tigers would pay as Weslaco East’s Rodriguez sinked another three to cut the Tiger lead to 20-21.

Wildcats took back the lead 24-23 with the help of Danny Mendoza.

And after the Wildcats forced a Tiger turnover Mendoza made the Tigers pay for leaving him wide open for 3 that hit nothing but the bottom of the net to lift the Wildcats to a 27-23 lead going into halftime.

The Tigers clawed their way back to 29-29 tie, but like deja vu the Wildcates answered with another Zion three point bomb from downtown to take back the lead back 32-29.

Zion caught fire as he connected from downtown again to lift the Wildcats 35-29.

But Clower would answer back again with a dancing spin move in the lane for a basket to keep the game close 38-33.

Tigers Forward Noah Villanueva would answer with a bucket from downtown in the right hand corner to cut the Tigers deficit 38-36 late in the third quarter.

After a Tiger defensive stand Clower scored again in the lane to tie the game at 38-38 with a minute and 58 seconds left in the third.

Heading into the fourth quarter the Wildcats led 47-40.

The Tigers cut the Wildcats lead to 49-46 with the help of Gonzales and Villanueva who both scored off assets from point guard Joseph Rocha.

But the Wildcats struck back with a dish inside from Zion to Mendoza down low to go up 51-46.
From there on the Wildcats played cat and mouse keep away to hold on to their lead and burn time off the clock with 3:53 left to go.

With 2:48 left Clower converted another 2 points at the line on one and ones to cut the Wildcats lead to 53-51.

And after Wildcats Daniel Flores missed at the line Villanueva was fouled on the defensive rebound and went to the line to shoot two to cut the Wildcats lead.

Both shots swished, and the score was 55-53.

But the Wildcats would hold on as Mendoza sank two free throws to put Weslaco East four up 57-53 before Clower made the final basket of the game to cut the Wildcats lead back to two 57-55 with less than 10 seconds left in the contest. 

Scoring for the Wildcats: Zion Rodriguez, 20; Danny Mendoza, 14; Nacho Aranda, 13; Jediah Rivens, 8; Gael Romo, 3.

Next up for the Tigers is a 7:30 p.m. road game against Brownsville Lopez on Friday. The Wildcats look to take on Donna High at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Donna.