Up by 21 and with a 5:44 left in the contest, San Benito head coach Eddie Abrego pulled his starters off the court and was going to let the reserves finish it off.

Then things got interesting.

PSJA came storming back as the Bears went on a 22-4 run to trim the lead to three with 12 seconds left in the game.

Abrego decided to bring his starters back in the game and David Herrera hit a free-throw shot with three seconds left in the game that gave the Greyhounds a 65-61 lead.

PSJA’s Jesse Castillo hit a three-pointer that cut the lead to one. But, luckily for the Greyhounds, the shot went in as time expired and the ’Hounds survived a scare with a 65-64 victory.

Abrego wasn’t a very happy camper after the game.

“I got after my second and third team and told them that tomorrow’s practice isn’t going to be a pretty one,” said Abrego. “Due to the fact that we played five games over the weekend, I decided to give my starters the rest of the night when we had what I felt was a comfortable lead.

“Then things took a turn for the worse with the reserves and I had to end up putting my starters back in the game toward the end. Our first team was able to get the job done and played a great game tonight. But our reserves lacked discipline and I am very disappointed in that. However, I have to also give credit to the Bears and coach Garcia. They came to play and gave us a scare.”

San Benito (7-7) came out firing early on as it was able to build a 20-10 lead with nine seconds left in the first quarter.

But PSJA (5-9) fought back as it closed the gap to three (22-19) with 5:40 left in the second quarter thanks to a 9-2 run.

However, the Greyhounds were able to shift the momentum back in their favor and outscored the Bears 38-20 giving them a 60-39 lead.

PSJA head coach Roy Garcia II said he was pleased with the way his team finished the game.

“We finished strong and I was pleased with the effort,” said Garcia. “I told my kids that they had a choice and that they could cave it in down by 21 or give it their all and make this a game.

“Well, they decided to give it their all and closed the game strong. I just wish we played like that from the very beginning. That would have definitely made this a different ball game.”