By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — As much as Edinburg Vela enjoyed winning the Craig Smith Tournament for the first time on Saturday, the bigger prize could very well be in the renewed confidence it has in its offense.
The SaberCats briefly abandoned their familiar five-man rotation to start the year before implementing again over the weekend. With it, they had fresh legs at all times. They pressed teams relentlessly. And they showed the type of continuity with its rotations that could potentially wear out teams, as it did Edinburg High in a 92-41 drubbing.
By securing the tournament trophy, Vela (10-2) crossed off one of several items on coach Lalo Rios’ to do-list. Still remaining: breaking the 100-point barrier at least five times this season, and advancing to the regional tournament.
The SaberCats were on pace to reach the century mark Saturday, scoring 76 points through three quarters before slowing down in the final period. They rained nine 3-pointers on their inner-city rivals, with Ryan Garza pouring in a team-high 17 points, Alec De La Cruz chipping in 14 and Hector Ruiz adding 13.
Vela led by double digits when Luis Salinas hauled down an offensive board and put it back in, drawing a foul. Then, Garza came away with a steal and threw it ahead to Mark Castillo for a one-handed jam and a 22-10 lead.
“It was just confidence,” Ruiz said. “Each game, we know what we’re going to do. We knew we had to play hard and hustle.
“We always practice 3s and running (the offense) at a fast pace (in practice). The way we run the ball each game, it’s crazy.”
Vela’s offense was relentless Saturday, pushing the tempo all game. They outscored Edinburg High 25-2 in the second quarter with Garza drawing charges and Chris Ochoa coming away with a pair of steals — the first one finding a cutting Enrique Arredondo, the other leading to a hockey assist to Garza, who found Jimmy Cisneros, plus the foul.
And they crashed the boards at a dizzying rate, cashing in on second- and third-chance opportunities to put the game away by halftime with a 50-14 cushion.
“I think we found what’s going to carry us this season,” Rios said of his five-man rotation. “We’re seeing a big difference.”
With some rest, Edinburg came out better in the second half, scoring 27 points. The Bobcats had played just an hour and a half prior, beating La Joya Palmview to advance to the tournament title game of the platinum bracket.
They jumped out to a 6-2 lead after a pair of 3-pointers, but they struggled to maintain that throughout with a six-man lineup on their nine-player roster.
“Our legs weren’t there,” Edinburg High coach Esequiel Cuellar said. “As the game went on, it got worse. Maybe if there would’ve been more separation between games, maybe there would’ve been a different outcome.
“But our guys played their butts off, and that’s all we want as coaches. They played hard and they gave everything they had.”
In only its second year as a school, Vela advanced to the second round of the postseason before losing to Harlingen South in 2013. This year, they have their sights set on the third round.
The SaberCats made minor tweaks in an effort to get there, implementing a four-guard lineup (from three) with only one big. It allows Vela to push the pace and remain unrelenting on defense. And bringing an entire batch of players off the bench, the SaberCats’ second unit, which showed no perceptible dropoff from the starters on Saturday, can work on their chemistry.
“I think we’ve been building up to this,” Rios said. “We didn’t play like this early. We’re going to continue to develop the five guys that are on the court. They know who they’re going in with, what they do best, and I think it does provide continuity for us.”