BY MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
Weslaco High goes deep into its 14-man lineup, playing as many as 12 players on a nightly basis. The benefits are twofold — the Panthers can keep their players’ legs fresh while affirming their confidence in the secondary unit.
It feeds into Weslaco’s team-first approach, which had fueled its unbeaten record through the first half of district.
The Panthers (18-9, 6-0) have focused their efforts on defensive this season, where they wrapped up the midway point of their District 31-6A schedule with 66-47 win over then-undefeated Edinburg High (16-10, 5-2).
“We’ve gone by the concept of, if we do get beat, we have each other’s backs,” coach Gabe Valdez said. “The guys have bought into that. They know their teammates have their backs. And we’ve been able to ride that concept a little bit.”
With six returners, including three starters, back in the fold, the Panthers have had little issue coming together. They’ve missed the playoffs the last two years, coming one win shy of earning a berth. And it’s served as motivation this season for a Weslaco team that’s also shooting for its first district title since the 2011-12 season.
“The target’s a lot bigger now. They’re going to come after us,” Valdez said about the second half of district. “We just have to continue playing solid basketball. And if we could do that, hopefully we get ourselves right back in it.”
COMING TOGETHER
Walter Gomez didn’t get off to the type of start in District 32-5A that he was hoping for after taking the head job at PSJA High. Since dropping his first three games, however, PSJA High has ripped off a five-game winning streak heading into Friday’s showdown against first-place Donna High (18-9, 8-0).
“I told them, it’s going to be a slow start,” Gomez said about getting acclimated to his new surroundings. “But it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. And I told them, our goal is to make the playoffs.”
The Bears, who are in a two-way tie for third place in district, took a big step toward that goal on Tuesday by beating runner-up Brownsville Pace (14-11, 6-2).
“It was a big win for us,” Gomez said. “I’m just trying to blend in. These were here before I was. I’m just trying to be a part of their group and just trying to continue the success they had last year. And these guys are doing a great job of coming together at the right time.”
SETTING THE TONE
Beating Santa Maria and San Perlita were big for first-place San Isidro. Doing it on the road was even better.
“Those are probably the biggest wins in our district,” coach Rolando Garza said. “I feel like we’re in the driver’s seat right now one game ahead (in head-to-head matchups). I guess the pressure is not as bad. We just have to wait and see what happens.
“As long as we stay injury-free, I feel like we’ll be OK.”