By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Despite an unbeaten District 32-6A record and one of the top spots in the standings, the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers aren’t satisfied.
Not yet anyway.
After a lackluster effort against San Benito, Brownsville Veterans coach Valentin Paz said his team needs work on defense. The Lady Chargers had 16 steals during the game but struggled on offense, not taking advantage of several second-chance opportunities.
With an important road game looming Friday, Paz was eager to make the necessary adjustments in practice. Brownville Veterans (17-6, 4-0) faces Harlingen High (19-3, 4-0) with the winner taking over the top spot of district.
“Friday is a huge game against Harlingen (High),” Paz said. “We have to be ready for the intensity. We have lots of room to improve defensively.”
Paz said the Lady Chargers’ play is predicated by how they play defense. He still remembers last year’s playoff loss coming down to a handful of possessions, especially on defense. The game against the Lady Cardinals and the district games that follow will determine how well equipped the Lady Chargers are for a playoff run.
“If you want to win beyond the first round of playoffs, you have to play defense,” Paz said.
NEEDS WORK: Porter has been on the short end of some recent games. Missed free throws and conditioning seem to be the culprits.
Cowgirls coach Tony Saavedra said the team needs to prepare better mentally and physically.
“(Free throws have been) something we’ve struggled with,” he said after a four-point loss to PSJA Southwest partially due to missed shots from the charity stripe. Our (previous) loss was by three (points) and we missed several free throws. It’s just all mental and something we have to work on.”
Without a full squad, a lack of conditioning hasn’t helped either. Saavedra said his girls are getting tired during crunch time.
“I think we need to get better conditioned, we don’t have our legs,” he said. “I think once we get our full team, hopefully it will be a different outcome.”
LOOKING FOR OFFENSE: Former Rivera coach and current San Benito coach Abel Moreno is trying to find a suitable offense.
The Lady Greyhounds are playing well on defense as of late, including holding Brownsville Veterans to 39 points in a loss Tuesday.
With the defense clicking, Moreno just wants to get the offense up to speed, although it has been tough.
“We’ve focused on offense during practice, focused on how we can do different things,” he said. “(We’re) trying to mold and suit the offense to fit the girls. Some type of offense that they feel comfortable, but they are still trying to find themselves.”
One thing noticeably missing is consistency.
“We just have to find a way that we all play consistent,” Moreno said. “We haven’t found that. Once we find that I think we’ll be OK.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.