By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
It’s all beginning to come together on the basketball court for the Pace Vikings, who are off to a 2-0 start in District 32-5A.
“We know we haven’t done anything yet because we still have 12 (district) games to go, but it feels pretty darn good,” said Pace coach Jose Luis Ramirez, whose team (10-9) next plays at 6 p.m. Friday at Donna North. “Actually, I expected it. It’s something you’ve got to expect. Our expectations were there because we know what our team can do.
“We’ve got to stay hungry because there are difficult challenges ahead,” Ramirez added. “We’re working hard, and we’re going in the right direction.”
The Vikings are coming off Tuesday’s 55-37 win over the Porter Cowboys. Before that, they defeated PSJA High 52-38 in last week’s 32-5A opener.
When asked what it is he likes about his team’s play right now, Ramirez said, “We’re shooting the ball well, there’s a lot of ball movement, we’re protecting the ball and we’re focusing on defense.
“We’re stressing that (good) defense is going to feed our offense,” the Pace coach added. “We’ve got pretty balanced scoring. Everybody is attacking the basket, everybody is contributing. We’re blessed with enough kids who can contribute.”
Leading the way scoring-wise for the Vikings are sophomore wing Andres Salgado and junior forward Esteban Garza, who are averaging a little more than 14 and 11 points, respectively. Leading the team in rebounding are Garza and senior shooting guard A.J. Medrano, Ramirez said.
Regarding the Vikings’ defensive play, Ramirez said, “It’s a unit thing. They’re all doing it.”
He said sophomore point guard Alex Acosta is “constantly talking (to the team) and motivating them a lot (to play good defense).”
Ramirez is the first one to say it’s too early to start thinking about the playoffs. Still, he was asked if he remembered the last time the Vikings advanced to the postseason.
“I’m not sure, but it’s been awhile,” Ramirez said. “It’s been long enough, let’s just put it that way.”
STATE RANKED: The St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds (14-6) were pleasantly surprised to learn they are No. 21 this week in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches’ state rankings for large private schools.
“It’s pretty good for team morale,” SJA coach Samuel Lucio said. “Being noticed is nice.”
The Bloodhounds, riding a six-game winning streak, are coming off Monday’s 65-42 non-district victory against Lyford. They next play at home at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday against Santa Rosa. TAPPS district play begins Jan. 17.
“The team is starting to come around (in preparation for district),” Lucio said. “Our defense has been strong all season, and our offense has been starting to pick up the past couple of weeks.”
Also in the TABC rankings, the Brownsville First Baptist girls (13-1) are No. 24 this week among the state’s small private schools.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.