By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
SAN ANTONIO — Alec De La Cruz had a sinking feeling the moment he heard the whistle.
After sitting out most of the third quarter in hopes of closing out Friday’s regional semifinal against Alamo Heights, the Edinburg Vela junior was assessed his fifth foul with his team trailing early in the fourth quarter.
Without him, the SaberCats needed to rally to force overtime, and eventually win. With him back on the court Saturday, though, they stormed out to a double-digit lead just minutes into the contest to reserve their spot at the UIL state tournament.
“I think the guys felt a lot more comfortable,” De La Cruz said. “When I fouled out, they worried. But since they saw they could win without me, they felt more confident.”
De La Cruz provided the type of versatility on defense that eluded the SaberCats when he was sat out the latter portion of Friday’s game. He scored eight points on Saturday, but made his presence felt in collecting six rebounds, three blocked shots, two steals and two assists.
A night after picking up three fouls by halftime, including one early during the third which relegated him to the bench, De La Cruz finished with three fouls the entire game in a 58-48 win over Laredo Nixon at the Blossom Athletic Center.
“We told him, ‘This is your game. We need you to do the little things,’” Vela coach Lalo Rios said. “When he’s in the game, he’s a real big presence because of his wingspan and his athletic ability.
“So we were just glad that he was able to stay away from foul trouble and help us win.”
All year, the 6-foot-2 junior has been a steady presence as part of Vela’s “Big 3.” While he’s shown a knack for being able to score when needed, De La Cruz has made his imprint in a variety of other ways.
On Friday, he was assigned to guard Jhonathan Dunn, Alamo Heights’ best player, who finished with a team-high 26 points. De La Cruz did his part to pester him, but his anxiousness led to limited playing time Friday after fouling out with 6:29 left in regulation.
Saturday, however, he was back in the starting lineup, helping Vela storm out to a 25-6 lead in the opening quarter.
“Not having him there (Friday), it just made us play stronger,” reserve Chris Ochoa said. “Without one of the ‘Big 3,’ we had to play better, and that’s what we did.
“So having him there (Saturday), it made a big difference. It was a close game without him. And with him there, he brought that athleticism, scoring, his defense. Everything.”
With 10 returners in place, De La Cruz said he wasn’t worried about any drop-off in play once he checked out of the game. If anything, the SaberCats were able to test a five-guard lineup, even if it came at the most crucial juncture of the season.
Now, they have that in their backpocket, should they run into any trouble at the UIL state tournament beginning Thursday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
“That’s the beauty of this team. Anybody can step up on any given notice,” Rios said. “Yeah, it was a big blow not having Alec, but other guys stepped up. They understand whenever we need them, they need to be ready.
“That’s what makes this team special. That we could go to any one of these guys, and they could get the job done.”
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