By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Pace, Rivera and IDEA Frontier took different paths, but each earned a postseason berth.
The Lady Chargers earned the second seed in District 32-6A, as the Lady Vikings did in District 32-5A. The teams lost their only district games to a top seed that went unbeaten throughout district play. The Lady Raiders earned the fourth spot in District 32-6A after winning the games they needed to down the stretch, including one over Los Fresnos to earn the tiebreaker with the Lady Falcons.
Brownsville Veterans travels to Edinburg High, Pace and Rio Grande City face off at PSJA North and Rivera plays host to Weslaco High in the bi-district playoffs tonight. Each game is slated to begin at 7 p.m. IDEA Frontier will face Bishop at 6:30 p.m. today at San Perlita.
The Lady Chargers return to the playoffs and face Edinburg High, their first-round opponent one year ago. Brownsville Veterans defeated Edinburg High 55-33, but the Lady Chargers aren’t expecting a similar game.
“They’re a very physical team,” Brownsville Veterans coach Valentin Paz said. “It’s not going to be an easy game. We have to prepare very meticulously because they trap well out of their press, they trap well out of their zone. We have to take everything we do very serious as we prepare for them.”
Brownsville Veterans has improved its defense and hopes that will propel a much longer run in the postseason.
“Great offense is multiple options, but great defense is multiple effort,” Paz said. “Great defense equals hard work. You have to have your heart in it to play defense. We point to the last two years. We’ve lost in the second round because of defense. It’s all about defense.
“I expect a grind-it-out game (against Edinburg High). I think the team that rebounds the ball better is the team that’s going to win this game.”
Pace returns to the playoffs again this season, and that experience should help them. The Lady Vikings have found they’re glad they did their homework against Rio Grande City.
“They’re tall and they’re fast, but we ought to match up with them very well,” Pace coach Kris Metzmaker said. “We have to prepare for everything, we have to be ready for everything. I think being in the playoffs last year has helped (the team). We’re not going to be as afraid.”
Pace hopes to continue to execute and play with the confidence it has had all season.
“We’ve been working really hard on getting up and down the court, and staying inside what we know how to do,” Metzmaker said. “Going into the playoffs it’s like starting a new season. Expect the unexpected, so that’s what we’re trying to plan for.”
Rivera earned a trip to the playoffs by playing consistently and with good defense. But it won’t be an easy task against Weslaco High, the District 31-6A champion.
“We’re going to feel a lot of pressure. We’re going to have to cope with it and deal with it,” Rivera coach Willie Brown said. “We’ve dealt with it all year, it’s nothing new. It’s an uphill battle, but we’re not going to play to lose, we’re going to compete.”
Brown feels that district play has prepared his team for its playoff matchup.
“(District 32-6A and 31-6A) have been the cream of the crop when it comes to girls basketball this year,” he said. “Night in and night out, you have to go and play. Any given night, anybody can rise up and beat you. We have to come to play.”
The Lady Raiders’ coach said the key to their game would be turnovers.
“If we can limit the turnovers, we have a shot,” Brown said. “Anytime you can cut down the turnovers, you have a chance to win the ballgame.”
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.