BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
PHARR — Tough buckets are hard to come by on a team like PSJA North. Often undersized and reliant on outside shooting, the Lady Raiders are defined by finesse and soft hands instead of guts and grit.
But a team doesn’t make back-to-back appearances in the area around without its share of toughness, and North wouldn’t be playing Laredo Alexander today were it nor for Sarah Serrano.
As the team ventures to Alice to face the Lady Bulldogs in the postseason for the second time in as many years, they have Serrano to thank in part for their success. In the Lady Raiders’ two playoff victories, the junior guard has displayed levelheadedness as a ball handler and acquired a monopoly on the team’s share of tough points.
During Friday’s 52-40 bi-district win against Del Rio, Serrano scored 14 points, all of them coming near the rim, and provided a spark for a North team that made just two shots from downtown.
“She just lowered her head and penetrated,” PSJA North coach Randy Bocanegra said. “No one else was really making their shots, so she just kept attacking and attacking.”
A quick glance at Serrano’s stat line doesn’t reveal much other than consistency. She averages 12.5 points per game, less than a point above her average from a year ago (11.6), and her assists, steals and turnovers per game are virtually identical during the same two-year span.
Though her numbers appear stagnant despite her production, Serrano is a more mature player than she was during her sophomore year. Where she would make excuses or deflect criticism when she made an error, she now takes ownership of mistakes, acknowledges her role as a go-to player and acts accordingly.
That pugnacious and self-aware attitude was almost never present this year for the Lady Raiders. After tearing cartilage in her right knee during an early-season practice, Serrano contemplated giving up hoops in favor of soccer, her preferred sport.
“I want to play college soccer,” Serrano said. “My parents and I talked about it. They were concerned about me getting hurt playing a sport that I know I’m not going to college for. If I’m going to get hurt, at least let it be in soccer.”
Despite the injury, Serrano resolved to remain on the hardwood. She cites close relationships with Bocanegra and her teammates as factors for staying.
Serrano was due to receive surgery on her ailing joint, but skipped an appointment with the knife after being cleared by a second opinion. Still, she faced a difficult early part of the season fraught with little to no playing time. During pre-season tournaments, she sat on the bench as her teammates rounded into shape.
Even with the significant off-time and a nagging knee, Serrano immediately contributed once she returned for a rigorous tour through District 31-6A. She scored 19 and 25 points during games against Weslaco High and Edinburg North, respectively, and has since become part of North’s potent trio along with seniors Belle Palacios and Arianna Medrano.
But along with her scoring, Serrano provides versatility for a team low on depth. Her strength allows her to muscle into the paint, but her vision and deft passing sets up a trigger-happy team of shooters. Serrano leads the team in assists per game with 4.2.
Her multi-dimensional talents translate to defense, as well. During North’s win over Del Rio, Serrano was forced to guard the post once Palacios got in early foul trouble. Though smaller than the competition, her strength and savvy play helped the Lady Raiders stifle their taller opponents.
“I do this for my team,” Serrano said. “This is something that we’ve all worked really hard to get to. We’re a good team and we can go far. I just play the way I do for them and my coach.”