BY NATE KOTISSO | THE MONITOR
EDINBURG — The careers of Edinburg High forward Jayla Santa Maria and point guard Mercedes Hernandez have yielded some truly impressive achievements. Santa Maria and Hernandez have been starters for three years.
They produced 80 wins during that period, including a share of a district championship during a 29-8 season last year. Following the 2016-17 season, Hernandez made the The Monitor’s All-Area First Team with 12.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.0 steals per game, while Santa Maria won The Monitor’s All-Area Defensive Player of the Year honors with 9.1 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
As they head into their senior seasons at EHS, one mark is missing: a playoff victory. The Bobcats are 0-3 in the bi-district round since Hernandez and Santa Maria first stepped onto campus.
“All of the returning players that were in the playoffs with us last year have a sour taste in their mouths from that playoff loss (to San Benito),” Hernandez said. “But I believe it happened for a reason: to better our team and to unite us, and it has done that. It’s made us quite a bit better than we were last year at this point.”
“Of course, we want to go as far as we possibly can, knowing we’ve gotten knocked out of the first round the past three years,” Santa Maria said. “Right now, we’re working on our chemistry and trying to peak at the end of the season so we can go further in the playoffs.”
Peaking at the end of the season is a sentiment echoed by Edinburg High coach J.D. Salinas, who is entering his sixth year at the helm of the program. Salinas made some adjustments to have his team ready for this year’s playoffs.
“In spring 2016, we played in a spring league in Palmview, then a summer league here in Edinburg and a fall league in Edinburg. Some girls even played in some weekend tournaments and others played AAU ball, so they got a lot of games in,” Salinas said. “When we started last season, we were playing really well. But by the time January and February came around, we started to plateau, as other teams were hitting their peak and catching up to us. This year, we stayed away from playing a whole lot, and they didn’t play in too many weekend tournaments.”
Salinas sensed a difference in his team when he started working with them during their athletic period this school year.
“They were hungry to get back in it,” Salinas said. “They compete with each other. They go after it. One team will win the team scrimmage 28-18 today, and tomorrow it’ll be tied, or the other team will win. I’m really enjoying it.”
The extra rest and added depth will be keys for the Bobcats going forward. Among the players Salinas says can contribute right away are three freshmen: guards A’nnika Saenz, Daysha Tijerina and Julissah Santa Maria — the third Santa Maria sister to make the roster.
“We can easily go nine players deep, or probably go 10,” Salinas said. “We’ll have two girls moving up from the JV team, but everybody else, in my opinion, could possibly start somewhere else. They’re that talented, and they’ve got great potential because they’re so young.”
RGVSports.com Preseason Top 10
1. Edinburg High
2. Weslaco High
3. Brownsville Veterans
4. Harlingen High
5. McAllen Memorial
6. McAllen High
7. PSJA North
8. Rio Grande City
9. La Joya Palmview
10. Edinburg Vela
Preseason Five Players to Watch
Jayla Santa Maria, Sr., forward, Edinburg High
The senior forward won The Monitor’s All-Area Defensive Player of the Year award while also finishing fourth in the Valley in points per game (18.2).
Melly Palacios, Sr., guard, PSJA North
Palacios made the The Monitor’s All-Area’s First Team after averaging 15.5 points, 4.8 steals, 3.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 2016-17.
Jocy Amaya, Sr., forward, Rio Grande City
Amaya finished second in the Valley in points per game at 19.2 and was fifth in rebounds (9.5) last season.
Renee Flores, Jr., guard, La Joya Palmview
Flores made The Monitor’s All-Area Second Team as a sophomore, averaging 16.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 steals per outing.
Briana Pena, Sr., guard, Weslaco High
Pena won The Monitor’s All-Area Player of the Year averaging 14.4 points and 4.6 steals per game to help the Panthers advance to the regional quarterfinal round of the playoffs last year.