BY NATE KOTISSO | THE MONITOR
As La Joya Juarez-Lincoln nears its 10th year as a high school, the girls basketball program would like to end the decade on a high note.
The Huskies have one playoff appearance in program history, finishing fourth in a rugged District 32-4A with Hidalgo, Weslaco East and Mission Veterans during the 2010-11 season. Juarez-Lincoln has yet to break into the playoffs as a 6A school.
The playoff drought may end this season for the Huskies (13-19, 4-4), who scored yet another important district win against McAllen Rowe on Tuesday.
“We got one against Rowe in district last year, and lost by one at their place this year,” La Joya Juarez-Lincoln coach Adrian Treviño said. “When you win a game like that, you start believing that you’re a good team. I think we’re peaking at the right time.”
Treviño has a bevy of weapons at his disposal. Junior Megan Bell, who is third on her team in scoring, dropped 20 points against the Warriors on Tuesday. With senior Diana Bustos leading the team in scoring and sophomore double-double machine Yolanda Hernandez in the mix, the Huskies’ turnaround is easy to understand.
“It’s a luxury that we haven’t always had,” Treviño said. “Last year, Yolanda did a great job of picking up trash and putting it back in. Megan was a true facilitator last season and is now more comfortable with the pieces around her. Diana and Yoli are going to open things up, and Megan’s benefitted from that.”
Juarez-Lincoln is all alone in fourth place in District 30-6A. Another one of the team’s district wins came Jan. 9 against McAllen High — a team the Huskies had never beaten before.
The four district wins are also a personal best for Treviño, who is in his fourth season as head coach of the Huskies.
“We have four games left, and I think we need to win two of them,” Treviño said. “If we get to six wins, that should be enough. We’re going to try to get more than two, but I want to get to six first and then think about seven or eight. That’d be great.”