BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
GRULLA — With the Grulla gym full to the brim, red fans on one side and blue fans on the other, the building reached a fever pitch when Grulla junior Deion Ozuna hit a jumper to cut Rio Grande City’s lead to three points.
RGC junior Aaron Marroquin responded with the Rattlers’ second triple of the game, and the Rattlers started to extend the lead as the second quarter continued.
RGC started the game by charging out to an 11-point lead, before the Gators fought back to set up Ozuna’s make.
The Rattlers again grew the lead in the second quarter, and started to pull away. It was the Rio defense that changed the shape of the game. When the starters came back in, during the second quarter, the steals and blocks started to rain down on the Gators.
“When we play together, our defense is just as solid as anyone in the Valley,” Rio coach Juan Aldape said. “We started off struggling a little bit, but once we got into our up and down offense, you saw what the kids can do.”
Rio Grande City continued to grow the margin into the second half, as the 10-man Gators team started to tire out. The Rattlers went on to win 74-43 on Tuesday night in the classic RGCISD battle.
“It is a great feeling,” Marroquin said. “Playing these games, it is a different atmosphere. The crowd is great, a lot of fans for both teams.”
Last year, everything for the Rattlers centered around the big man in the middle, Rodrigo Nunez. Nunez is now playing ball at Coastal Bend College. Senior Jaime Covarrubias, along with Marroquin, knew they would need to be the motor for the offense, especially in the early going. The Rattlers graduated several seniors along with Rodriguez, and now have a lineup with a large presence of freshmen and sophomores to complement a strong junior crop.
“Yea, we miss him a lot, but we have to move on,” Marroquin said of Nunez. “We have new players. We have Mikey (Thomas) and Dennis (Trevino), they have contributed already, and they will help us in the long run. … All this summer, we have been going to tournaments, playing games. That really helps.”
The defensive effort, which made all the difference on Tuesday, is something the Rattlers pride themselves on.
“When we get our steals, when we move and everything, it is a great feeling because I’m pretty sure no one in our district can stop us,” Marroquin said. “Once we start going, good luck. Good luck stopping us.”
That defense was in playoff form already, even if the shooting wasn’t. A big reason for the cohesiveness of the unit can be credited to the work the team has put in over the summer.
“All summer, starting right after May, we started to play together in the tournaments,” Marroquin said. “We just go to the park, we go to different places, we know how to play together, and we have really good chemistry.”
The new cast of characters for Rio was able to show their prowess Tuesday.
Thomas scored four points and had several beautiful dump-off passes in the post.
“Mikey is a freshman; he is doing real good,” Covarrubias said. “He’s picking it up quick. Me and Aaron show him a couple plays, and he picks them up right away. That’s what I like about him, he is a quick learner. He still has three more years after this one; the sky is the limit for that kid.”
Trevino caught fire on Tuesday, posting 12 points, the second-highest total on the team, after Covarrubias’ 20.
The big man for Rio on Tuesday was Bryan Jones. Jones got just two points, but his defense, rebounding and leadership on the court adds much more value to his game than just his scoring.
“Chachi is the type of guy that, he doesn’t care about scoring or any of that, as long as he moves the ball around,” Covarrubias said. “He tells us what to do and we listen to him. He’s like a captain out there.”
Marroquin scored 9 points, despite two quick fouls costing him early minutes. Covarrubias was near a triple-double, as he often is. Raudel Solis added nine points off the bench for the Rattlers.
“(Solis) can score, he can do anything,” Marroquin said. “I like him on the floor, because he will stick on you. He won’t stop bothering you. The whole game, if I tell him to guard someone, he will be there bugging you all night long.”
Grulla’s senior big man Roly Montemayor led the Gators with 13, and Ozuna added nine.
The Rattlers may not be quite as big as last year, but they are faster, deeper and more explosive.
“It took us a while to get going, but as soon as our team got going, when we got that flow going, it was like nobody could stop us,” Covarrubias said. “I love how we work together. It’s the best thing in the world, when we are clicking like that.”