BY MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER
After defeating IDEA McAllen to win the Texas Charter School Academic and Athletic League South Texas regional, the Jubilee Brownsville Lady Titans and head coach Victor Venegas find themselves heading back to the state basketball tournament held at the Georgetown Corbin Robertson Center.
It’s definitely a familiar spot as this year’s berth marks the third straight for the Lady Titans, who also head into Saturday’s 10 a.m. semifinal game against Katy International Leadership of Texas High School having now won three straight undefeated district crowns.
It’s a special feat for Venegas and company, but the 2018-19 season the Lady Titans have seemingly breezed through hasn’t been without its challenges.
Many of those stem from the young charter school program coming of age.
“ This year was challenging due to the fact that last year we graduated our first senior class,” Venegas said. “The reason we were successful the past two seasons was because I’ve had the same team coming up from ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th. This year, we had to adjust with new girls coming into this school. We took a big hit with five seniors leaving, but our mentality, the way we run practices and our system never changed. We managed to have those new girls buy into the program and it worked out.”
Venegas said 24 girls attended tryouts before the season and from there he put together the JV and varsity teams.
As a result, the Lady Titans (20-9,10-0) welcomed two new girls to the fold in Rivera transfer Paola Vargas and Brownsville Veterans Memorial transfer Galilea Martinez along with a crop of new young players to the varsity.
Cohesiveness was a big concern for the Lady Titans and in order to get the team to mesh and grow throughout this season, the coaching staff has chosen to lean heavily on its senior bunch of Jacqueline Cavazos, Cynthia Marroquin, Clarissa Cisneros, Paola Barrera and Monserrat Aquino.
With a veteran core, the process was a smooth one.
“ The way we get the new players to buy into the program are the seniors,” Venegas said. “The seniors need to lead by example and they also need to help the young ones coming up as well as the new players coming into the school. We have had very vocal seniors. Whatever we ask them to do; they’re going to do it. They’re willing to help and that’s what a team is about.”
Of that senior bunch, Marroquin has the longest tenure with the school, playing with the program since she was an eighth-grade student.
It’s that same experience that has helped the Jubilee mainstay become a leader.
“ As a captain, I’ve helped (new players) get comfortable with the team, program and the way of running things and be confident on the court,” Marroquin said. “I’m friendly with my teammates; I try to show dedication on the court and in the classroom. I’ve felt like a mom in the sense that they can come to me for advice for anything.”
Cavazos, who has been a key contributor at center this season and was a transfer herself last season from IDEA San Benito, said she has grown as a player and student after gaining experience from last year’s run to state, but insists the new crop of players have made everyone on the team better.
“ We’ve adapted really well with the new incomers because it has balanced out the team a lot more,” said the senior center. “We have a lot of shooters, we have more height than last year and we have a lot of speed; it’s helped us a lot. We adapted better this year because we had more players than last year when it was just me coming into a championship team. I can honestly say we’ve all adapted really positively and strongly.
The Lady Titans averaged 63.7 points per game (allowed 17.8) with the option of playing both an up-tempo and inside-out style. Leading the way has been the aggressive play from Cavazos in the middle and a bevy of shooters highlighted by Vargas.
Now, the Lady Titans hope they can get over the semifinal hump, where they have lost in each of the past two trips.
The difference heading into Saturday is Jubilee being the tournament’s top seed this year.
The distinction comes with pressure, but Venegas feels like his speedy squad has what it takes to get them over the hump.
“ Now the expectation is to get past the semifinals and take our chances in the championship game,” he said. “We have more speed, more shooting from the outside and we have the height. We just need to be consistent and stick to our game plan. Out of the Rio Grande valley we play tougher competition. Adjusting to that will be key, but our girls who have been here the last few years know what it takes. We need to go out and compete. The ball is round and it can be our day or not be our day, but we need to go compete.”