KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
The 2019-2020 girls basketball season starts Tuesday, and local teams are prepping for the new season.
Among East Valley squads, Harlingen High, Los Fresnos, Brownsville Veterans, Harlingen South all look to return to the playoffs.
Harlingen High is in position for a second straight district title under Ashley Moncivaiz. Last year, Harlingen High went 32-6 with a 10-0 district record and a trip to the third round of the playoffs.
While Big Red lost a few big names to graduation, Moncivaiz has six returners. Keep tabs on Callie Cervantes and Alexus Coto to make some noise for the Lady Cards this season.
“Our team is building off of last year,” Moncivaiz said. “A new group of players that we have added to this year’s team will help with depth. We are looking to compete in District 32-6A and advance further in playoffs.”
Harlingen South went 17-18 last year but checked in a solid 7-3 district record before bowing out to Edinburg Vela in the bi-district round. The Lady Hawks return nine players, with seven of them being seniors.
Seniors Laura Ramirez and Karla Reyes have the shooting ability to help South take that next step and compete in the competitive 32-6A. Defensively Allyah Guevara, Bianca Gonzalez and Julia Celis will have an impact.
“I’m excited about this group,” Lady Hawks coach Kelly Garrett said. “I know they can do great things, and they love the challenge that’s ahead. After seeing the RGVBCA preseason polls, they weren’t happy. They know they need to walk the walk, nothing is going to be handed to them.”
Brownsville Hanna (26-11, 4-6) reached the playoffs last season after another strong year from Mia Paz. With Paz lost to graduation, the Lady Eagles have three returners from last year’s squad.
Alexis Alvarez, Sam Ramos and Odalys Gonzalez will look to lead Hanna this season.
“We lost Mia to graduation, but we feel we can fill the void with a team approach,” Hanna coach Luis Gonzalez said. “We are expecting the returners to help us early on, and we are deep and balanced team.”
San Benito missed out on the playoffs last season after posting a 14-21, 4-7 record last season. Lady ’Hounds coach Abel Moreno will look to Karen Vega, the only returning starter from last year.
Retuning letterman are Aries Naranjo, Kayla Gaona and Alyssa Hernandez. Gaona and Hernandez will be the top guards on this year’s team.
“We are young, but we are working on getting back to the playoffs,” Moreno said. “We are looking forward to getting the new girls some experience and getting the Lady Greyhound program back to being a force in the Rio Grande Valley.”
Brownsville Veterans is under first-year coach Arnold Torres. The Lady Chargers went 12-15 last year and won a playoff game over PSJA Memorial.
This year, Lizzy Garza, Caitlin Esquivel, Julia Alvarez and Bryanna Buitureira all return to the court.
“We are a bit behind in where we want to be with the girls,” Torres said. “We have been working hard and have had a great attitude in practice. We want to play up-tempo and be aggressive on defense. We have some experience this year and hope for a great season.”