RIO HONDO — Last year’s 30-28 loss to Somerset with a senior-heavy ball club was a tough pill to swallow for the Rio Hondo Bobcats.
The second round of the playoffs was Rio Hondo’s hurdle the previous two seasons in Class 4A, head coach Victor Sauceda said.
Now in Class 3A, the Bobcats cleared that hurdle on Friday when they captured the area title with a 69-39 win over San Diego. They hope to take another step further against Goliad at 6:30 p.m. today at Kingsville King High School.
“We came close last year,” Sauceda said. “This year we finally put it together. Last year we had a senior heavy team that was, defensively, a better group. This year we got some girls who can shoot more, so I think it is spreading the floor more, and it is paying dividends right now.”
The Bobcats returned two key players from last year’s team, senior Eliza Rodriguez and sophomore Emily Molina.
The senior was upset about the loss last season, she said. Rodriguez has used the loss as a source of motivation, but her being a senior this year is her main motivation.
“I don’t want my season to end,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez averages 29.7 points per game to lead the Bobcats in scoring. Molina seems far behind at 14.8 points per game, but that is still more than most girls in the Valley averaged this season. Molina is lethal when on from beyond the arc.
“I have had some off games,” Molina said. “But, I think it is coming along again.”
Freshman Abby Atkinson is heating up for the Bobcats lately, Sauceda said. Atkinson is the second leading scorer on the team with 17 ppg.
Junior Hadassah Campbell is averaging a solid 9.4 ppg for the Bobcats, a flex and a nod to the scoring depth and capabilities that the Bobcats have shown this season in Class 3A.
“Obviously it helped us,” Sauceda said. “I think at all levels here, we are low on numbers, even for girls basketball. I barely had enough to put a JV team together. It is an eye opener, but I think we are in the right division. I think this is where we belong.”
Rio Hondo (26-3, 16-0) has not been tested since December when it was beaten by Harvest Christian 64-39. It knows Goliad (21-13, 7-3) is not going to be easy. Goliad has some size, Sauceda said.
Goliad finished third in District 29-3A behind Mathis and district champions Aransas Pass. Mathis and Goliad split games in district, but Mathis was eliminated in the first round by San Diego, the team Rio Hondo cruised by to make it to the third round.
“I am actually excited to see what they got,” Rodriguez said. “See how we come out, and hopefully we come out with a win.”