JOSEPH TELLO | Staff Writer

RIO HONDO — The Rio Hondo Lady Bobcats have been red hot with a 5-0 start in District 32-4A play and haven’t seen a seventh inning all season.

Well the hot streak continued as the Lady Cats demolished the visiting Zapata Lady Hawks with a 12-2 victory to remain undefeated in league action.

“This game helps us in that we were down early and we haven’t been in that situation for a while,” said Lady Bobcats head coach Brett Esparza. “But the girls responded very well by coming together and finishing strong like they know how to.”

After the Lady Bobcats found themselves down 2-1 after two innings of play, they decided to turn up the heat.

In the bottom of the third, a grounder to left field by senior Jennifer Flores plated two to give Rio Hondo a 3-2 lead. And it didn’t stop there.

Rio Hondo went on to score six more runs to take a commanding 9-2 lead over the Lady Hawks as they allowed two walks and committed two errors in the third.

“We have a great group of seniors on the team that have been playing on the varsity since their freshman year,” Esparza said. “They didn’t panic after falling behind and did a good job of helping everyone remain focused in the game.”

The Lady Bobcats held the Lady Hawks scoreless for the rest of the game only allowing one base hit and one walk.

Rio Hondo’s Bianca Cruz, Kaila Zepeda along with Flores scored the last three runs to close out the contest at 12-2.

“We’re playing at such a high level right now that we’ve set new goals for ourselves moving forward,” said Esparza. “We hope to be playing ball in May and stay consistent with our level of success.”

The win pushes the Lady Bobcats, who are currently ranked eighth in the state, to 6-0 on the season in district as they are set to take on Port Isabel on Saturday at 1 p.m.

JOSEPH TELLO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — It was a playoff-like atmosphere as the Harlingen South Lady Hawks and San Benito Lady Greyhounds met on the field for their first district matchup of the season.

In comparison to the cool weather was the offense of the Lady Greyhounds as they fell to the Lady Hawks 3-1 on Tuesday evening.

The win puts South at 3-1 in District 32-6A play and Hawks head coach Elias Martinez was ecstatic to rack up another win.

“I can’t say enough about how hard our girls have worked up to this point,” he said. “When it got tough during the stretch, the girls never let their guards down and made plays when they needed to.”

After a scoreless two innings of play, the Lady Hawks turned up the heat when freshman Kelsey Rivera hit a ball deep to midfield to drive in teammates Kaityln De La Fuente and Jasmin Gallegos.

Rivera eventually made it home as a hit to left field from Krystal Gonzales gave the Lady Hawks a 3-0 lead after three.

The score remained 3-0 until the sixth inning when the Lady Greyhounds had a grand chance to get back into the game.

With the bases loaded and two outs, all eyes were on San Benito’s Alina Jasso as she slammed the rock deep into left field but only drove in the one run on the night.

The Lady Hawks defense was superb on the night not allowing a base hit until the fifth inning and managed to recover in the sixth with the bases loaded.

“Our freshman (Rivera) came up big in the third inning and Daisy Gallegos pitched a great ball game tonight,” Martinez said. “In this district, it’s so tight that every game is big and it’s a huge win for us because our girls hadn’t beaten them in awhile.”

The Lady Hawks will try to continue their run against the Weslaco Lady Panthers on Thursday at 7 p.m.

JOSEPH TELLO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — The rain eventually stopped, but not before causing problems for the Harlingen Lady Cardinals.

The Lady Red Birds’ District 32-6A contest against Weslaco High had to be postponed from Friday night to 11 a.m. today after heavy rains made the Lady Cards’ KEYS field unplayable.

Although the season is still young, the Lady Cardinals have already had their fair share of experiences.

In defeating the Edinburg Lady Bobcats 5-4 early on in the regular season, Lady Cards head coach Cassandra Gonzalez caught a glimpse of her team’s potential.

“It was a great way for the girls to get their first non-district win,” she said. “I was impressed with how they fought all the way through and managed to bring in the winning runs to seal the victory.”

The Lady Cards would then go on to place fourth in the Mission Tournament and are currently sitting at 7-5 overall on the season.

Heading into district, the girls dropped a heartbreaker against crosstown rival Harlingen South, but rebounded with a strong outing against Brownsville Rivera in a 19-1 victory on Tuesday to head into today’s game at 1-1 in league play.

“It’s very early in the district season and we still have some things we need to touch base on,” said Gonzalez. “Our girls have already had their ups and down so far but we have a lot of softball ahead of us.”

Leading the way for the Lady Cards is senior pitcher Skylar Macias and freshman ace Zoey Rosas, who also serves as the team’s second baseman.

Another notable contributor is freshman shortstop Eneli Garza, who along with Rosas are the team’s premiere defensive athletes.

JOSEPH TELLO | Staff Writer

SAN ANTONIO — With only a few seconds remaining in their UIL Class 3A state basketball semifinal on Thursday afternoon, exuberant cheers filled the Alamodome air as the Santa Rosa Warriors walked off the court for what would be the final game of the season.

Senior starters Leo Lara, Matthew Garcia and Monico Prado soaked in the applause from the large Santa Rosa crowd as the final seconds on the clock ticked away.

All year long the Warriors had won by 40- to 50-point margins, which led them to their appearance in the state’s final four. But for the first time in a long time the Warriors were now on the other end of the stick in an 82-44 loss to the Dallas Madison Trojans.

“It’s definitely heartbreaking because we really wanted to advance in this tournament and bring a state title back to Santa Rosa,” said an emotional Lara. “It was great playing for Coach Cipriano and alongside my best friends in Matthew and AB (Lozoya).”

Santa Rosa head coach Juan Cipriano was also disappointed with Thursday’s outcome, but still proud of what his team accomplished.

“This was something the guys had been working for since freshman year and reaching the tournament was a part of their goal,” said Cipriano “I wish we would’ve played better so the kids could have fulfilled their dream in winning a state title.”

In an unusual outing, the Warriors couldn’t convert on their shots as they had been all season.

The Trojans established themselves early on with a 22-6 lead at the end of the first to only distance themselves with a 45-19 score at the half.

“We didn’t show up in the first half. Our shots weren’t falling and that was the ultimate difference in the game,” Cipriano said.

To begin the third quarter, the Warriors regained their focus and embarked on a 13-1 run to cut the Trojan lead down to 46-32 as their defense held the Trojans to only 16 third-quarter points.

However, Madison muscled its way back in the contest and despite the low-scoring third period, opened up a 29-point lead by the end of the frame to essentially ice the game.

The Trojans will now face 2015 state champion Brock in the title game on Saturday morning.

Lara finished his last game as the Warriors’ leading scorer with 21 points, followed by AB Lozoya, who pumped in 12 of his own.

The Warriors’ loss by the numbers

In their state semifinal matchup against the Dallas Madison Trojans, the Santa Rosa Warriors were significantly outmatched.

Given the height advantage of the Trojans, the Warriors had to make the most of their opportunities outside the paint and, in the end, they simply couldn’t convert.

Santa Rosa only hit 16 of their 69 attempts within the paint and 3 of their 36 attempted three pointers.

Meanwhile, Madison forwards JeMichael Bowens and Quintarius Johnson terrorized the Warriors down low as Johnson grabbed 16 rebounds along with Bowen’s 14.

Together the duo’s 30 boards contributed to the team’s total of 66 rebounds compared to Santa Rosa’s 35. That led to the Trojans obtaining 18 second-chance points and 58 of their 82 total points coming in the paint.

Trojans guard Patrick Terry led the team in scoring with 20 points and snagged four steals that contributed to the team’s 11. Those 11 steals gave birth to 22 fast break points in which the speed of the Trojans proved way too much for the Warriors, who only scored eight fast break points.

The starting five of the Trojans were consistent in their scoring as they each averaged 12 points.

JOSEPH TELLO | Staff Writer

SEGUIN— With their slim 69-62 regional semifinal victory over the Poth Pirates on Friday, it seemed like the Santa Rosa Warriors were going to be in tight contests for the rest of the playoffs.

Well the wake up call on Friday served its purpose as the Warriors are headed to the UIL Class 3A state tournament after easily defeating the Shulenburg Shorthorns in the Region IV-3A tournament final 73-55 on Saturday afternoon at Seguin High School.

It’s been eight years since the last time the Warriors were part of the state’s final four and after Saturday’s victory, Santa Rosa head coach Juan Cipriano was ecstatic.

“When we went the first time in 2009, we had two transfer students from Mississippi and Houston that were a big part of that team,” Cipriano said. “It feels really good to be going back but with these guys, they’re Santa Rosa born and raised so that makes it more special.”

Senior Leo Lara lead the team in scoring with 27 points, and Monico Prado pitched in 18 along with AB Lozoya, who finished with 13 points of his own.

“It feels great to be going to the state tournament because it’s something we’ve wanted since freshman year,” Lozoya said. “Since we didn’t defend well against Poth, we were extra motivated against Schulenburg to get after it.”

Needless to say, the Warriors took care of business on the defensive end with an astounding 14 steals in the first half that gave Santa Rosa a 44-30 lead after two periods.

The Warrior rumble continued in the third quarter when the Shorthorns were just limited to 10 points and trailed Santa Rosa 60-40 before the fourth.

Playing from such a deficit, the Shorthorns used their best weapon in Myles Thomas but his efforts would come up short in the end. Thomas only mustered 10 points in the quarter and as the final buzzer rang, the large contingent of Santa Rosa fans in attendance wildly cheered for their conquering heroes.

The Warriors’ opponent in the state semifinals will be determined later today, but they will play Thursday at either 1:30 or 3 p.m. at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

The other three teams in the final four are Madison, Teague and three-time state champion Brock.

JOSEPH TELLO | Staff Writer

SEGUIN — The Santa Rosa Warriors hadn’t been caught off guard in their past six postseason games. But when they faced off against the Poth Pirates on Friday in the Region IV-3A semifinal, all that changed.

It wasn’t the Warriors’ usual 50-point blowout, but they were still able to get a 69-62 win to advance to their second straight regional final. They’ll face Schulenburg at 1 p.m. today for the chance to go to the UIL state tournament in San Antonio next week.

Leo Lara and Jonah Agado were the top scorers for the Warriors as they each posted 18 points to notch the Warriors’ victory.

Right behind them were teammates Monico Prado and AB Lozoya, who contributing 13 points each with Prado grabbing seven rebounds and Lozoya snagging six steals.

After an edgy first half, the Warriors held on to a slim 29-26 lead that was due to the height advantage of Poth’s Luis Gonzalez and Heath Dunn.

Together the duo outrebounded Santa Rosa 11-6 in the second quarter and managed to score 14 of the Pirates’ 17 points.

“The guys weren’t spreading the ball around like they’re used to doing and began to force shots, which we can’t do at this point,” said Warriors head coach Juan Cipriano.

To handle the strength of the men down below, in came Warriors Mike Ruiz, who limited the production of Dunn and Gonzalez to just five points and three rebounds in the third quarter.

Agado drilled three 3-pointers to help Santa Rosa establish a 48-41 lead at the end of the third.

Lara came out on fire to begin the fourth period as he netted eight straight points to help push the Warrior lead to eight at 58-46 with less than five minutes remaining.

To match Lara’s efforts, Dunn and Gonzalez combined for 10 points until Dunn fouled out with 1:58 left in the contest.

With the Warriors already in the bonus and on top of the Pirates 61-54, Santa Rosa played keep away to secure the win.

Lozoya hit seven of his eight free throws that ultimately lead to the victory.

“That’s the reason we wanted the ball in his hands because it’s hard to get it away from him,” said Cipriano of Lozoya. “Whenever we’re in trouble, he’s one of the guys to bail us out and I count on him to make the right decision with the ball.”

JOSEPH TELLO | Staff Writer

LA FERIA — There was approximately a 20-minute wait to enter the La Feria High School gymnasium on Tuesday for the Class 3A regional quarterfinal game between the Santa Rosa Warriors and the Corpus Christi London Pirates.

With the game so close to home, Warriors fans didn’t hesitant to fill the stands and they left extremely happy and satisfied as they witnessed their beloved team dismantle the Pirates 90-40 to advance to the Region IV-3A tournament in Seguin for the second time in a row.

The Warriors now advance to the regional semifinals where they’ll face Poth at 6 p.m. on Friday at Seguin High School.

“I loved the environment and the Pirates were going to be a tougher team than what we faced before, but the kids’ hard work paid off,” said Warriors head coach Juan Cipriano.

Santa Rosa was a little shell shocked after establishing a 7-0 lead in the beginning minutes only to have it cut to four at 19-15 score at the end of the first quarter.

The Warriors then came to life after a Monico Prado layup helped Santa Rosa take a 14-point lead at 29-15 with 6:37 left in the second quarter.

“The guys were trying to get the foul with their attempts at the basket,” Cipriano said. “I told them to just run the offense since they weren’t drawing the foul anyway and we were able to sink our shots on the outside.”

Santa Rosa was able to limit the Pirates to just eight points in the second period and finished the first half with a 42-23 lead.

The Warriors didn’t take their foot off the gas as Jonah Agado was on fire from beyond the perimeter, sinking four of his game-high six 3-pointers in the third quarter.

“I feel like a prophet because I told the others before the season that Jonah would help us out tremendously and he showed up tonight,” said Cipriano.

The Warriors hit seven threes in the period, which gave them their biggest lead of the night at 74-32 at the end of the third.

Senior sensation Leo Lara lead the team in scoring with 25 points followed by Agado’s 18 and Monico Prado, who pitched in 16 of his own.

Tuesday’s 50-point victory now gives the Warriors the opportunity to advance once again to the Region IV-3A tournament final, where they lost a one-point heartbreaker to Aransas Pass in 2016.

JOSEPH TELLO | Staff Writer

CORPUS CHRISTI — In order for the Santa Rosa Warriors to continue on their quest to make the Class 3A state finals, they would first have to take care of the Dilley Wolves.

The Warriors didn’t miss a beat as they conquered the Wolves 91-41 in their Class 3A area-round playoff game Friday night at Corpus Christi Ray High School.

Senior guard Leo Lara led the team in scoring with 24 points and teammate Monico Prado finished right behind him, notching 21of his own.

Warriors head coach Juan Cipriano always preaches to his team to start strong and finish the game with that same intensity.

“Last year it was a problem where we were behind in games and we did so more often than not,” Cipriano said. “This year we made it a point of emphasis to get off to good starts and carry on that momentum to the end.”

Prado had a monster first quarter, scoring 10 of his 21 in the frame to help the Warriors establish a 23-6 lead.

“They were finding me pretty early, getting me involved and I was able to make my shots; I couldn’t really ask for anything more,” Prado said.

The inexperience of the Wolves continued to show in the game as they couldn’t develop any type of offensive rhythm against the Warriors.

Four minutes into the second quarter, the Wolves barely reached the 10-point mark and were sent home packing after Lara had back-to-back blocks in one possession.

Santa Rosa took a 46-14 lead at the end of the half and never looked back.

Senior Matthew Garcia kept the pace for the Warriors as he erupted in the third quarter with four rebounds, one steal and 11 points.

“I had a talk with him at the half because I knew he could play better than that and he responded well,” said Cipriano of Garcia.

Garcia finished with 17 points as the second string of the Warriors finished the game to take the 40-point victory.

“We’re just going to focus on the next team we have in front of us and not look too far ahead with our goal in reach,” said Prado.

The Warriors’ next opponent will be London in the regional quarterfinals early next week.

JOSEPH TELLO | Staff Writer

The mighty Trojans of San Perlita took care of business on Tuesday with a 78-45 victory over the Freer Buckaroos in a Class 2A bi-district playoff game.

Now off to the area round of the playoffs, San Perlita will duke it out with the San Antonio Gervin Academy Coyotes at 7 tonight at Alice High School.

On the other side of the 2A bracket, the Santa Maria Cougars limited the Benavides Eagles to 20 points in an impressive 64-24 bi-district win.

The Cougars hope to translate that success to the area round of the playoffs where they will take on the San Antonio Lee Volunteers.

“Our team will be tested with Lee, but our guys have been up to the challenge since day one,” said Cougars head coach Albert Briones. “We’re going to have to play smart basketball in bringing the pressure, rebounding and, of course, limiting our turnovers.”

The iron match between the Cougars and Volunteers will take place at Corpus Christi Carroll High School tonight at 7:30.

As for the Santa Rosa Warriors, their trip back to the regional finals of the 3A tournament is within reach, but they will have to prove their worth against the Dilley Wolves beforehand.

Tonight marks the first time the Warriors will play against the Wolves. The game is set for 7:30 p.m. today at Corpus Christi Ray High School.

Upper Class: After ending the regular season with a share of the District 32-6A crown, the Los Fresnos Falcons are continuing to ride high in the postseason.

With a bi-district victory over the PSJA Memorial Wolverines on Tuesday, the Falcons now advance to the area round against the state-ranked Laredo United Longhorns tonight in Roma at 7:30.

Meanwhile, the Weslaco Panthers will take their talents to Corpus Christi where they will meet up with South San Antonio tonight at 7 in their Class 6A area contest.

“They are a senior ballclub and play very disciplined basketball,” said Panthers head coach Gabriel Valdez. “We are just going to have to do the same, but I believe we’ll match up well.”

JOSEPH TELLO | Staff Writer

KINGSVILLE — After winning the District 32-4A title that was capped by an undefeated league season, the La Feria Lions were hoping to carry that momentum into a nice, long postseason run.

The Sinton Pirates, however, had playoff plans of their own and, unfortunately for the Lions, are the ones moving on to the area round after a hard-fought 58-56 overtime victory over the Lions in a Class 4A bi-district playoff game on Tuesday at Kingsville King High School.

Lions senior Jalen Morrell led the team in scoring with 25 points and teammate Julian Trevino pitched in 14 points in the losing effort.

After an edgy first half, La Feria took the momentum with a 9-0 run in the third quarter and limited Sinton to just seven points to take a 36-29 lead heading into the fourth period.

“I wanted to make sure they were boxing out and grabbing those rebounds due to Sinton’s height advantage over us,” said Lions head coach Dario Sanchez. “Also we did a better job of attacking their zone and contesting the shots of one of their best perimeter shooters.”

To begin the fourth, La Feria’s Billy Watson drilled a three pointer to give the Lions their largest lead of the night at 39-29.

Although the Lions were in prime position to seal the game, Sinton made a run of its own when it needed it most.

The Pirates cooled down the Lions and were able to tie the game at 39-39 with four minutes left to play.

Morrell then took it upon himself to score the Lions’ next six points, matching every basket Sinton had to offer to tie the game again and send into overtime.

“I can’t say enough about him. He really took on the responsibility of leading his team this year, especially in this game,” Sanchez said of Morrell. “Whenever we’re down, he’s been the guy to take over and fix that for us. We’re definitely going to miss that.”

The height of the Pirates came in handy during overtime as they outrebounded La Feria 8-0 and used that advantage to take a 58-53 lead near the end of OT.

In the final seconds, Morrell drove down the court and drilled a three-point shot, but it just wasn’t enough.

“This team fought hard all season, let alone in this game, and they’ve had a lot of success,” said Sanchez. “We’re going to graduate four and have eight returning for next year, so I think we’ll be all right moving forward.”