By EDWARD SEVERN, Special to RGVSports.com

LA FERIA — Two East Valley teams, the Harlingen South Hawks and the Brownsville St. Joseph Bloodhounds, squared off for the C.E. Vail tournament championship Saturday.

The Bloodhounds prevailed 59-41 in an extremely competitive championship game. The scoreline suggests something different, but for the majority of the game every rebound, loose ball and point was highly contested and earned. The game was so intense that at one point during the third quarter a South player threw up on the court.

The Bloodhounds struck hard first, opening a 12-2 lead on the Hawks. Senior Luis Rios got the Hawks back in the game and took the lead at 15-12, scoring 11 points on the run including two big 3-pointers.

Bloodhounds junior Gerry Martinez can pull up anywhere on the court, and he did that to regain the lead at 17-15. South senior forward Ddeen Badiru answered shortly after with a couple of great drives and a nice assist to put the Hawks back up 22-19 late in the second quarter.

Bloodhounds senior Martin Tapia’s bucket gave SJA a 23-22 lead at the half.

South came out of the halftime break strong with a couple of good baskets. Steven Ortegon, Dylan Maldonado and Ethan Salinas all had some nice buckets. Another deep 3 by Martinez tied the game at 30.

During the third quarter, the Bloodhounds decided to open the court with a full-court press. Until that, both teams played primarily in their halfcourt set ups.

The press worked, and St. Joseph went on a 22-0 run that stretched into the fourth quarter. Senior Josh Cisneros had four big baskets at the rim. A couple of his layups had some nasty english on them. Bernie Garza hit from beyond the arc and Luigi Cristiano finished at the rim with some nice post moves.

“We just wanted to pick up the pressure to see if they can handle it and to get our guys going,” St. Joseph coach Sam Lucio said. “We were a little sluggish, so I wanted to get our guys going. It was something we talked about at halftime as an adjustment.”

Badiru ended the Bloodhounds’ run with a couple of free throws. Trying to come back down 49-32 with only a few minutes left is a lot to ask for any team. The Bloodhounds took care of the ball and saw out the victory.

Two straight weekends has resulted in two tournament championships for the Bloodhounds.

“Winning tournaments is not easy to do, it is a grind,” Lucio said. “Sometimes you play two games a day, we have some kids a little banged up. They wanted it, they want to prove that they can play with anyone in the Valley, and when we get into the playoffs we want to do well against the teams across state.

“We have a couple of tough games this week. We have another tournament coming up in a couple of weeks in San Antonio with a couple of teams from out of state. It is going to be competitive. We want to be peaking before district.”

The Bloodhounds have another month before they start district and a decent amount of games.

The Hawks play Tuesday at home against PSJA Memorial and will begin district play on New Year’s Eve.

“Anytime you play in a championship game it is big, you can not simulate that. It is like a playoff game,” Harlingen South coach Brian Molina said. “We got to go up against a really talented St. Joseph team. I am happy we are in this situation, our kids played hard until the end. This is going to be a great building block for our team.”

By EDWARD SEVERN, Special to RGVSports.com

LA FERIA — Four East Valley teams were in action early Friday, participating in the C.E. Vail tournament hosted by La Feria.

The La Feria Lions took on Brownsville IDEA Frontier and easily dispatched the Chargers 75-29 in a consolation bracket matchup.

The Lions jumped on IDEA Frontier quick, opening a 16-0 lead to start the game. A pair of free throws by Alejandro Maldonado broke the run, but the damage was already done.

Everyone on La Feria got some action against the Chargers. IDEA Frontier was extremely undersized and did not have an upperclassman on the court.

The starting five of Gavin Vento, Julian Torres, Cameron Wood, Carlos Gonzalez and Brandon Villanueva ran the floor early, hitting easy buckets and getting plenty of steals as they took a 40-10 halftime lead.

To be fair, IDEA Frontier had most of its key players out because of testing. La Feria took advantage.

“IDEA was not able to bring their full team, so I know that affected them,” Lions coach Dario Sanchez said. “We got to work everyone in. I thought that was very good. We have five freshman, we got to get them ready for district.

“These kids are coming off a COVID year, we have kids coming from football, some kids have not played in two years. So to get these kids game time in whatever bracket is huge for us with district coming up.”

Also Friday, Port Isabel took on Harlingen South in a winner’s bracket quarterfinal at the same time.

It was a close game for the majority of the affair, but the Hawks hit some big 3s down the stretch to pull away from the Tarpons 66-51 and advance to the semifinal round.

“Every game, we are just trying to get better,” South coach Brian Molina said. “We went up against a tough Port Isabel team. I like the way my guys finished at the end.

“Plenty of tough competition, and we need a lot of game situations. Playing these tough teams will get us ready for district,” he added.

By EDWARD SEVERN, Special to RGVSports.com

LOS FRESNOS — The University of Incarnate Word signed one of the best softball players not just in the Rio Grande Valley, but the state as well.

Victoria Altamirano, the first-team all-state outfielder, signed Thursday with the NCAA Division I program out of San Antonio, joining teammate Sophie Varela a few minutes earlier as another Lady Falcons player in the softball program that has committed to play at the next level.

Hard work was echoed by all that spoke about Altamirano. Her mother, Esther, spoke glowingly of all the work her daughter put in to get to where she is at and thanked youth coaches for pushing her to get better by taking her around the state, competing with travel teams.

As a junior, Victoria competed in an all-star game, going 3-for-3, going toe-to-toe with players that she will compete with at the next level.

“I have always dreamt of going to college, leaving my hometown,” Victoria said. “I am going to miss Los Fresnos a lot, but I am really excited about going to San Antonio. It is close for my family to go to games, but far enough for me to be independent.

“We made history as a team last year, we accomplished a lot, and hopefully we go far again this season.”

Said assistant coach Matt Molina, “We are very proud of Victoria signing. We have a really good group of girls right now that are really talented and really deserving.

“Victoria is the epitome of what happens when talent and hard work are put together. She is very talented and she did not squander it. As a coach you love to see that,” he added.

By EDWARD SEVERN, Special to RGVSports.com

LOS FRESNOS — Entering high school, Los Fresnos girls basketball standout Sarahi Jones had no interest in playing basketball. The senior had ambitions of being a softball player, but a coach reached out to Jones as a freshman about playing basketball.

Jones is now off to Texas Lutheran University next fall, when she will continue basketball as well as purse a higher education with the intent to study business.

“Year around, no breaks, softball, softball, softball, and then I got to high school and things changed,” Jones said. “I was not going to do it, but the coach at the time, Coach Valdez, convinced me. So I decided to stick with it, and this is the outcome.”

Sarahi’s father, John, was excited when his daughter decided to play basketball as a freshman. John played basketball in high school and thought he would end up on the diamond, but like his daughter, ultimately chose the hardwood.

“We are very excited for her, it is something we have wanted for her for a very long time,” John said. “Watching her put the work in, be this dedicated to it and reach this point in her life, we are all excited.

“She cannot beat me 1-on-1 yet, but she might tell you different.”

With a smile, Sarahi said, “I definitely can beat him. I am a lot faster than him, better shot.”

Sarahi has had an illustrious career so far as a Lady Falcons player. As a sophomore she was all-district, as a junior was All-Valley, and this year she leads her team in points, rebounds, assists and blocks.

“The most important thing about Sarahi is, is that she is a leader off the court,” Los Fresnos coach Alex Lucio said. “She can be cocky with all the awards she has accumulated on the court, but she is a great role model to our future Falcons.”

By EDWARD SEVERN, Special to RGVSports.com

LOS FRESNOS — A sponge is what one speaker described Sophie Varela as during her signing ceremony Thursday.

The gritty right-fielder will be taking her yearning for softball to the next level, signing with Lyon College. The NAIA school is located in Batesville, Ark., a long way from deep South Texas.

Varela is the definition of a student-athlete. The all-district honorable mention outfielder has also received accolades for her studious prowess and plans to choose pre-physical therapy as her major.

“Arkansas is beautiful, there is actual fall and seasons, it was really nice, a beautiful campus,” Varela said. “The coach is great, she is nice, they are building a great culture there and have recruited the right girls to make an impact.

Said Los Fresnos softball coach Jesse Garza, “It is exciting for us, we have two girls signing today. They have amazing work ethic, and they set great examples for the younger players.

Added Sophie’s father, Victor, “I am very proud of her, it was not easy and it never is. This was one of her goals for a very long time. She understands she still has a lot of work to do. I would be proud of any of these girls, this is a great community, but yes, I am extremely proud of my daughter.”

The Lady Falcons went four rounds deep in the playoffs last season. Sophie is excited for the upcoming season as well as continuing to play at the next level.

“Of course I am excited to be able to continue playing softball as well as my education,” she said.

By EDWARD SEVERN, Special to RGVSports.com

LOS FRESNOS — The Los Fresnos Lady Falcons cruised by the Brownsville Pace Lady Vikings 63-24 in a non-district matchup Tuesday night.

Pace kept it close during the first quarter with some great defense and Ashley Gonzalez’s shooting. Gonzalez was a thorn in the Lady Falcons’ side on defense. She had four blocks and helped create a couple of turnovers.

Pace’s Dyllan Lozano-Lomeli and Ariel Barrientos chipped in a couple baskets, but Pace trailed 9-7 at the end of a scrappy first quarter.

A runner by Gonzalez early in the second to make it 13-11 was all the Lady Vikings got for awhile, as the Lady Falcons went on a 24-0 run to finish the half.

The run was a team effort, and the backcourt pairing of Maritza Ortega and Ali Tobar ran the show. Sarahi Jones moved around, picked her spots and bullied the Lady Vikings. Aylene Ortega and Karina Alvarez cleaned up everything down low.

Tobar, Jones and Maritza Ortega had great ball-handling skills and routinely crossed up a Lady Vikings player. Ortega hit a sweet, behind-the-back move to beat a defender on her way to finish at the rim to give Los Fresnos the 52-13 lead in the third quarter.

“I feel like we could have done better offensively and defensively early,” Ortega said. “We need to work on our communication, but I am proud of how we looked today. We are getting better day by day and are ready for district.”

With the big lead, Los Fresnos got to work its bench, which saw out the game 63-24.

“We are starting to take steps in the right direction, the girls are showing grit, we are just trying to get better every day,” Los Fresnos coach Alex Lucio said. “In our district you have to have a great bench. Our district is one of the top in the Valley, and if you only have five you are going to have some trouble. If we get in foul trouble, I need to have my young girls step up. Getting them minutes is big-time right now.”

By EDWARD SEVERN, Special to RGVSports.com

LA FERIA — The Edinburg Economedes Lady Jaguars defeated the Mercedes Lady Tigers 63-37 to win the Tommie Wiseman tournament Friday evening in La Feria.

The Lady Jaguars jumped on the Lady Tigers quick in the first quarter, opening a 7-3 lead. Mercedes played really well during the first half and competed for every loose ball and contested every Economedes shot.

Mercedes shot well, too, and a nice 3-pointer by lefty Randi Lara gave them a 11-9 lead. Jaymie Flores and Jada Luna had a couple of buckets, and both teams ended up square at 15 to end the first quarter.

Economedes looked nice when they got penetration and finished from mid-range and down low. Jalene Corona hit a few jumpers during the third quarter, and Jasmine Loredo drove to the hoop strong with her left, but shot with her right.

Loredo was the big scorer in the second. Jazlynn Espinoza hit a big 3, and tournament MVP Dana Serna finished at the rim and converted her free throw to give the Lady Jags a 32-25 lead late in the quarter.

Deep shooting kept Mercedes in the game. Cerina Limas and Danielle Barroso hit three big ones to keep pace with Economedes to end the half only down 34-28.

It was all Economedes during the second half. The Lady Jaguars went on a 12-4 run quick in the second half that was capped off with a bucket from Bianca Coronado. Serna found her at the rim with a sweet pass to end the scoring in the quarter up 46-32.

“I am really excited for them, they worked really hard,” Lady Jags coach Mariana Campos said. “We got a little chip on our shoulder, but we are still trying to improve every game. We start district next week, and we grew from this tournament.”

Loredo and her strong penetrating drives took over the fourth, and the Lady Jaguars ran away with the game. They held the Lady Tigers to only nine points in the half as they went on to win the tournament.

“We just told them to stay composed and told them we need to use our defense to get our offense going. I think that is what triggered that second half run,” Campos said.

To get to the final, the Lady Jaguars defeated the La Feria Lionettes. The Lionettes beat Donna High 49-45 to finish in the third place.

Sharyland High took first in the gold bracket, and Santa Maria was first in the silver bracket.

By EDWARD SEVERN, Special to RGVSports.com

LA FERIA — The La Feria Lionettes opened the annual Tommie Wiseman tournament with a solid team victory, 48-30, over Alamo IDEA on Thursday morning.

The Lionettes got on the board first with a nice 3 from Rianna Gonzalez. Kaya Dickerson finished off her steal with an easy layup. Alamo IDEA responded with a 3 from Gisselle Fernandez.

Alamo IDEA played good halfcourt defense to start the game and made it hard for the Lionettes to get in the paint, but the Lionettes prevailed with Alani Garza and Mariah Patlan. Dickerson, Gonzalez and Lillian Martinez found their teammates for easy buckets to take a 15-5 lead going into the second quarter.

Lionettes coach Delia Lopez opted for a fresh five the whole second quarter. Alena Benjamin scored five points in the frame and Alamo IDEA was held scoreless. The Lionettes went into the half up 22-5.

“It is very important that they get some experience,” Lopez said. “I have some girls that are first-time varsity players, and it is good for them to get some experience in a varsity tournament.”

Alamo IDEA matched its scoring total of the first half quickly in the third quarter when Vivian Viacobo got a bucket and another 3 from Fernandez.

The quick flurry woke up the Lionettes. Garza, Dickerson and Patlan got buckets in an 11-0 run and locked down defensively. Fernandez ended the run with a 3-point buzzer-beater to end the run and the third quarter 33-13.

The scoring exploded for both teams during the fourth quarter. Lopez again opted to rotate out her starters to be fresher for other tourney games. Benjamin scored eight points in the quarter to lead the Lionettes in scoring.

Alamo IDEA got some good buckets in the quarter as Linda Ruiz and Fernandez grabbed all the points. Fernandez was heating up from downtown, but it was a little too late.

“It is good start,” Lopez said. “It took us a while to wake up, but you hope to start off the tournament with a win.

“We got to get ready for district. This is good practice. Wins are great and everything, but we got to get ready for district. Right now, everything we do is to prepare for that.”

By EDWARD SEVERN, Special to RGVSports.com

BROWNSVILLE — Mariana Espinosa and Briana Brackhahn hit two huge 3-pointers down the stretch for the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers to give them a good 47-38 win against the Harlingen South Lady Hawks on Tuesday night.

The Lady Hawks got off to a great start during the first quarter. Senior Alexes Rocha hit a nice 3-pointer, and seniors Isabella Marez and Jasmine Ortiz chipped in to give the Lady Hawks a 13-8 advantage going into the second quarter.

Another 3 by Rocha and a bucket from senior Katy Machen gave the Lady Hawks an 18-10 lead.

Catie Esquivel was great down low and helped keep the Lady Chargers in the game early with some big points. Esquivel, Espinosa, Brackhahn and Jordyn Rivera cut the lead to 20-19 late in the second quarter.

A jumper and a couple of free throws by Rocha gave the Lady Hawks a 24-19 lead at halftime. The Lady Hawks were disciplined and played great halfcourt basketball, and moved the ball around really well.

“Harlingen South is a good team, they are very disciplined offensively,” Brownsville Veterans coach Arnold Torres Jr. said. “They did a great job executing in the first, and our girls struggled to adjust to their screens and it put is in a hole.”

The Lady Chargers came back again during the second half and took their first lead in the game when Esquivel was fouled while converting a basket down low. She made the free throw to give the Lady Chargers a 30-28 lead.

Esquivel was the difference down low during the third quarter. She scored nine of her team’s 18 points in the quarter. A huge block by Esquivel was recycled in transition well by Alexa Torres, who found Annie Cisneros for an easy layup. Torres hit a 3 from the top of the key to give the Lady Chargers the 35-28 lead.

The Lady Hawks battled back again during the fourth quarter, and senior Sarahi Rodriguez hit a 3 to tie the game at 37.

A jumper from Rivera gave back the lead to the Lady Chargers. Brackhahn hit her 3 from the elbow with only a couple of minutes left to extend the lead to 4. Torres then found Espinosa on the wing after pushing the tempo.

Espinosa nailed the 3 and, with the clock winding down, Esquivel put the game out of reach with another rebound and finish to give the Lady Chargers a win against a senior-heavy Class 6A squad.

“We made some adjustments defensively that I think helped us at the beginning of the third quarter,” Torres said. “We made a couple of shots that gave us some energy.

“One of the things that I had emphasized at the half was that Harlingen South wanted it more. They were going after loose balls and executing better. I challenged them to get the rebounds, and I think that push showed in the third quarter and made the difference tonight,” Torres said.

By EDWARD SEVERN, Special to RGVSports.com

SAN BENITO – The St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds defeated the San Benito Greyhounds 79-59 on Friday in a non-district matchup.

Bloodhounds junior Gerry Martinez went off on the Greyhounds for 36 points as St. Joseph continues its impressive start to the season.

Both teams did not need to warm up their shot to start the game. Greyhounds senior Jermaine Corbin was money from downtown early, hitting four during the first quarter. Junior Deanthony Mireles was aggressive all game, and he found the lane and the free throw line often.

Soft boos and chants of overrated echoed the gym when Martinez got the ball, but he silenced that quickly by hitting deep 3-pointers and attacking the lane to get to the line. Martinez scored the last eight points during the first quarter to give the Bloodhounds a 21-19 lead.

“It comes with the territory, it is expected,” Martinez said with a smile. “I had a good game, my teammates do a good job of giving me the ball and our coaches do a good job of setting us up for success. We got to take the season one step at a time.”

Martinez was well-supported throughout the game by his teammates. Luigi Cristiano, the Bloodhounds’ post, protected the rim well and dished out the occasional no-look pass to open teammates. Bernie Garza was money in the corners and cut in well. Martin Tapia was an engine at times for the Bloodhounds and helped move the ball around really well and Josh Cisneros was a workhorse and has a good basketball IQ.

The starting five all shot well and finished well at the rim. They were all well-drilled and disciplined. Garza finished with 18 points and Cisneros had 12 points to help out Martinez.

The Bloodhounds started to pull away during the second quarter and went up 39-25 at the half. The third quarter is when the Bloodhounds really opened things up.

To start the third, St. Joseph went on a 19-6 run, with a lot of those points coming from Garza. He scored 8 of the first 10 points during the quarter, a 3 in the corner and a couple of layups.
Martinez and Cisneros chipped in also. The lanes really opened up for St. Joseph. San Benito had to close down the 3-point shot, and the Bloodhounds found the lanes for easy buckets.

Tapia helped run things in transition with his speed and hit a nice 3 to give the Bloodhounds a big 61-33 lead midway into the third. The score got out of hand after another Martinez 3-pointer put the Bloodhounds up 73-39.

“It is good competition to play against a school like San Benito, especially on the road in a good atmosphere,” Bloodhounds coach Sam Lucio said. “We wanted to get our guys to play against bigger schools to get ready for district.”

Early in the fourth, the Bloodhounds called off the dogs and San Benito made the scoreline a bit more respectable at 79-59.

“It is a good start, I think we need a lot of stuff to work on,” Lucio said. “The boys are putting in a lot of work in the gym, so hopefully we just continue to get better every single day.

“Gerry is a great player, he can score from anywhere on the court, and he is just trying to jell with our guys and he is. He puts in a lot of work every single day in the gym and on his own,” Lucio added.