Steve Stark Relays Results
Richard Thompson Stadium
Mission
Feb. 12
TEAM RESULTS

Boys Standings — 1, Sharyland Pioneer, 108; 2, La Joya Palmview, 90; 3, Weslaco High, 76; 4, Mission High, 54; 5, Mission Veterans Memorial, 52; 6, Sharyland High, 48; 7, McAllen High, 47; 8, Edinburg Vela, 39; 9, McAllen Memorial, 32; 10, Brownsville Porter, 28; 11, Donna High 23; 12, Edinburg North, 22; 12, McAllen Rowe, 22; 12, Rio Grande City, 22; 15, Valley View, 10; 16, Roma, 8.

Girls Standings — La Joya Palmview, 160; 2, Sharyland Pioneer, 93; 2, Sharyland High, 97; 4, McAllen High 90; 5, Donna High 57; 6, Edinburg High, 43; 7, Edinburg Economedes 37; 8, Edinburg North, 33; 9, Rio Grande City, 30; 10, Valley View, 23; 11, Mission High, 9.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
BOYS
Track Events

100-meter dash — 1, Abraham Garza, Sharyland High, 10.96; 2, David Garza, Rio Grande City, 11.03; 3, Gunnar Henderson, McAllen High, 11.10; 4, Juan Josue Peña, Roma, 11.29; 5, Jesus Vera, Mission High, 11.31; 6, Americo Villanueva, La Joya Palmview, 11.39.

200-meter dash — 1, Anthony Gonzalez, Brownsville, Porter, 22.97; 2, Armando Payan, Brownsville Porter, 23.37; 3, Alex Cordova, Mission High, 23.45; 4, Juan Josue Peña, Roma, 23.50; 5, Tomas Ortegon, Brownsville Porter, 23.79; 6, Alfredo Quintanilla, La Joya Palmview, 23.81.

400-meter dash — 1, Serigo Murillo, Weslaco High, 50.17; 2, Adrian Lopez, La Joya Palmview, 51.91; 3, Alex Cordova, Mission High, 52.01; 4, Daniel Mireles, Sharyland Pioneer, 52.65; 5, Luis Escalera, Sharyland High, 52.77; 6, Victor Castillo, McAllen Memorial, 52.79.

800-meter run — 1, Victor Boca, La Joya Palmview, 1:57.11; 2, Jesus Mata, Mission Veterans Memorial, 1:57.67; 3, Marcua Guajardo, Edinburg Vela, 2:01.35; 4, Arturo Cedillo, McAllen High, 2:04.65; 5, Josh Cedillo, Sharyland Pioneer, 2:05.45; 6, Robert Rojas, Weslaco High, 2:05.63.

1600-meter run — 1, Jose Aleman, Sharyland Pioneer, 4:29.46; 2, Victor Boca, La Joya Palmview, 4:33.01; 3, Eliseo Rodriguez, La Joya Palmview, 4:33.78; 4, Jose De Ochoa, Mission Veterans Memorial, 4:34.70; 5, Aldo Nava, Edinburg North, 4:34.97; 6, Francisco Morales, Donna High, 4:39.77.

3200-meter run — 1, Fabian Garcia, Mission Veterans Memorial, 9:49.67; 2, Francisco Morales, Donna High, 10:10.78; 3, Eliseo Rodriguez, La Joya Palmview, 10:15.93; 4, Juan Manzano, Weslaco High, 10:16.52; 5, Marcos Garza, Sharyland Pioneer, 10:26.98; 6, Alejandro Castillo, Donna High, 10:27.62.

110-meter hurdle — Joshua McGowen, McAllen High, 14.26; 2, Manuel Lerma, McAllen High, 15.56; 3, Tristian Guerra, Sharyland Pioneer, 15.86; 4, Alexander Lara, Weslaco High, 16.11; 5, Marc Garcia, Mission High, 16.28; 6, Jordan Cabellero, Edinburg Vela, 16.38.

300-meter hurdle — 1, Joshua McGowen, McAllen High, 38.40; 2, Marc Garcia, Mission High, 40.16; 3, Gunnar Henderson, McAllen High, 41.20; 4, Tristan Guerra, Sharyland Pioneer, 41.94; 5, Jose Garza, Sharyland High, 42.02; 6, Manuel Lerma, McAllen High, 42.21.

4×100-meter relay — 1, Mission High, 43.79; 2, McAllen Memorial, 43.90; 3, Rio Grande City, 44.05; 4, Sharyland Pioneer, 44.10; 5, McAllen Rowe, 44.23; 6, Brownsville Porter, 44.31.

4 x 200-meter relay — 1, Sharyland High, 1:32.36; 2, Weslaco High, 1:32.39; 3, La Joya Palmview, 1:32.86; 4, Edinburg Vela, 1:33.08; 5, Mission Veterans Memorial, 1:33.32; 6, Sharyland High, 1:34.43.

4 x 400-meter relay — 1, La Joya Palmview, 3:30.86; 2, Weslaco High, 3:32.02; 3, Sharyland Pioneer, 3:32.82; 4, Mission Veterans Memorial, 3:33.45; 5, Sharyland High, 3:33.74; 6, McAllen High, 3:36.71.

2600-meter distance medley relay — 1, Sharyland Pioneer, 10:44.75; 2, Edinburg North, 11:02.75; 3, Edinburg Vela, 11:08.50; 4, Mission Veterans Memorial, 11:16.44; 5, Sharyland High, 11:20.72; 6, Mission High, 11:23.37.

Field Events

High Jump — 1, Robert Rosales, Valley View, 6-04; 2, Victor Boca, La Joya Palmview, 6-02; 3, Joe Solis, Edinburg Vela, 5-10; 4, Alexander Lara, Weslaco High, 5-10; 5, Landry Gilpin, Mission Veterans Memorial, 5-10; 6, Jordan Caballero, Edinburg Vela, 5-08.

Pole Vault — 1, Jon Zapata, Weslaco High, 13-06; 2, Michael Boltie, McAllen Memorial, 13-00; 3, Victor Romero, Mission High, 11-00; 4, Angel Chapa, Sharyland Pioneer, 10-06; 5, Demetrio Garcia, Edinburg North, 10-06.

Long Jump — Alexander Lara, Weslaco High, 22-01.50; 2, Jose Barrera, McAllen Rowe, 21-02.50; 3, Anthony Gonzalez, Brownsville Porter, 20-11.25; 4, Michael Arguellez, Edinburg Vela, 20-04.50; 5, Sebastian Gonzalez, Mission High, 20-03.50; 6, Marcus Barrera, Donna High, 19-09.75.

Triple Jump — Hector Bosque, McAllen Rowe, 42-8.25; 2, Marcus Barrera, Donna High, 42-05.75; 3, Blake Klein, Sharyland High, 42-02.50; 4, Chaunts Weston, Sharyland Pioneer, 40-04.50; 5, Angel Rodriguez, Edinburg North, 40-02.50; 6, Adrian Cruz, Edinburg Vela, 39-11.25.

Shot Put — 1, Ricardo Espinoza, La Joya Palmview, 51-04; 2, Johnny Howell, Sharyland Pioneer, 46-07; 3, Tanner Trigg, Sharyland Pioneer, 45-08; 4, Ricardo Miner, McAllen Memorial, 45-03; 5, Dillon McGuffin, Rio Grande City, 44-09; 6, Josh Zavala, Weslaco High, 43-09.50.

Discus — 1, Tanner Trigg, Sharyland Pioneer, 151-07; 2, Jordan De Leon, Mission Veterans Memorial, 150-05.5; 3, Johnny Howell, Sharyland Pioneer, 146-03; 4, Cesar Villegas, Donna High, 141-02; 5, Francisco Meza, McAllen Memorial, 140-11; 6, Ricardo Miner, McAllen Memorial, 136-01.

GIRLS
Track Events

100-meter dash — 1, Mirna Tamez, La Joya Palmview, 12.85; 2, Melody Magee, McAllen High, 13.21; 3, Kumary Castaneda, Valley View, 13.31; 4, Mariana Hernandez, La Joya Palmview, 13.42; 5, Damaris Pecina, La Joya Palmview, 13.44; 5, Cano Olivia, Mission High, 13.52.

200-meter dash — 1, Rebeca Martinez, Sharyland Pioneer, 26.56; 2, Mia Hinojosa, La Joya Palmview, 26.97; 3, Azeneth Sanchez, Donna High, 27.99; 4, Daniela Echavarria, McAllen High, 28.02; 5, Olivia Cano, Mission High, 28.37; 6, Camila Hernandez, Valley View, 28.47.

400-meter dash — 1, Mia Hinojosa, La Joya Palmview, 1:02.42; 2, Bailey Villalon, La Joya Palmview, 1:03.14; 3, Yvonne Sanchez, Donna High, 1;03.63; 4, Marissa Arce, Edinburg High, 1:04.13; 5, Giovanna Ventura, Valley View, 1:07.03; 6, Kassandra Treviño, Edinburg Economedes, 1:07.48.

800-meter dash — 1, Brianna Robles, La Joya Palmview, 2:27.41; 2, Naila Flores, La Joya Palmview, 2:32.63; 3, Monica Yanez, Valley View, 2:35.15; 4, Brianna Garcia, Sharyland Pioneer, 2:35.80; 5, Nydia De la Garza, Sharyland Pioneer, 2:36.35; 5, Yanelly Garza, Sharyland Pioneer, 2:36.35.

1600-meter run — 1, Beth Ramos, Edinburg North, 5:20.07; 2, Brianna Robles, La Joya Palmview, 5:24.50; 3, Ana Bautista, Rio Grande City, 5:28.29; 4, Vianney Sanchez, Edinburg High, 5:31.05; 5, Naila Flores, La Joya Palmview, 5:43.32; 6, Adriana Cruz, Edinburg High, 5:48.42.

3200-meter run — 1, Ana Bautista, Rio Grande City, 11:45.39; 2, Marlette Treviño, Rio Grande City, 11:45.39; 3, Mayra Bernando, Edinburg Economedes, 12:31.82; 4, Alexandria Canchola, McAllen High, 12:55.57; 5, Paulina Maldonado, McAllen High, 13:12.27; 6, Nadia Gutierrez, Sharyland Pioneer, 13:14.05.

100-meter hurdle — 1, Caleigh Hausenfluck, Sharyland High, 16.92; 2, Hannah Kirby, Sharyland High, 17.52; 3, Jocelyn Valdez, Sharyland Pioneer, 17.85; 4, Aniah Chaleff-Reyna, McAllen High, 17.89; 5, Priscilla Sanchez, Edinburg North, 17.95; 6, Jessica Zarate, Sharyland Pioneer, 17.99.

300-meter hurdle — 1, Skylar Hernandez, McAllen High, 50.21; 2, Diana Perez, Sharyland High, 52.12; 3, Hannah Kirby, Sharyland High, 52.33; 4, Karina Alfaro, Edinburg High, 52.66; 5, Jocelyn Valdez, Sharyland Pioneer, 52.70; 6, Jessica Zarate, Sharyland Pioneer, 52.73.

4 x 100-meter relay — 1, La Joya Palmview, 50.71; 2, Sharyland Pioneer, 51.75; 3, Edinburg High 52.03. 4, Sharyland High, 52.71; 5, McAllen High, 53.00; 6, Rio Grande City 53.29.

4 x 200-meter relay — 1, La Joya Palmview, 1:51.37; 2, Donna High 1:51.46; 3, Sharyland Pioneer, 1:52.28; 4, McAllen High, 1:52.93; 5, Rio Grande City, 1:54.68; 6, Pharr Valley View 1:56.09.

4 x 400-meter relay — 1, La Joya Palmview, 4:16.44; McAllen High, 4:25.06; 3, Donna High, 4:25.51; 4, Edinburg Economedes 4:25.78; 5, Valley View, 4:26.16; 6, Edinburg North, 4:33.80; 6, Sharyland High, 4:33.80.

2600-meter distance medley relay — 1, La Joya Palmview, 12:56.42; 2, Edinburg North, 12:58.85; 3, Edinburg High, 13:25.85; 4, Sharyland Pioneer, 13:35.08; 5, Sharyland High, 13:47.37; 6, Mission High, 14:32.00.

Field Events

High Jump — 1, Melody McGee, McAllen High, 4-10; 2, Aylin Alvarez, Sharyland High, 4-10; 3, Valeria Martinez, Sharyland Pioneer, 4-08; 4, Litzy Vivas, Mission High, 4-06; 5, Charlene Garcia, Edinburg Economedes, 4-06; 6, Amber Hollingshead, Sharyland High, 4-04.

Pole Vault — 1, Julieta Reyes, Sharyland High, 7-00; 2, Ana Cavazos, Sharyland High, 7-00; 3, Payton Kuhn, McAllen High, 7-00.

Long Jump — 1, Caleigh Hausenfluck, Sharyland High, 17-02.50; 2, Mirna Tamez, La Joya Palmview, 16-10; 3, Diana Perez, Sharyland High, 15-10; 4, Melody McGee, McAllen High, 15-09.50; 5, Kumary Castaneda, Valley View, 15-03.50; 6, Julia Monday, McAllen High, 15-01.

Triple Jump — 1, Bridgette Famigliette, Sharyland Pioneer, 34-00; 2, Caleigh Hausenfluck, Sharyland High 33-08.25; 3, Monique Rodriguez, Edinburg Economedes, 33-02.50; 4, Aniah Chaleff-Reyna, McAllen High, 33-01.25; 5, Bailey Villalon, La Joya Palmview, 32-07; 6, Jocelyne Garmendia, McAllen High, 32-05.5.

Shot Put — 1, Malaya Pistokache, Sharyland Pioneer, 33-04; 2, Brittany Cantu, Edinburg Economedes, 32-07; 3, Annete Loera, Edinburg High, 31-07; 4, Kaylee Lopez, Donna High, 31-06; 5, Loryssa Rendon, Edinburg North, 30-09.5; 6, Yvette Tamez, Donna High, 30-05.

Discus — Yvette Tamez, Donna High, 119-09.50; 2, Malaya Pistokache, Sharyland Pioneer, 112-05; 3, Brittany Cantu, Edinburg Economedes, 97-08; 4, Oliva Mata, McAllen High, 93-10; 5, Kaylee Lopez, Donna High, 90-01; 6, Casandra Perez, Edinburg North, 89-10.

BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

PSJA North doesn’t play catch-up often. With a 29-3 record before Tuesday’s regular season finale against Edinburg High, the Lady Raiders had lost to just two Valley teams this season — Harlingen High and twice to Weslaco High.

But North experienced a case of the late-season blues against the Lady Bobcats. They trailed by 12 points during the first half, only to see its offense sputter as three players fouled out. The Lady Raiders’ uneven play resulted in a 64-52 loss and a tie for the second seed in District 31-6A with Edinburg.

“Every team has a defining moment,” coach Randy Bocanegra said. “And they had one last night. (Edinburg) played up to the moment and they got the big win they needed.”

Despite the loss, PSJA North won the post-game coin flip to remain the two seed. The Lady Raiders will face Harlingen South next week on the road in a bi-district game, a matchup Bocanegra thinks favors his squad.

“They like to press, play full court man-to-man,” Bocanegra said. “I think that plays to our favor. We don’t want to slow down games. We want to play up tempo. When we can shoot well, it opens up those driving lanes.”

Though North ranks among the Valley’s best offensive units, its has not been as consistent as it was a year ago. A large part of the team’s production comes from senior forward Belle Palacios, who averages nearly 20 points per game. An undersized player for her position — Palacios is 5-foot-4 — her aggressive nature at times gets the better of her, as it did against Edinburg.

After the Lady Raiders took a two-point lead in the third quarter, Palacios was relegated to the bench after fouling out. From there, North’s offense lost much of its spark.

“Belle steps up to the pressure when we need her to produce, score, be smart and manage her time,” Bocanegra said. “That’s a lot of pressure, that might have had something to do with it. She was playing with urgency.”

‘WHAT REALLY MATTERS’

With his team’s post season fate in the balance, Roma coach Romeo Rios is mum regarding his game plan for Friday’s District 31-5A play-in game against Edinburg Vela at Sharyland High School.
But he knows now is as good a time as any for his Lady Gladiators to play their way to bi-district date with Mercedes.

“Usually, everything comes together at the end of the season for us,” Rios said. “We start getting three girls averaging 10 points, the rest of the underclassmen start filling in their roles nicely. We just hope for the best. Throughout a 30-game season, we do have our bad games.”

And their worst game came at the hands of the SaberCats, who beat Roma 49-20 on Jan. 22.

Aside from that blemish, the Lady Gladiators have held their own in 31-5A, including a sweep of Mission Veterans.

“Those games remind our girls that we can play with everyone one in our district,” Rios said. “That does have an impact on our girls. We won by two points over Mission Vets, and Friday may come down to that slim a margin. Hopefully we come through in those situations. This is what really matters, playing good ball at the latter part of the season.”

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The Monitor sports reporters Mario Aguirre, Jon R. LaFollette and Greg Luca discuss the latest happenings in Valley-boys and Valley-girls basketball. Play-in games, seeding games and bi-district games are previewed on the girls side while the playoff picture for the boys begins to come into focus.

Valley-Girls Basketball Playoff Schedule

Play-In Games

Friday’s Games

District 31-5A

Edinburg Vela 54, Roma 49

District 32-5A

Edcouch-Elsa 36, Donna High 30

Seeding Games

Friday’s Games

District 32-4A

Hidalgo 23, Rio Hondo 18

District 32-3A

Edinburg IDEA Quest 43, Brownsville IDEA Frontier 42

Class 6A Bi-district

Monday’s Games

Brownsville Veterans Memorial at Edinburg High, 7 p.m.

Harlingen High at Edinburg North, 7 p.m.

PSJA North at Harlingen South, 7 p.m.

Weslaco High at Brownsville Rivera, 7 p.m.

Tuesday’s Games

McAllen Memorial vs. Laredo United South at Roma Middle School, 7p.m.

McAllen Rowe vs. Del Rio at Texas A&M International in Laredo, 7 p.m.

Class 5A Bi-district

Monday’s Games

Mission Veterans Memorial at PSJA High, 7 p.m.

Rio Grande City vs. Brownsville Pace at PSJA North, 7 p.m.

Tuesday’s Games

Edcouch-Elsa at Sharyland High, 6 p.m.

Mercedes at Edinburg Vela, 7:30 p.m.

Class 4A Bi-district

Tuesday’s Game

Hidalgo vs. Rockport-Fulton at Alice High School, 6 p.m.

La Feria vs. Beeville at Corpus Christi Stadium, 6:30 p.m.

Rio Hondo vs. West Oso, 6 p.m.

Class 3A Bi-district

Monday’s Game

Banquete at Lyford, 7 p.m.

Edinburg IDEA Quest vs. Kingsville Academy at Tamuk, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday’s Game

Santa Rosa vs. San Diego at Falfurrias, 7 p.m.

Class 2A Bi-district

Monday’s Games

La Villa vs. Refugio at Bishop, 6 p.m.

San Isidro vs. Corpus Christi London at Riviera, 7 p.m.

San Perlita vs. Port Arnasas at Bishop, 8 p.m.

Santa Maria vs. Agua Dulce at Falfurrias, 7 p.m.

EDINBURG — During a game in which both teams controlled their postseason destinies, it was the experience and sharp-shooting ways of Ashley Smith that made the difference Tuesday night.

Scoring a game-high 31 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field, the Mission Veterans Memorial senior guard ended her regular-season tenure as a Lady Patriot in splendid fashion, helping her team to a 61-48 victory over Edinburg Vela.

The win locks in Mission Vets as the second seed in District 31-5A and sets up a bi-district date next week with PSJA High at a time and place to be determined today.

For Vela, the loss creates a logjam for the third and fourth seeds. The Lady SaberCats, Rio Grande City and Roma each finish 7-5 in 31-5A and will discuss tiebreakers and play-in game scenarios today, too.

While her district peers duke it out for a spot in the postseason, Smith has the luxury of looking forward.

“We want to get another bi-district championship,” Smith said. “That’s been one of our goals all season long.”

With an automatic playoff trip on the line, the Lady Patriots (22-13, 8-4) played their most complete game of the season.

Smith fired away from midrange and downtown — hitting four shots from long range — while her teammates contributed elsewhere on the floor. Andrea De la Garza scored 11 points thanks to a series of runners in the lane and Rosa Silva totaled eight points on putback situations.

Though the points came freely, defense was once against emphasized by Mission Vets. Just as they did during Friday’s win over Rio Grande City, the Lady Patriots employed a 2-3 zone to fluster Vela’s interior size.

Mission accomplished. Vela’s post players, including Bianca Cortez and Brittany Escobar, hit only half of their 16 attempts at the rim, and many of Vela’s guards struggled shooting as well — including junior Jaida Muhammad, who went 5-of-15 from the floor.

“We’re usually a man team,” Mission Veterans coach Rafael Cantu said. “We’ve only recently added the zone into what we’re doing. We feel like we get some better communication on the defensive end that way, and it creates better matchups for us.”

Cantu said he noticed his team was nervous before the game, but that it was a positive omen. The nerves were the sign of a team prepared and ready to execute its game plan with postseason hopes hanging in the balance.

With its convincing win over Vela, Mission Veterans enters the playoffs arguably playing the best basketball of any team in 31-5A. Aside from a loss to Roma in a game in which Smith did not play, the team beat district champion Sharyland High in overtime, completed a sweep of Rio Grande City and controlled Vela on the Lady SaberCats’ home court.

“We’re playing really well right now,” De la Garza said. “We knew what these last couple of games meant, and we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. But we prepared and watched a lot of film. We knew what we had to do.”

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VALLEY-GIRLS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
Tuesday’s Games
District 30-6A

La Joya Palmview 61, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 25
McAllen Memorial 69, McAllen High 43
McAllen Rowe 54, Mission High 33

District 31-6A

Edinburg High 64, PSJA North 52
Edinburg North 42, Edinburg Economedes 21
Weslaco High 37, Weslaco East 34

District 32-6A

Brownsville Veterans Memorial 61, Brownsville Lopez 31
Brownsville Rivera 41, San Benito 37
Harlingen High 47, Harlingen South 24
Los Fresnos 59, Brownsville Hanna 34

District 31-5A

Mission Veterans Memorial 61, Edinburg Vela 48
Roma 57, Valley View 34
Sharyland High 32, Rio Grande City 28

District 32-5A

Brownsville Pace 36, PSJA Southwest 25
Donna North 43, PSJA High 36
Edcouch-Elsa 36, Donna High 30
Mercedes 58, Brownsville Porter 28

District 32-3A

Lyford 58, Monte Alto 28
Edinburg IDEA Quest 44, Santa Rosa 27

District 32-2A

Bruni 35, Riviera-Kaufer 34, OT
Santa Maria 48, Lasara 18
La Villa 58, San Isidro 36

VALLEY GIRLS BASKETBALL BOXSCORES
Tuesday’s Games
District 30-6A
McALLEN MEMORIAL 69, McALLEN HIGH 43
McAllen High 4 5 5 19 — 43
McAllen Memorial 19 17 11 7 — 69
McALLEN HIGH (43) — Not reported
McALLEN MEMORIAL (69) — Kailey Caldwell 20, Victoria Izaguirre 12, Draik Banks 8, Valeria Treviño 7, Tani Talamentez 6, Ebony Johnson 4, Sarah Smith 4, Selma Regalado 4, Norma Mesias 2
RECORDS: McAllen High 13-20, 6-6; McAllen Memorial 21-12, 10-2

McALLEN ROWE 54, MISSION HIGH 33
Mission High 4 5 5 19 — 33
McAllen Rowe 19 17 11 7 — 54
MISSION HIGH (33) — Emberly Garza 17, Ashley Diaz 5, Cassandra Ortiz 2, Vianney Vasquez 4.
McALLEN ROWE (54) — Vanessa Leal 4, Dianna Gonzalez 6, Giovanni Solis 16, Deanna Spear 9, Mayda Garcia 5, Victoria Charbutton 4, Ryela Rodriguez 8, Karolina Rodriguez 2.
RECORDS: Mission High 2-30, 0-12; McAllen Rowe 11-1, 23-9, 11-1

District 31-6A
EDINBURG HIGH 64, PSJA NORTH 52
Edinburg High 11 24 12 17 — 64
PSJA North 17 11 21 3 — 52
EDINBURG HIGH (64) — Mercedes Hernandez 22, Jayla Santa Maria 19, Jennifer Galvan 10, Jenessah Santa Maria 8, Reyna Del Castillo 3, Natalie Roxburgh, 2
PSJA NORTH (52) — Adrianna Medrano 21, Belle Palacios 10.
RECORDS: Edinburg High 28-9, 9-3; PSJA North 28-4; 9-3

WESLACO HIGH 37, WESLACO EAST 34
Weslaco High 8 13 7 9 — 37
Weslaco East 7 4 11 12 — 34
WESLACO HIGH (37) — Amy Garcia 8, Evany Nicholson 2, Lily Rodriguez 3, Jasmin Muniz 12, Brianna Pena 12.
WESLACO EAST (34) — Chylee Lefevre 11, Kim Charles 3, Mig Sepeda 9, Gisell Reyes 9, Yaritza Marin 2.
RECORDS: Weslaco High 29-6, 12-0; Weslaco East 17-20, 4-8

District 31-5A
MISSION VETERANS MEMORIAL 61, EDINBURG VELA 48
Mission Veterans 13 21 13 14 — 61
Edinburg Vela 9 19 11 9 — 48
MISSION VETERANS (61) — Ashley Smith 31, Andrea De la Garza 11, Rosa Silva 8, Jacky Howell 6, Mackenzie Gerlach 3, Lyndsey Garza 2.
EDINBURG VELA (48) — Jaida Muhammad 16, Brittany Escobar 8, Terri Garza 6, Bianca Cortez 5, Julissa Cuellar 5, Emma Villarreal 3, Kayleen Rios 2, Brianna Mata 2, Cynthia Hernandez 1
RECORDS:Mission Veterans 22-13, 8-4; Edinburg Vela 16-18, 7-5.

District 32-5A
DONNA NORTH 43, PSJA HIGH 38
PSJA High 4 7 12 15 — 38
Donna North 14 8 15 6 — 43
PSJA HIGH (38) — Erin Castaneda 16, Mariah West 9, Bekah Treviño 7, Sarah Jo Hernandez 4, Ashley Pecina 2.
DONNA NORTH (43) —I’Dasha Sorrell 13, Evelyn DeLeon 7, Jasmine Trejo 5, Tori Valles 4, Nicole Rodriguez 4, Jackie Contreras 4, Yara Ybarra 4, Keyla Veliz 1, Kassandra Sanchez 1.
RECORDS: PSJA High 16-16, 9-5; Donna North 12-21, 2-12

District 32-3A
EDINBURG IDEA QUEST 44, SANTA ROSA 27
Santa Rosa 4 10 4 5 — 27
Edinburg IDEA Quest 7 9 14 14 — 44
SANTA ROSA (27) — Not reported.
EDINBURG IDEA QUEST (44) — Diana Martinez 8, Alyssa Cuellar 6, Esmer Rodriguez 3, Ana Cantu 2, Carolina Cantu 4, Abigail Gonzalez 8, Marbella Nunez 8, Tanya Reyna 5.
RECORDS: Santa Rosa 3-15, 2-6; Edinburg IDEA Quest 10-15, 5-3

BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — Michael Boltie gave a career-best performance to an empty stadium. Though Boltie would have enjoyed a few courtesy cheers to boost his morale, the fact that his efforts were met with crickets is fitting.

Because even on the McAllen Memorial athlete’s best day, his best wasn’t enough.

Last spring at the Region IV Class 6A meet in San Antonio, Boltie fiercely competed in the boys pole vault. Placing first or second meant an automatic trip to the UIL state meet in Austin. Anything else meant a long, empty-handed drive home.

Throughout the afternoon and into the early evening, Boltie and four other competitors repeatedly ascended the bar with precision, poise and grace. Just six inches separated first place and fifth place, meaning an extended vaulting session which left everyone exhausted.

Compounding matters was Boltie’s significant workload. Aside from vaulting, Boltie competed in the long jump, the 400-meter relay as well as the 100- and 200-meter dash. Striking out in his previous efforts to advance to state, the pole vault was his last chance.

As shadows grew long at Alamo Stadium, team buses and fans vacated the parking lot while Boltie remained one of the few athletes left competing. However, his extended time in the event was for not.

Though he set a new personal best with a 15-foot try, he placed a disappointing fourth.

“It was tough,” Boltie said. “But, it’s one of those things where you just have to keep fighting through it. It’s part of the sport.”

Bitter but not broken, Boltie, a senior, resolves to achieve a trip to Austin with a heftier race-day itinerary.

Boltie admits his extended workload played a role in his downfall a year ago, leaving him tired when the moment counted most. Rather than abandon his multi-event endeavors, Boltie is expanding them. He’ll compete in the same events as a year ago, but he’s added a few more to his track arsenal — including the hurdles and the 400-meter dash.

Counting on a strategy that backfired a year ago may be the definition of insanity to some, but for a hyper-competitive track nerd like Boltie, it’s an opportunity to increase his skill set across the board with an eye on the pole vault — his marquee event.

“I like all the events, and I like learning new things and being diverse,” Boltie said. “If I know how to hurdle, it’ll help me with pole vault, and if I know pole vault, it’ll help me a lot with long jump. Being in every event will help you with all your events.”

Boltie says his toughest workouts are for the 400-meter dash, a race referred to by coaches and athletes as “The Man Maker” for its mix of brutality and endurance. The Memorial athlete admits to vomiting after several rigorous training exercises for the event.

Helping Boltie along his multi-dimensional path to Austin is a small battalion of coaches and trainers. Boltie name checks seven coaches or trainers who specialize in various areas, be it jumping, coming off blocks or vaulting.

One coach who will not be assisting Boltie this season is Marcus Kauffman. The former Memorial boys track coach accepted the head football coaching position at PSJA North last month. Boltie holds no animosity and said he’s happy for his former coach.

Kauffman and other coaches refer to Boltie as an old soul for his demeanor. He doesn’t carry himself like many other teenagers. During rare downtime at meets or at post-race festivities, Boltie can often be seen alongside his coaches, picking their brain as to how he can improve.

“There’s a level of maturity there that you can’t coach,” Kauffman said. “He’s obsessed with track and he’s always wanting to learn ways to get better at it. He’s always watching film and going over his results. He’s a perfectionist and that really shows.”

A key for Boltie this season will be managing his events wisely throughout the season so as not to peak or fatigue too early. His event-day to-do list may hinge on uncooperative weather, the quality of competition or the whim of the moment.

One thing Boltie knows will happen is breaching the 17-foot mark in the pole vault. Improving 24 inches from his current height would not only be impressive, but historic. The current Valley record in the pole vault is 16-02.5, set by Harlingen South’s Jared Ede in 2005. Such a task will prove difficult to achieve, but difficult is Boltie’s modus operandi.

“At one meet, it’s all going to come together, and I’m going 17 feet,” Boltie said. “I have everything that it takes. All these little things need to align. The stars need to align and then one day I’ll be where I know I can be. I have the resources, I have the coaches. I just need to do it.”

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BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — Ashley Smith started it. Lyndsey Garza finished it.

Though Friday’s game between Mission Veterans Memorial and Rio Grande City was a back-and-forth duel between two teams with playoff aspirations, it was a one-two punch from the Vets guards that helped seal the 33-28 victory for the Lady Patriots.

The win sets up a three-team tie for second place in District 31-5A with one regular season date remaining. Vets, Rio and Edinburg Vela enter their respective season finales Tuesday with 7-5 district records. Along with Roma, four teams are competing for three playoff spots.

As the postseason draws near, every game in 31-5A carries postseason implications. Though Friday’s win didn’t clinch a playoff berth for the Lady Patriots, it means a season sweep of the Lady Rattlers, which could come in handy for any potential tiebreakers.

Smith, returning from a three-game absence due to a sore Achilles, felt the energy of the moment on the court.

“It was intense,” the senior guard said. “We kept trading baskets with them the whole game, and we had to come from behind at the end.”

Smith did her part to give Vets a 12-7 lead after the first quarter, hitting her first three shots and a pair of free throws to score eight first-quarter points. But Smith’s hot shooting cooled. For the remainder of the game, she went just 2-of-9 from the field.

Smith finished with a team-high 15 points, two points shy of her season average.

Though Rio (22-10, 7-4) saw scoring contributions from just three players, none were more effective than Jocy Amaya. The sophomore post totaled a game-high 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds and collected six steals. Thanks to 11 first-half points, Amaya helped tie the game at 20 before the break.

For a game in which no team led by more than six points, defense and rebounding were paramount. Though Rio enjoyed a size advantage, it struggled to dominate the boards, grabbing 26 rebounds to the Lady Patriots’ 22.

Though Vets post Rosa Silva didn’t score, her team-high five rebounds — most coming during the fourth quarter — proved critical during a night when every possession counted.
“It was pretty tough,” Silva said of battling in the paint against a bigger Rio team. “But it’s just one of those things where you tell yourself you have to do it. You have to pick your team up. We needed this win.”

With a 26-25 lead heading into the final quarter, Rio looked to kill clock and exercise patience on offense. Though a lone free throw courtesy Amaya made it 27-25 with 7:26 remaining, it was the last point the Lady Rattlers scored until the 1:17 mark. In the interim, Rio was plagued by turnovers, of which it committed six.

“I think we just cracked,” Rio coach Gustavo Valenciana said. “That’s what happens when you have a player like Ashley Smith who can take over a game and get some easy buckets for you. We don’t have that. We had our chances, we just couldn’t capitalize.”

While Rio’s fourth-quarter offense was composed of two foul shots, Vets (21-13, 7-4) turned its defense into offense. Off of the Lady Rattlers’ miscues, Garza scored six points in the final eight minutes, all on a series of transition layups.

“We studied them on film and saw they were a team that liked to drive,” Garza said. “So we played a 2-3 zone against them and tried to collapse whenever someone got near the rim. I think we came in prepared tonight, and the results showed it.”

Vets concludes the season on the road against Vela, while Rio will host Sharyland High. Both games tip at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

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VALLEY-GIRLS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
Friday’s Games
District 30-6A

La Joya High 57, Mission High 24
McAllen High 62, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 36
McAllen Rowe 50, La Joya Palmview 37

District 31-6A

Edinburg High 31, Weslaco East 30
Edinburg North 48, PSJA Memorial 38
Weslaco High 34, Edinburg Economedes 28

District 32-6A

Brownsville Rivera 45, Brownsville Hanna 41, OT
Brownsville Veterans Memorial 58, Los Fresnos 50
Harlingen High 73, Brownsville Lopez 44
Harlingen South 58, San Benito 30

District 31-5A

Mission Veterans Memorial 33, Rio Grande City 28
Roma 51, Sharyland Pioneer 31
Sharyland High 63, Valley View 34

District 32-5A

Brownsville Pace 43, Edcouch-Elsa 21
Donna High 43, Donna North 38
Mercedes 36, PSJA Southwest 17
PSJA High 29, Brownsville Porter 25

District 32-4A

Hidalgo 35, Raymondville 31
La Feria 40, Zapata 28
Port Isabel 57, Progreso 43
Rio Hondo 41, Grulla 33

District 32-3A

Lyford 46, Santa Rosa 31
Monte Alto vs. Brownsville IDEA Frontier, not reported

District 32-2A

Bruni 43, Lasara 23
Santa Maria 34, San Isidro 12
San Perlita 38, Riviera-Kaufer 34

VALLEY-GIRLS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Friday’s Games

District 30-6A

LA JOYA HIGH 57, MISSION HIGH 24

La Joya High 10 20 14 13 — 57

Mission High 8 0 10 6 — 24

LA JOYA HIGH (57) — Karina Cassanova 12, Sabrina Garcia 11, Clarissa Mendiola 7, Monica Garcia 5, Alejandra Lopez 5, Daniela Cantu 5, Ashley Olivarez 5, Gisselle Villarreal 3, Selene Alassa 2.

MISSION HIGH (24) — Emberly Garza 9, Brittney Garza 5, Kimberly Barerra 4, Ashley Sanchez 4, Daniella Gonzalez 2.

RECORDS: La Joya 16-18, 4-8; Mission High 2-29; 0-11

McALLEN HIGH 62, LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 36

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 6 12 8 10 — 36

McAllen High 12 17 13 20 — 62

LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN (36) — Maria D 12, Neyda V. 6, Megan B. 5, Meomi M. 5, Abigail E. 4, Jiselle A. 2, Felicias S. 2.

McALLEN HIGH (62) — Brianna Coffee 18, Victoria Alanis 16, Celeste Saenz 10, Heaven Wilbanks 9, Jarizza Villarreal 5, Emily Chapa 2, Alex Gamino 2.

RECORDS: La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 9-23, 2-9; McAllen High 13-19, 6-5

McALLEN ROWE 50, LA JOYA PALMVIEW 37

McAllen Rowe 5 20 11 14 — 50

La Joya Palmview 13 7 12 5 — 37

MCALLEN ROWE (50) — D. Gonzalez 2, J. Solis 15, D. Speear 5, M. Garcia 15, R. Rodriguez 6, K. Rodriguez 7

LA JOYA PALMVIEW (37) — Brittany Cano 5, Samantha Gutierrez 15, Edna Ovalle 1, Cyndar Magallon 4, Cristina Chavez 2, Martha Bocanegra 4.

RECORDS: McAllen Rowe 22-9, 10-1; La Joya Palmview 21-9, 8-3

District 31-6A

EDINBURG HIGH 31, WESLACO EAST 30

Weslaco East 7 11 1 11 — 30

Edinburg High 6 11 7 7 — 31

WESLACO EAST (30) — C. LeFevre 16, M. Sepeda 2, G. Reyes 4, V. Castaneda 8

EDINBURG HIGH (31) — Jayla Santa Maria 12, Emily Acosta 3, Mercedes Hernandez 2, Janessah Santa Maria 5, Jennifer Galvan 1, Natalie Roxburgh 6, Yvette Olvera 2.

RECORDS: Weslaco East 17-19, 4-7; Edinburg High 27-9, 8-3

EDINBURG NORTH 48, PSJA MEMORIAL 38

PSJA Memorial 6 12 6 14 — 38

Edinburg North 12 18 8 10 — 48

PSJA NORTH (38) — Kayla Anguiano 15, Alexandria Soto 9, Alyssa Gonzalez 6, Joanna Aranda 2, Madison Garza 2, Debbie Martinez 2, Stephanie Martinez 2

EDINBURG NORTH (48) — Tiffany Chapa 15, Nikki Jo Rodriguez 10, Stephanie Flores 12, Klarissa Lopez 5, Brianna Garza 2, Victoria Sanchez 2, Briana Martinez 2

RECORDS: PSJA Memorial 11-22, 0-12; Edinburg North 17-16, 4-7

Distrcit 31-5A

MISSION VETERANS 33, RIO GRANDE CITY 28

Rio Grande City 7 13 6 2 — 28

Mission Veterans 12 8 5 8 — 33

RIO GRANDE CITY (28) — Jocy Amaya 16, Adrianna Cruz 8, Andrea Barron 4.

MISSION VETERANS (33) — Ashley Smith 15, Andrea De La Garza 6, Lyndsey Garza 6, Makenzie G. 2.

RECORDS: Rio Grande City 22-10, 7-4; Mission Veterans Memorial 21-13; 7-4

ROMA 51, SHARYLAND PIONEER 31

Sharyland Pioneer 7 7 11 6 — 31

Roma 14 12 10 15 — 51

SHARYLAND PIONEER (31) — Chelsea Chandler 2, Ashley Briseno 2, Kayla Alanis 2, Miranda Ramos 11, Victoria Mothman 4, Marie Aguilar 8..

ROMA (51) — Isa Saenz 2, K. Rocha 11, Giselle Guerrera 9, Regina Rodriguez 3, Samantha Alanis 8, Denis Pena 13, Kossette Garza 2, Anaid Perez 2, Diamond Ramirez 2.

RECORDS: Pioneer 7-26, 2-10; Roma 6-5, 12-20, 6-5

SHARYLAND HIGH 63, VALLEY VIEW 32

Valley View 7 6 6 13 — 32

Sharyland High 25 8 19 11 — 63

VALLEY VIEW (32) — Del Angel 6, Cantu 4, Hernandez 7, Solis 7, Villanueva 8.

SHARYLAND HIGH (63) — Nany Carreterro 3, Aydee Hinojosa 7, Lizzie Hernandez, Nataly Almasri 3, Sonia Trevino 8, Anna Marshall 19, Maddie Garza 20.

RECORDS: Valley View 10-21, 1-10; Sharyland High 24-9, 9-2

District 32-5A

DONNA HIGH 43, DONNA NORTH 38

Donna North 6 7 9 16 — 38

Donna High 10 7 10 16 — 43

Donna north (38) — Idasha Sorrel 11, Jackie Contreras 7, Evelyn De Leon 7, Yara Ybarra 6, Jazmine Trejo 4, Tory Valles 2, Azucena Cruz 1.

Donna high (43) — Melanie Arenas 10, Bridget Guillen 8, Aileen Garza 8, Sarah Gonzalez 5, Tati Epperson 5, Celeste Mata 3, Mercedes Castaneda 2, Laurynn Williams 2.

RECORDS: Donna North12-20, 2-11; Donna High 11-21, 7-6

BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

Even as the wins kept coming, Edinburg High coach John David Salinas couldn’t help but ponder if his Lady Bobcats team had peaked.

Though Edinburg has been a season-long staple on the RGVSports.com Top 10 poll and is guaranteed a spot in the postseason, Salinas was concerned by a stretch of games wherein his team appeared to be going through the motions.

But during the last three games, Edinburg High is playing what Salinas says is some of its best basketball of the season. In victories over Edinburg North, PSJA Memorial and Edinburg Economedes, the Lady Bobcats averaged 57 points, nine better than their season average.

“We’ve been able to score a bit more and be more diverse,” Salinas said. “Our guard play has really played a whole lot better as of late. Mercedes (Hernandez) has played well, and that’s opened up our inside game.”

Another encouraging sign is the renewed confidence of guard Reyna Del Castillo, who has spent much of the season working her way back from a knee injury suffered during the summer. Salinas says Castillo has been less hesitant while on the court and is beginning to trust her body once more.

A constant for the Lady Bobcats this season has been sophomore forward Jayla Santa Maria, who leads the team in scoring with 14 points per game in addition to seven boards and three steals.
If the Lady Bobcats (26-9, 7-3 District 31-6A) defeat Weslaco East and PSJA North, they will have an opportunity to secure the district’s second seed. Edinburg hosts the Lady Wildcats (17-18, 4-6) at 6 p.m. on Friday.

“I’m glad we have a chance to maintain and keep climbing,” Salinas said. “It’s not going to be easy, but we feel like we’re in a good position with the way we’re playing at the moment.”

‘WE WANT TO EARN IT’
Despite punching a postseason ticket for a second consecutive season and proving last year’s surprise success was no fluke, La Joya Palmview remains unsatisfied and strives for more.

Should the Lady Lobos win each of their two remaining regular season games, it could potentially set up a three-way tie for the District 30-6A championship along with McAllen Memorial and McAllen Rowe.

But Palmview coach Anisa Reyna swears she isn’t contemplating possible tiebreakers. Her primary concern is Friday’s home matchup against Rowe (21-9, 9-1). The Lady Lobos are 0-3 against the Lady Warriors under Reyna and are the only district opponent Palmview (21-8, 8-2) has yet to topple in 30-6A.

“We’ve been working really hard,” Reyna said. “A lot of impressive things have been happening for us in terms of ball distribution. Our bigs are scoring more, and the chemistry is really working for us. Our guards are trusting our guards to do more things for us now.”

Reyna says stopping McAllen Rowe hinges on scoring in transition, rebounding and playing big inside.

“We’re glad we’re in the position that we’re in,” the third-year coach said. “We want to earn it.”

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