The Monitor sports reporters Mario Aguirre, Jon R. LaFollette and Greg Luca discuss late-season Valley hoops, including playoff picks and key match ups to watch as the regular season comes to a close.

PHARR — Blame it on new faces or late-season apathy, but the Mercedes Lady Tigers didn’t appear like themselves.

During the first half of Tuesday’s game against PSJA High, Mercedes came out sluggish. The team was slow to rotate on offense, missed gimmes at the rim and struggled shooting in general.

The second half, however, was vintage Mercedes. The Lady Tigers discovered their shooting touch, zipped the ball around the perimeter for open looks and outmuscled a bigger Lady Bears squad to pull away to a 45-25 victory.

The win helps Mercedes remain perfect in District 32-5A with a 12-0 record and clinches a share of the district title. The team can win it outright with one more victory.

This marks the third district title for Mercedes in as many years.

While the results were familiar, the path to sweeping PSJA High was anything but smooth. Mercedes was without two players due to injury, meaning the insertion of junior guard Brianna Chacon into the starting lineup.

That lack of continuity was one reason points came at a premium. During the first quarter, Mercedes scored a measly six, but managed to hold PSJA High to only five.

With neither team’s offense clicking during the early going, it was defense that was the difference-maker during the first half. Jacklynn Flores scored nine of Mercedes’ 16 points during that span, with many buckets coming in transition off of steals.

“I’ve been working on my defense and my vision during practices,” Flores said. “I’ve been able to look at the guard and just see her eyes and where she’s going to pass the ball.”

Flores finished with a game-high eight steals in addition to 12 points.

But while the junior guard demonstrated her defensive prowess en route to a 16-14 Mercedes halftime lead, the Lady Tigers (24-9, 12-0) were plagued by woeful shooting. Alyssa Marquez, the team’s leading scorer, had just three first-half points, and Victoria Anciso missed all five of her free throws. On several possessions, the ball would stagnate instead of rotate, leading to difficult shots in one-on-one situations.

“We came out a little flat,” Mercedes coach Monica Meza said. “We were definitely out of sync. We had a lot of feet standing still on offense.”

For as clumsy as Mercedes was before halftime, the second half saw a reinvigorated Lady Tigers squad play at such a level so as to remind why it is atop the district standings.

Behind sharp passing, 12 second-half points from Marquez and a continued defensive presence, Mercedes outscored PSJA High 29-11 the rest of the way. Marquez hit a pair of 3-pointers during the third quarter to open things up, including an open shot from the left corner after some tricky footwork left a PSJA High defender on the gym floor.

While the Lady Tigers reestablished their offensive potency, PSJA High (15-15, 8-4) began the second half with a trio of turnovers. On the night, the Lady Bears committed more than 20 turnovers and failed to establish an inside presence against a smaller Mercedes team.

“We were dribbling too much and not looking inside,” PSJA High coach Stephanie Cantu said. “No one was setting screens as well, which makes it harder for us. Credit Mercedes, they’re a good defense. But we didn’t’ do ourselves any favors, either.”

Despite the loss, PSJA High will likely make the postseason. The team is one win away from clinching a playoff berth.

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Valley-girls basketball scores
Thursday’s Games

District 30-6A

La Joya Palmview 49, La Joya High 33
McAllen Memorial 69, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 17
McAllen Rowe 50, McAllen High 26

District 31-6A

Edinburg High 61, Edinburg Economedes 33
PSJA North 66, Weslaco East 31
Weslaco High 55, PSJA Memorial 34

District 32-6A

Brownsville Rivera 37, Los Fresnos 33
Harlingen High 57, Brownsville Veterans Memorial 50
Harlingen South 52, Brownsville Hanna 40
San Benito 42, Brownsville Lopez 31

District 31-5A

Mission Veterans Memorial 53, Valley View 49
Rio Grande City 45, Edinburg Vela 36
Sharyland High 74, Sharyland Pioneer 39

District 32-5A

Brownsville Pace 34, Donna North 10
Donna High 51, Brownsville Porter 34
Edcouch-Elsa 57, PSJA Southwest 33
Mercedes 45, PSJA High 24

District 32-4A

Hidalgo 50, Port Isabel 35
La Feria 35, RIo Hondo 18
Raymondville 52, Grulla 44
Zapata, 56 Progreso 41

District 32-3A

Lyford 50, Edinburg IDEA Quest 41
Santa Rosa 30, Brownsville IDEA Frontier 26

District 32-2A

La Villa 56, San Perlita 30
Riviera-Kaufer 35, San Isidro 34
Santa Maria 50, Bruni 31

BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Valley high school football fans will be disappointed to know the historic rivalry between Weslaco High and Donna High has been put on ice for at least the next two seasons.

They have the UIL to blame.

When area coaches arrived Monday at the Region One Education Service Center in Edinburg for district realignment, they brought along assumptions of which teams would be shuffled around the high school sports landscape and had possible non-district opponents in mind.

Such game-planning was for not, as the arrival of three Laredo schools in District 31-5A caused a ripple effect in scheduling for teams from Class 5A to 6A.

“That kind of rattled things up for us,” Weslaco High coach Tony Villarreal said. “People started changing their plans. We suddenly had three non-conference games open. So, we really had to scramble at the last minute.”

The UIL placed Laredo Nixon, Martin and Cigarroa into 31-5A, setting up a domino effect for Valley coaches. The Laredo schools created a nine-team district, improving the prospects of PJSA Southwest successfully petitioning to move from Class 5A to 6A.

Donna High coach Ramiro Leal says the exit of Southwest from District 32-5A was a factor in not scheduling the Panthers, a team Donna has played 86 times since 1922.

“We played Weslaco to prepare for the (slot-T offense), which was a style that Southwest liked to play,” Leal said. “With Southwest likely leaving, it didn’t really make sense for us to schedule an opponent like that. Coach Villarreal and I had some discussions, but we cordially decided not to play.”

Donna’s non-district schedule is a three-game tour against La Joya High, PSJA North and Valley View. Weslaco High moved from 31-6A to 32-6A along with Weslaco East. At press time, the Panthers had scheduled just one non-district opponent in Corpus Christi Carroll.

Another casualty of realignment is the budding rivalry between McAllen Memorial and Sharyland High. The two teams faced each other to kick-start each of the last two seasons, splitting the series.

Memorial coach Bill Littleton says he and Sharyland coach Ron Adame discussed a third and fourth year of competition to no avail in part because of Laredo schools being inserted in Sharyland’s district.

But Laredo’s new residency in 31-5A extended beyond the Mustangs and Rattlers. Littleton says possible non-district dates with Roma and Edinburg North fell through due to Laredo’s existence and the door it leaves open for Southwest.

Memorial’s tentative non-district schedule includes games against Sharyland Pioneer, Weslaco East, San Benito and Los Fresnos.

“That game against Los Fresnos was probably going to be a team from outside the Valley,” Littleton said. “The realignment put everyone in a bind and had a lot of people scrambling, but Los Fresnos said they’d take their bye week in the second week and play us in Week 4. An opportunity presented itself.”

Littleton and the Mustangs are familiar with San Benito and Weslaco East. The Mustangs scheduled the Greyhounds during realignment in 2014 and faced East when the teams were in District 31-5A.

Sharyland Pioneer coach Jason Wheeler experienced the wheeling-and-dealing of Monday first hand. In the morning, the Diamondbacks were slated for a Week 1 game against Weslaco High. Before dinner time, however, Wheeler and his team were set for an opening-night kickoff against McAllen Memorial.

Wheeler was not the only coach to pull such a move. At one point, the main room in the Service Center resembled the floor of the Wall Street Stock Exchange, with coaches standing shoulder-to-shoulder in an effort to put their respective teams in the best positions to succeed.

“Every game is going to be magnified now,” Wheeler said. “Not only because of the longer district schedule, but because of the shorter non-district schedule, too. We’ve only got so many opportunities to get things right before the games count.”

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The Monitor sports reporters Dennis Silva, Mario Aguirre and Jon R. LaFollette discuss the district realignment decided by the UIL. Who were the winners and losers? What does this mean for Valley football and other sports in the area? All that plus more.

District 30-6A Swimming and Diving Championships Results

Jan. 29 – 30

McAllen Swim Club

McAllen Rowe High School

TEAM RESULTS

BOYS

1, McAllen High, 192; 2, McAllen Memorial, 157; 3, McAllen Rowe, 84; 4, La Joya High, 44; 5, Mission High, 33, 6, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 6.

GIRLS

1, McAllen Memorial, 162; 2, McAllen High, 157; 3, McAllen Rowe, 129; 4, La Joya High, 44; 5, Mission high, 33; 6, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 6.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

Friday, Jan. 29

BOYS

One-meter diving

1, Abraham Rodriguez, McAllen Rowe, 326.90; 2, Vicente Martinez, La Joya High, 273.55; 3, Eddie Barrera, La Joya High, 257.85; 4, Ethan Plummer, McAllen Memorial, 239.85; 5, Alec Garza, McAllen Memorial, 220.85; 6, Levi L. DeLeon, McAllen High, 205.85; 7, Jesus Moreno, Mission High, 198.15; 8, Ricky Salas, La Joya High, 194.45; 9, Quintin Lorenz, McAllen Rowe, 186.00.

GIRLS

One-meter diving

1, Patty Rocha, McAllen Memorial, 293.35; 2, Katherine De Leon, McAllen Memorial, 253.40; 3, Sarah Killian, McAllen high, 168.80.

Saturday, Jan. 30

BOYS

200-yard medley relay

1, McAllen High, 1:44.27; 2, McAllen Memorial, 1:47.15; 3, Mission High, 1:58.94; 4, McAllen Rowe, 2:01.78; 5, La Joya High, 2:11.33.

200-yard freestyle

1, Shaine Casas, McAllen High, 1:45.09; 2, Thomas Wilkins, McAllen High, 1:51.67; 3, Ruben D. Treviño, McAllen Memorial, 1:59.03; 4, Humberto Garcia Sandoval, McAllen Memorial, 2:03.78; 5, Ivan Iglesias, McAllen Rowe, 2:04.09; 6, Charlie Guerrero, McAllen High, 2:08.71; 7, Diego Salinas, Mission High, 2:16.53; 8, Moseis Vela, Mission High, 2:21.34.

200-yard IM

1, Max Saenz, McAllen High, 2:09.14; 2, Caden Garza, McAllen Memorial, 2:10.62; 3, Joe Williams, McAllen High, 2:17.71; 4, Cooper Gates, McAllen Rowe, 2:18.70; 5, James Richard, McAllen Memorial, 2:22.63; 6, Garrett Forthuber, McAllen High, 2:23.45; 7, Diego Davila, McAllen High, 2:29.65.

50-yard freestyle

1, Robert T. Anaya, McAllen Memorial, 22.44; 2, Errol E. Lizzotte, McAllen High, 22.69; 3, Mikey Moore, McAllen High, 24.40; 4, Roman Garcia, McAllen Rowe, 24.54; 5, Jorge Garza Rodriguez, McAllen High, 24.75; 6, Evan Crocker, McAllen High, 24.93; 7, Adrian Francis Gomez, McAllen Memorial, 25.01; 8, Sam Enriquez, La Joya High, 25.24.

100-yard buttlerfly

1, Errol E. Lizzotte, McAllen High, 54.80; 2, Max Sanez, McAllen High, 56.25; 3, Carlos Robles, McAllen Rowe, 58.13; 4, Ivan Iglesias, McAllen Rowe, 59.95; 5, Jorge Garza Rodriguez, McAllen High, 1:00.06; 6, Joe Williams, McAllen High, 1:00.75; 7, Adrian Francis Gomez, McAllen Memorial, 1:01.91; 8, Alan Cortez, McAllen Memorial, 1:04.30.

100-yard freestyle

1, Robert T. Anaya, McAllen Memorial, 49.57; 2, Humberto Garcia Sandoval, McAllen Memorial, 53.26; 3, Roman Garcia, McAllen Rowe, 53.80; 4, Mikey Moore, McAllen High, 54.09; 5, Evan Crocker, McAllen High, 54.81; 6, Gilbert Guerra, McAllen High, 55.57; 7, Sam Enriquez, La Joya High, 55.92; 8, Christopher Barbosa, Mission High, 56.47.

500-yard freestyle

1, Thomas Wilkins, McAllen High, 5:06.46; 2, Ruben D. Treviño, 5:22.71; 3, Richard Rodriguez, McAllen Memorial, 5:35.47; 4, Alan Cortez, McAllen Memorial, 5:38.66; 5, Patricio Peña Sanchez, McAllen Memorial, 5:39.03; 6, Santiago Perera, McAllen High, 5:43.78; 7, Charlie Guerrero, McAllen High, 5:46.41; 8, Orlando Garcia, La Joya High, 6:41.77.

200-yard freestyle relay

1, McAllen Memorial, 1:35.08; 2, McAllen High, 1:36.54; 3, McAllen Rowe, 1:43.37; 4, La Joya High, 1:48.17.

100-yard backstroke

1, Shaine Casas, McAllen High, 52.21; 2, Gilbert Guerra, McAllen High, 1:02.14; 3, Cooper Gates, McAllen Memorial, 1:04.53; 4, Patricio Peña Sanchez, McAllen Memorial, 1:05.31; 5, Santiago, Perera, McAllen High, 1:06.15; 6, Diego Salinas, Mission High, 1:07.07; 7, Christopher Barbosa, Mission High, 1:08.36; 8, Miguel Martinez, McAllen Rowe, 1:12.75.

100-yard breaststroke

1, Carlos Robles, McAllen Rowe, 1:04.01; 2, Caden Garza, McAllen Memorial, 1:04.90; 3, Garrett G. Forthuber, McAllen High, 1:08.49; 4, Diego Davila, McAllen High, 1:10.82; 5, Richard Rodriguez, McAllen Memorial, 1:12.94; 6, James Richart, McAllen Memorial, 1:13.29; 7, Jose Mata, McAllen Rowe, 1:17.14; 8, Gabriel Gervera, McAllen Rowe, 1:18.55.

200-yard freestyle relay

1, McAllen High, 3:28.81; 2, McAllen Rowe, 3:41.12; 3, McAllen Memorial, 3:44.65; 4, Mission High, 3:53.26; 5, La Joya High, 4:14.73; 6, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 4:46.96.

GIRLS

200-yard medley relay

1, McAllen Memorial, 2:00.09; 2, McAllen High, 2:03.66; 3, McAllen Rowe, 2:15.14; 4, La Joya High, 2:36.24; 5, Mission High, 2:50.67.

200-yard freestyle

1, Shelby Swanson, McAllen High, 2:01.96; 2, Daniella Santos, McAllen Rowe, 2:11.75; 3, Megan Blevins, McAllen Memorial, 2:15.00; 4, Bayle Moreno, McAllen High, 2:16.87; 5, Sarah J. Aleman, McAllen Memorial, 2:17.14; 6, Raquel Cueva, McAllen Rowe, 2:17.71; 7, Rebecca Underwood, McAllen Rowe, 2:35.33; 8, Kyle Brown, McAllen Memorial, 2:28.19.

200-yard IM

1, Hannah Bradford, McAllen Memorial, 2:20.21; 2, Shaena Reyes, McAllen Rowe, 2:33.83; 3, Paige Blevins, McAllen Memorial, 2:39.19; 4, Mel Lizzotte, McAllen High, 2:40.70; 5, Gabi Pizzano, McAllen High, 2:41.32; 6, Sydney Guzman, McAllen High, 2:41.36; 7, Balbina Gonzalez, Hernandez, McAllen Memorial, 2:53.16; 8, Alicia Forina, McAllen Rowe, 4:07.27.

50-yard freestyle

1, Tammy Smith, McAllen High, 27.43; 2, Ayanna Delias, McAllen Rowe, 28.20; 3, Marianna Lam, McAllen Rowe, 28.82; 4, Andrea Yarritu, McAllen Rowe, 29.33; 5, Sofia Gonzalez, McAllen High, 29.41; 6, Patty Rocha, McAllen Memorial, 30.05; 7, Carolina Ramirez, La Joya High, 30.57; 8, Sarah Forthuber, McAllen High, 30.87.

100-yard butterfly

1, Ina Te, McAllen Rowe, 1:00.59; 2, Stacia Benitez, McAllen Memorial, 1:00.94; 3, Daniella Santos, McAllen Rowe, 1:05.38; 4, Laruen Rodriguez, McAllen High, 1:08.66; 5, Avia Guerera, McAllen Memorial, 1:08.76; 6, Sydney C. Guzman, McAllen High, 1:13.48; 7, Maddy Garza, McAllen Rowe, 1:16.16; 8, Gabi Pizzano, McAllen High, 1;16.18.

100-yard freestyle

1, Megan Blevins, McAllen Memorial, 1:01.15; 2, Elaine Moore, McAllen High, 1:02.47; 3, Tammy Smith, McAllen High, 1:03.36; 4, Ayanna Delias, McAllen Rowe, 1:04.30; 5, Ina Te, McAllen Rowe, 1:04.48; 6, Marianna Lam, McAllen Rowe, 1:04.95; 7, Sofia Gonzalez, McAllen High, 1:08.22; 8, Emilia Cueva, McAllen Memorial, 1:08.46.

500-yard freestyle

1, Shelby Swanson, McAllen High, 5:26.96; 2, Avia Guerra, McAllen Memorial, 5:52.58; 3, Baylee Moreno, McAllen High, 6:13.16; 4, Maddy Garza, McAllen Rowe, 6:13.40; 5, Mel Lizzotte, McAllen High, 6:13.97; 6, Luisa Hernandez Balleza, McAllen Memorial, 6:15.47; 7, Raquel Cueva, McAllen Rowe, 6:15.54; 8, Bailey K. Larson, McAllen High, 6:27.82.

200-yard freestyle relay

1, McAllen Rowe High School, 1:48.11; 2, McAllen Memorial, 1:56.57; 3, McAllen High, 1:56.96; 4, La Joya High, 2:08.52; 5, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 2:18.59; 6, Mission High, 2:20.88; 7, La Joya Palmview, 2:29.08.

100-yard backstroke

1, Stacia Benitez, McAllen Memorial, 1:02.71; 2, Lauren Rodriguez, McAllen High, 1:07.09; 3, Shaena Reyes, McAllen Rowe, 1:07.33; 4, Sarah J.Aleman, McAllen Memorial, 1:09.50; 5, Andrea Yarritu, McAllen Rowe, 1:13.45; 6, Emilia Cueva, McAllen Memorial, 1:15.48; 7, Bailey K. Larson, McAllen High, 1:16.63; 8, Sarah Forthuber, McAllen High, 1:21.89.

100-yard breaststroke

1, Hannah Bradford, McAllen Memorial, 1:11.63; 2, Elaine Moore, McAllen High, 1:16.28; 3, Paige Blevins, McAllen Memorial, 1:18.66; 4, Margot Crocker, McAllen High, 1:22.98; 5, Fernanda Barredo, McAllen High, 1:25.84; 6, Jesse Herzberg, McAllen High, 1:28.49; 7, Vanessa Garza, McAllen Memorial, 1:28.80; 8, Rebecca Underwood, McAllen Rowe, 1:29.57.

400-yard freestyle relay

1, McAllen Memorial, 3:56.04; 2, McAllen Rowe, 3:58.80; 3, McAllen high, 4:09.99; 4, La Joya High, 5:00.82; 5, Mission High, 5:34.97; 6, La Joya Palmview, 5:47.03.

District 31-6A Swimming and Diving Championship Results

Jan. 28 – 29

Pharr Aquatic Center

TEAM RESULTS

BOYS

1, Weslaco High, 145; 2, Edinburg High, 122; 3, PSJA North, 103; 4, Edinburg North, 52; 5, PSJA Memorial, 40; 6, Weslaco East, 32; 7, Edinburg Economedes 22.

GIRLS

1, PSJA North, 142; 2, Edinburg High, 108; 3, Weslaco High, 71; 4, Edinburg North, 59; 5, Weslaco East, 43; 6, Edinburg Economedes, 32; 7, PSJA Memorial 24.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

Thursday, Jan. 28

BOYS

One-meter diving

1, Adolfo Pacheco, Weslaco High, 363.86; 2, Ruell Cuellar, PSJA North, 307.65; 3, Jerry Silva, Edinburg North, 261.50.

GIRLS

One-meter diving

1, Carolina Carrillo, PSJA North, 272.15.

Friday, Jan. 29

BOYS

200-yard medley relay

1, Weslaco High, 1:56.86; 2, PSJA North, 2:58.40; 3, Edinburg High, 1:58.42; 4, PSJA Memorial, 2:09.17; 5, Edinburg North, 2:10.83; 6, Edinburg Economedes, 2:34.38.

200-yard freestyle

1, Nicholas C. Cano, Weslaco High, 2:12.31; 2, Daniel R. Treviño, Weslaco High, 2:13.17; 3, Gilbert Tamez, PSJA North, 2:15.27; 4, Ismael A. Rebolloso, Weslaco High, 2:17.62; 5, Ruffino Hernandez, Edinburg North, 2:25.32; 6, Donovann Luevano, Edinburg North, 2:30.47; 7, Alex R. Alvarado, Edinburg North, 2:31.88; 8, Alonzo Barrera, Edinburg High, 2:36.73.

200-yard IM

1, Brock A. Bloomquist, Weslaco High, 2:20.76; 2, Derek Lopez, PSJA Memorial, 2:25.99; 3, Gilberto Rebollos, Weslaco High, 2:27.91; 4, Julian Solis, PSJA Memorial, 2:31.31; 5, Victor A. Torres, Edinburg High, 2:42.07; 6, Joseph N. Davis, Edinburg High, 2:42.62; 7, Derek S. Cerelli, Edinburg North, 2:55.80; 8, Nicholas N. Perez, Edinburg North, 3:13.41.

50-yard freestyle

1, David Garza, Edinburg High, 23.55; 2, Richard Garcia, Edinburg High, 25.71; 3, Justin Gonzalez, PSJA North, 26.05; 4, Alonza A. Rodriguez, Weslaco East, 26.40; 5, Javen Hinojosa, Edinburg High, 26.67; 6, Matthew Anaya, Edinburg High, 26.91; 7, Ismael A. Robelloso, Weslaco High, 27.45; 8, Ricardo Ruiz, PSJA North, 28.90.

100-yard buttlerfly

1, Daryl L. Wells, Weslaco High, 55.35; 2, Justin Gonzalez, PSJA North, 1:04.15; 3, Gilberto Rebolloso, Weslaco High, 1:04.64; 4, Daniel R. Treviño, Weslaco High, 1:04.75; 5, Javen Hinojosa, Edinburg High, 1:10.40; 6, Taylor C. Pulido, Edinburg North, 1:13.98; 7, Christian Reyes, Weslaco East, 1:17.61; 8, Adrian Fernandez, Edinburg High, 1:21.70.

100-yard freestyle

1, Brock A. Bloomquist, Weslaco High, 56.68; 2, Richard Garcia, Edinburg High, 57.06; 3, Daniel Marin, Edinburg North, 57.84; 4, Alonzo A. Rodriguez, Weslaco Eat, 58.30; 5, Matthew Anaya, Edinburg High, 1:02.61; 6, Emiliano Nuño, PSJA North, 1:03.16; 7, Alex R. Alvarado, Edinburg High, 1:03.37; 8, Ricardo Ruiz, PSJA North, 1:04.87.

500-yard freestyle

1, Andre Rodriguez, PSJA North, 5:53.23; 2, Nicholas C. Cano, Weslaco High, 6:01.93; 3, Victor A. Torres, Edinburg High, 6:40.14; 4, Rufino Hernandez, Edinburg North, 6:48.81; 5, Jared N. Crutchfield, Edinburg High, 7:16.99; 6, Alonzo Barrera, Edinburg High, 7:19.55; 7, Miguel Aguilera, Edinburg Economedes, 7:36.37; 8, Norberto Rosales, Eidnburg High, 7:55.07.

200-yard freestyle relay

1, Weslaco High, 1:40.03; 2, Edinburg High, 1:40.72; 3, PSJA North, 1:51.95; 4, Weslaco East, 1:56.65; 5, Edinburg Economedes, 2:02.50.

100-yard backstroke

1, Andre Rodriguez, PSJA North, 1:02.08; 2, Daryl L. Wells, Weslaco High, 1:03.17; 3, David Garza, Edinburg High, 1:03.96; 4, Julian Solis, PSJA Memorial, 1:07.46; 5, Daniel Marin, Edinburg North, 1:09.06; 6, Gilbert Tamez, PSJA North, 1:13.35; 7, Taylor C. Pulido, Edinburg North, 1:22.68; 8, Javier Aguirre, Edinburg High, 1:23.40.

100-yard breaststroke

1, Derek Lopez, PSJA Memorial, 1:11.11; 2, Emiliano Nuño, PSJA North, 1:12.36; 3, Marco A. Barragan, Edinburg High, 1:14.90; 4, Zachary L. Budimir, Weslaco High, 1:19.96; 5, Dominic Espinoza, PSJA Memorial, 1:22.71; 6, Joseph N. Davis, Edinburg High, 1:23.07; 7, Jose Ochoa, Weslaco East, 1:29.51; 8, Juan R. Treviño, Edinburg North, 1:31.51.

200-yard freestyle relay

1, PSJA North, 3:58.67; 2, Weslaco High, 4:00.73; 3, Edinburg High, 4:03.96; 4, Edinburg North, 4:26.28; 5, Weslaco East, 4:33.27; 6, Edinburg Economedes, 5:12.06.

GIRLS

200-yard medley relay

1, PSJA North, 2:13.49; 2, Edinburg High, 2:21.12; 3, Weslaco East, 2:33.33; 4, Edinburg Economedes, 2:52.93.

200-yard freestyle

1, Leslie Montemayor, PSJA Memorial, 2:27.53; 2, Ashley Buenrostros, PSJA North, 2:36.22; 3, Natalie Ybarra, PSJA North, 2:41.43; 4, Alyssa N. Diaz, Eidnburg North, 2:46.55; 5, Brianna Ordonez, Edinburg High, 2:53.86; 6, Alexandria J. Dominguez, Weslaco East, 3:02.48; 7, Lesley L. Barron, Edinburg North, 3:03.92; 8, Lexi Martinez, Edinburg High, 3:04.79.

200-yard IM

1, Lauren L. Ortiz, Edinburg North, 3:11.15; 2, Gabby Martinez, PSJA North, 3:20.35; 3, Sabrina S. Dougherty, Edinburg North, 3:33.75.

50-yard freestyle

1, Alison Tacderas, Edinburg High, 26.62; 2, Yeye Rodriguez, PSJA North, 26.98; 3, Yvette Zea, Edinburg High, 29.23; 4, Morgan D. Parker, Weslaco High, 30.28; 5, Jada A. Helms, Edinbug High, 30.83; 6, Grecia Plata, PSJA North, 31.89; 7, Charlie A. Cruz, Weslaco High, 32.87; 8, Britney N. Solis, Weslaco High, 32.93.

100-yard butterfly

1, Yeye Rodriguez, PSJA North, 1:09.49; 2, Estrella L. Navarro, Edinburg North, 1:31.41; 3, Samantha Garza, Edinburg High, 1:36.74; 4, Jacquelin Vega, Edinburg Economedes, 1:40.04; 5, Sabrina S. Dougherty, Edinburg North, 1:41.55; 6, Arianna Bravo, PSJA North, 1:43.06; 7, Desiree Montoya, Edinburg High, 1:52.44.

100-yard freestyle

1, Alison Tacderas, Edinburg High, 58.62; 2, Julia Worley, PSJA North, 59.87; 3, Ashley Buenrostors, PSJA North, 1:09.43; 4, Larisa M. Horta, Weslaco High, 1:10.44; 5, Brianna L. Cano, Weslaco High, 1:11.99; 6, Jada A. Helems, Edinburg High, 1:12.48; 7, Charlie A. Cruz, Weslaco High, 1:13.40; 8, Britney N. Solis, Weslaco High, 1:14.69.

500-yard freestyle

1, Leslie Montemayor, PSJA Memorial, 6:44.09; 2, Ferin Hinojosa, Edinburg High, 6:57.79; 3, Gabby Martinez, PSJA North, 7:31.63; 4, Elaine M. Castillo, Weslaco High, 7:36.37; 5, Ariana Bravo, PSJA North, 7:56.01; 6, Daisy Gauna, Edinburg High, 8:08.20; 7, Lesley L. Barron, Edinburg North, 8:12.29; 8, Samantha Garza, Edinburg High, 8:23.65.

200-yard freestyle relay

1, Edinburg High, 1:57.06; 2, PSJA North, 1:57.62; 3, Weslaco High, 2:09.96; 4, Wesalco East, 2:17.74; 5, Edinburg Economedes, 2:24.15; 6, Edinburg North, 2:27.47.

100-yard backstroke

1, Morgan D. Parker, Weslaco High, 1:17.92; 2, Brianna L. Cano, Weslaco High, 1:20.65; 3, Yvette Zea, Edinburg High, 1:23.11; 4, Natalie Ybarra, PSJA North, 1:25.24; 5, Grecia Plata, PSJA North, 1:25.78; 6, Andrea S. Bustos, Weslaco East, 1:27.95; 7, Lauren L. Ortiz, Edinburg North, 1:28.47; 8, Victoria Salinas, PSJA Memorial, 1:31.66.

100-yard breaststroke

1, Julia Worley, PSJA North, 1:20.99; 2, Maria Garza, Weslaco East, 1:36.87; 3, Estrella L. Navarro, Edinburg North, 1:40.48; 4, Victoria Salinas, PSJA Memorial, 1:47.96; 5, Elaine M. Castillo, Weslaco High, 1:49.42; 6, Jacquelin Vega, Edinburg Economedes, 1:55.14; 7, Grecia Estrada, Edinburg High, 1:56.78; 8, Yamileth Tellez, Edinburg High, 2:05.56.

400-yard freestyle relay

1, PSJA North, 4:50.68; 2, Weslaco High, 4:52.45; 3, Edinburg High, 5:11.41; 4, Edinburg North, 5:30.09; 5, Weslaco East, 5:32.55; 6, Edinburg Economedes, 6:32.36.

BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
PHARR — For the first two years of their existence, the PSJA ISD swim teams have focused on the future.

During Friday’s District 31-6A swim meet at the Pharr Aquatic Center, the future arrived.

As the PSJA North Lady Raiders ascended the podium to collect their first district championship trophy, it marked the second time in as many weeks a PSJA team sat atop the team standings in district competition — the PSJA Southwest boys team won the 32-5A meet the week prior.

Making the Lady Raiders’ first-place run more impressive is the team’s underwhelming roster size. Though North features just nine swimmers and one diver, the team maximized points whenever possible, especially in the relays where it won two golds and a silver.

Individually, Yeye Rodriguez won the girls 100-yard fly with a time of 1 minute, 09.49 seconds, and Julia Worley placed first in the 100 breaststroke in 1:20.00. Carolina Carillo won the girls one-meter diving on Thursday.

“This just shows how hard we work and how together we are,” Rodriguez said.

The top six finishers in individual events and relays automatically qualify for the Class 6A Region VIII regional swim meet next week in Brownsville. At regionals, only the first place finishers automatically advance to the state meet in Austin.

Edinburg High’s Alison Tacderas was named the Female Athlete of the Meet. She placed first in the girls 100 free (58.62) and 50 free (26.62). The Lady Bobcats finished second in the team standings.

In the boys competition, the Weslaco High Panthers took home the first-place trophy thanks to a mix of established talent and the emergence of freshman swimmers. Daryl Wells was named the Male Athlete of the Meet. Wells participated in several relays in addition to winning gold in the boys 100 fly in 55.35.

“I knew it was going to be close between us and Edinburg High,” Weslaco interim coach Alexandra Trevino said. “We don’t quite have the numbers that they do. But I knew that if we swam to our strengths and swam our hearts out, which we did, we could put ourselves in a good position.”

A duo of freshman topped the podium for the Panthers in Nicholas Cano and Brock Bloomquist. Cano won the 200 free in 2:12.31, while Bloomquist won a pair of gold medals for his efforts in the 200 IM (2:20.76) and the 100 free (56.68).

“I was really nervous at the beginning of my races,” Bloomquist said. “But my brother told me to just go out there and do it for fun. So, that’s what I did. The nerves went away afterwards.”

The Edinburg High boys, just like their female counterparts, placed second in the team standings.

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BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — Tani Talamantez knew her team would come away with a victory. During a pre-game huddle, the freshman point guard sensed a level of intensity and focus that had been eluding the McAllen Memorial Lady Mustangs in recent games.

“Everyone just knew what they had to do,” Talamantez said. “There was an energy there. We wanted this one bad.”

And so, with renewed vigor and homecourt advantage on their side, the Lady Mustangs turned their premonition into a self-fulfilling prophecy, beating McAllen Rowe 55-50 on Friday. The win pulls the Lady Mustangs a game-and-a-half behind Rowe in the District 30-6A standings with three regular-season dates remaining.

The Lady Warriors (20-9, 8-1) have been the class of the district the last two years. The loss marks just the second time Rowe has succumbed to a district opponent since 2014 — both losses coming at the hands of the Lady Mustangs (19-12, 8-2).

Friday marked Memorial’s most impressive win of the season. Aside from toppling a quality opponent, the Lady Mustangs demonstrated their strengths in nearly every facet of the game.

Junior post Ebony Johnson scored game-high 19 points while displaying her ability to stretch the defense with outside shooting. Johnson hit four shots from downtown, including a trio of 3-pointers during the third quarter to help Memorial to a 12-point lead.

“I’ve really been working on my shot,” Johnson said. “And my teammates did a good job of getting me open and getting me looks.”

While Johnson was firing away from long range, Memorial’s bench was getting it done, too, combining for 19 points. Senior post Draik Banks collected timely offensive rebounds, and senior guard Victoria Izaguirre, who played in her second game after missing six weeks with a knee injury scored nine points.

Memorial saw more promising signs from the budding play of Talamnantez, who scored nine points, grabbed three boards and three steals as well as a pair of assists. Her demeanor and production stood in contrast to her early-season performances wherein she played every bit like the freshman she is.

“She would force a lot of things and not let the game just come to her,” Memorial coach Clarisse Arredondo said. “Now, she’s much more patient, makes better decisions and does a good job of drawing in defenders for open passes.”

Though Memorial got the win, it was Rowe which looked like the better team during the opening quarter. Thanks to five points from Mayda Garcia and Jovanni Solis, the Lady Warriors took a 17-8 lead into the second quarter.

The remaining 24 minutes, however, were controlled by the Lady Mustangs, who outscored Rowe 47-33 during that span. While Rowe was turnover-prone and saw key starters in Ryela Rodriguez and Deanna Spear sit on the bench with foul trouble, eight different Memorial players scored to give their team the cushion it needed.

Despite the loss, Rowe coach Raul Vega was nonchalant and confident.

“I’m not worried,” he said. “I thought my team played well, and I like their effort. They never quit. … It’s a McAllen school versus another McAllen school. I’ve been around long enough to know that sometimes games like this just happen. We’ll be fine.”

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Valley-Girls Basketball Scores

Thursday’s Game

District 32-2A

San Perlita 31, Lasara 28

Friday’s Games

Non-district

Lyford 44, Falfurrias 9

District 30-6A

La Joy Palmview 67, Mission High 15

McAllen High 53, La Joya High 33

McAllen Memorial 55, McAllen Rowe 50

District 31-6A

Edinburg High 55, PSJA Memorial 22

PSJA North 59, Edinburg Economedes 38

Weslaco High 64, Edinburg North 37

District 32-6A

Brownsville Hanna 70, Brownsville Lopez 38

Brownsville Veterans Memorial 61, San Benito 24

Harlingen High 45, Los Fresnos 37

Harlingen South 42, Brownsville Rivera 38

District 31-5A

Edinburg Vela 56, Valley View 46

Sharyland High 48, Roma 37

Mission Veterans Memorial 47, Sharyland Pioneer 41

District 32-5A

Brownsville Pace 61, Brownsville Porter 38

Donna North 47, PSJA Southwest 37

Mercedes 47, Edcouch-Elsa 39

PSJA High 50, Donna High 35

District 32-4A

Port Isabel 56, Grulla 31

La Feria 56, Progreso 25

Rio Hondo 42, Raymondville 28

Zapata 35, Hidalgo 34

District 32-3A

Edinburg IDEA Quest 51, Brownsville IDEA Frontier 29

Santa Rosa 42, Monte Alto 25

District 32-2A

Santa Maria 34, La Villa 33

San Isidro 35, Bruni 33

Valley-Girls basketball boxscores

District 30-6A

LA JOYA PALMVIEW 67, MISISON HIGH 15

Mission High 2 6 8 4 — 15

La Joya Palmview 19 15 19 14 — 67

MISSION (15) — Not reported

PALMVIEW (67) — Samantha Gutierrez 23, Renee Flores 20, Brittany Cano 2.

RECORDS: Misison High 2-28, 0-10; La Joya Palmview 20-8, 7-2

McALLEN HIGH 53, LA JOYA HIGH 33

La Joya High 5 10 10 8 — 33

McAllen High 22 10 16 5 — 53

LA JOYA HIGH (33) — Karina Casanova 11, Ashley Olivarez 8, Monica Garcia 6, Daniela Cantu 4, Clarissa Mendiola 3, Samantha Araujo 1.

McALLEN HIGH (53) — Victoria Alanis 21, Brianna Coffee 10, Celeste Saenz 9, Heaven Wilbanks 8, Alex Gamino 2, Emily Chapa 2, Jarizza Villarreal 1

RECORDS: La Joya High 15-17, 3-7; McAllen High 12-18, 5-4

McALLEN MEMORIAL 55, McALLEN ROWE 50

McAllen Rowe 17 6 9 18 — 50

McAllen Memorial 8 18 18 11 — 55

McALLEN ROWE (50) — Karolina Rodriguez 17, Deanna Spear 11, Mayda Garcia 10, Jovanni Solis 6, Ryela Rodriugez 4, Diana Gonzalez 2

McALLEN MEMORIAL (55) — Ebony Johnson 19, Tani Talamantez 9, Victoria Izaguire 9, Draik Banks 6, Kaily Caldwell 5, Valeria Treviño 4, Selma Regalado 2, Sarah Smith 1.

RECORDS: McAllen Rowe 20-9, 8-1; McAllen Memorial 19-12, 8-2

District 31-6A

PSJA North 59, Edinburg Economedes 38

Edinbug Economedes 8 9 10 11 — 38

PSJA North 21 12 13 13 — 59

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (38) — Sylvia Perez 12, Marixa Viera 12.

PSJA NORTH (59) — Sarah Serano 16, Belle Palacios 19.

RECORDS: Edinbug Economedes 12-14, 3-6; PSJA North 27-3, 8-2

EDINBURG HIGH 55, PSJA MEMORIAL 22

PSJA Memorial 4 2 8 8 — 22

Edinburg High 13 13 8 21 — 55

PSJA MEMORIAL (22) — Violet Torres 2, Debbie Martinez 7, Alex Soto 2, Alysa Gonzalez 10, Kayla Anquiano 2.

EDINBURG HIGH (55) — Jayla Santa Maria 10, Reyna Del Castillo 7, Emily Acosta 2, Jenessah Santa Maria 3, Jennifer Galvan 9, Natalie Roxburgh 3, Yvette Olvera 2.

RECORDS: PSJA Memorial 11-20, 0-10; Edinburg High 25-9; 6-3

District 31-5A

ROMA 37, SHARYLAND HIGH 48

Roma 7 7 13 10 — 37

Sharyland High 13 10 7 18 — 48

ROMA (37) — Samantha Alaniz 12, Krissynthia Rocha 11.

SHARYLAND (48) — Anna Marshall 20, Aydee Hinojosa 10.

RECORDS: Roma 11-20, 5-5; Sharyland High 22-9, 7-2

District 32-5A

PSJA High 50, Donna High 35

PSJA High 9 12 14 15 — 50

Donna High 10 9 7 9 — 35

PSJA HIGH (50) — Mariah West 29, Sara Joe Hernandez 10, Elisa Garcia 4, Bekah Trevino 3, Erin Castaneda 2, Taylor Calderon 2.

DONNA HIGH (35) — Laurynn Williams 8, Sarah Gonzalez 5, Bridget Guillen 5, Celeste Mata 3, Daisy Rios 2, Alex Cantu 2, Ashlee Moreno 2.

RECORDS: PSJA High 15-14; 8-3; Donna High 9-21, 5-6.