1, PSJA Southwest, 384.5; 2, Mission Veterans Memorial 380; 3, Edinburg High, 357; 4, Edinburg North, 162; 5, PSJA North, 157; 6, PSJA High, 117.5; 7, PSJA Memorial, 109; 8, Weslaco East, 33

GIRLS

1, Edinburg High 317; 2, Mission Veterans Memorial 292; 3, PSJA North, 285; 4, Edinburg North, 212; 5, PSJA Southwest, 108; 6, PSJA Memorial, 49; 7, Weslaco East, 46, 8, PSJA High, 29

1, Edinburg High 1:58.17; 2, PSJA North, 2:01.50; 3, Mission Veterans Memoiral, 2:02.39; 4, Edinburg North, 2:08.42; 5, PSJA Memorial, 2:09.81; 6, PSJA Southwest, 1:10.37; 7, Edinburg High, 2:19.24.

200-yard freestyle

1, Juan Mejia, PSJA Southwest, 2:04.46; 2, Zack Garza, PSJA Southwest, 2:07.96; 3, Eric Flores, Mission Veterans Memorial, 2:09.83; 4, Ivan Peña, Mission Veterans Memorial, 2:14.63; 5, Luis Venegas, Mission Veterans Memorial, 2:21.05; 6, Jared N. Crutchfield, Edinburg High, 2:35.85; 7, Mauricio Guzman, PSJA High, 2:36.89; 8, Danny Alejos, Mission Veterans Memorial, 2:37.66.

200-yard IM

1, Joseph Velasquez, PSJA Southwest, 2:11.46; 2, Andre Rodriguez, PSJA North, 2:11.46; 3, Derek Lopez, PSJA Memorial, 2:29.20; 4, Justin Gonzalez, PSJA North, 2:33.05; 5, Victor Torres, 2:43.75.

50-yard freestyle

1, David Garza, Edinburg High, 23.90; 2, Gabriel Peña, Mission Veterans Memorial, 24.45; 3, Bets Hinojosa, PSJA Southwest, 24.64; 4, Christian Silva, Mission Veterans Memorial, 25.47; 5, Andrew Adkins, Mission Veterans Memorial, 25.77; 6, Daniel Marin, Edinburg North, 25.93; 7, Enrique Maldonado, PSJA High, 25.98; 7; Luke Singh, PSJA Southwest, 25.98.

100-yard butterfly

1, Joseph Velasquez, PSJA Southwest, 1:02.50; 2, Bets Hinojosa, PSJA Southwest, 1:05.44; 3, Andre Rodriguez, PSJA North, 1:08.61; 4, Justin Gonzalez, PSJA North, 1:10.22; 5, Julian Solis, PSJA Memorial, 1:14.34; 6, Christian Reyes, Weslaco East, 1:16.81; 7, Taylor C. Pulido, Edinburg North, 1:23.06; 8, Luis Flores, Mission Veterans Memorial, 1:30.37.

100-yard freestyle

1, Joshua Velasquez, PSJA Southwest, 51.80; 2, Gabriel Peña, Mission Veterans Memorial, 53.15; 3, David Garza, Edinburg High, 54.17; 4, Christian Silva, Mission Veterans Memorial, 58.07; 5, Zack Garza, PSJA Southwest, 58.17; 6, Enrique Maldonado, PSJA High, 58.28; 7, Luis Venegas, Mission Veterans Memorial High School, 58.44; 8, Israel Salinas, Mission Veterans Memorial, 58.67.

500-yard freestyle

1, Jose Gomez, PSJA High, 5:55.93; 2, Eric Flores, 6:00.15; 3, Luke Singh, PSJA Southwest, 6:10.44; 4, Ivan Peña, Mission Veterans Memorial, 6:14.76; 5, Victor Torres, Edinburg High, 6:17.62; 6, Leo Ruiz, PSJA Southwest, 6;33.94; 7,Mauricio Guzman, PSJA High, 7:05.11; 8, Jared Crutchfield, 7:07.25.

200-yard freestyle

1, Mission Veterans Memorial, 1:40.70; 2, PSJA Southwest, 1:43.40; 3, Edinburg High, 1:43.79; 4, PSJA Southwest, 1:44.38; 5, Mission Veterans Memorial, 1:51.81; 6, Edinburg High, 1:53.13; 7, Edinburg North, 1:55.19; 8, PSJA High, 1:58.47.

100-yard backstroke

1, Juan Mejia, PSJA Southwest, 1:01.18; 2, Daniel Marin, Edinburg North, 1:10.03; 3, Julian Solis, PSJA Memorial, 1:10.74; 4, Melvin Hinojosa, PSJA Southwest, 1:17.14; 5, Taylor Pulido, Edinburg North, 1:26.70; 6, JP Echarte, PSJA North, 1:28.43; 7, Tyler Ramirez, Mission Veterans Memorial, 1:32.81; 8, Ervey Sanchez, PSJA High, 1:45.80.

100-yard breaststroke

1, Joshua Velasquez, PSJA Southwest, 1:06.94; 2, Derek Lopez, PSJA Memorial, 1:14.61; 3, Jose Gomez, PSJA High, 1:15.67; 4, Marco Barragan, Edinburg High, 1:16.11; 5, Emilliano Nuño, PSJA North, 1:16.42; 6, Leo Ruiz, PSJA Southwest, 1:16.47; 7, Joseph Davis, Edinburg High, 1:25.17; Jose Ochoa, Weslaco East, 1:32.07.

400-yard freestyle relay

1, PSJA Southwest, 3:41.39; 2, Mission Veterans Memorial, 3:54.28; 3, PSJA North, 4:06.28; 4, Edinburg High, 4:12.46; 5, Edinburg High, 4:34.80; 6, Edinburg North, 4:48.76.

1, PSJA North, 2:17.48; 3, Mission Veterans Memorial, 2:19.19; 3, Edinburg High, 2:31.84; 4, Edinburg North, 2:39.04.

200-yard freestyle

1, Leslie Montemayor, PSJA Memorial, 2:27.87; 2, Natalie Ybarra, PSJA North, 2:40.13; 3, Ashley Buenrostros, PSJA North, 2:41.96; 4, Pau Martinez, Mission Veterans Memorial, 2:43.90; 5, Alexandria J. Dominguez, Weslaco East, 2:56.76; 6, Desirre Montoya, Edinburg High, 2:59.18; 7, Sabrina S. Daugherty, Edinburg North, 3:01.27; 8, Joanna Jimenez, PSJA High, 3:01.75.

200-yard IM

1, Julia Worley, PSJA North, 2:37.94; 2, Karla Castillo, Mission Veterans Memorial, 2:40.95; 3, Lauren Ortiz, Edinburg North, 3:15.76.

50-yard freestyle

1, Alison Tacderas, Edinburg High, 26.97; 2, Yeye Rodriguez, PSJA North, 27.75; 3, Laruen Castillo, Mission Veterans Memorial, 29.37; 4, Erika Miller, Mission Veterans Memorial, 29.48; 5, Kiki Garza, Mission Veterans Memorial, 30.49; 6, Jada Helems, Edinburg High, 30.83; 7, Ariana Bravo, PSJA North, 33.27; 8, Alyssa Diaz, Edinburg North, 34.13.

100-yard butterfly

1, Ariana Bravo, PSJA North, 1:32.86; 2, Sabrina Dougherty, Edinburg North, 1:36.92; 3, Estrella Navarro, Edinburg North, 1:41.23.

100-yard freestyle

1, Julia Worley, PSJA North, 59.85; 2, Alison Tacderas, Edinburg High, 59.98; 3, Lauren Castillo, Mission Veterans Memorial, 1:04.67; 4, Bianca Benavides, Mission Veterans Memorial, 1:04.96; 5, Kiki Garza, Mission Veterans Memorial, 1:05.67; 6, Ashley Buenrostros, PSJA North, 1:10.10; 7, Jada Helems, Edinburg High, 1:13.10; 8, Lizzet Torres, Edinburg High, 1:13.14.

500-yard freestyle

1, Lourdes Wisby, PSJA Southwest, 6:26.11; 2, Karla Castillo, 6:35.00; 3, Leslie Montemayor, PSJA Memorial, 6:59.22; 4, Ferin Hinojosa, 7:06.34; 5, Erika Miller, 7:16.27; 6, Lesley Barron, 8:12.57.

200-yard freestyle relay

1, Mission Veterans Memorial, 1:56.53; 2, PSJA North, 2:08.72; 2, Edinburg High School, 2:08.72; 4, Edinburg High School, 2:18.53; 5, Edinburg North, 2:29.28; 6, PSJA Southwest, 2:36.91.

100-yard backstroke

1, Lourdes Wisby, PSJA Southwest, 1:10.09; 2, Natalie Ybarra, PSJA North, 1:21.26; 3, Laruen Ortiz, Edinburg North, 1;31.54; 4, Gabriela Najera, Weslaco East, 1:37.46; 5, Brianna Ordonez, Edinburg High, 1:40.92.

100-yard breaststroke

1, Yeye Rodriguez, PSJA North, 1:22.26; 2, Bianca Benavides, Mission Veterans Memorial, 1:27.39; 3, Ferin Hinojosa, Edinburg High, 1:38.86; 4, Estrella Navarro, Edinburg North, 1:43.10; 5, Sofia Moreno, PSJA Southwest, 1:45.94; 6, Victoria Salinas, PSJA Memorial, 1:49.98.

400-yard freestyle relay

1, PJSA North, 4:35.56; 2, Mission Veterans Memorial, 4:46.23; 3, Edinburg High, 5:26.03; 4, Edinburg High, 5:50.39; 5, PSJA Southwest, 5:57.20; 6, Edinburg North, 6:05.44.

Non-district

Brownsville St. Joseph Academy 35, Port Isabel 29

Donna North 45, Lasara 13

Edinburg Economedes 44, Edinburg Vela 42

Edinburg High 51, C.C. King 29

Edinburg North 48, Mercedes 40

La Joya Palmview 63, Edinburg IDEA Quest 24

Laredo United South 62, McAllen Rowe 55

McAllen High at Laredo United South, not reported

Mission Veterans Memorial 50, La Joya High 41

PSJA High 50, Mission High 26

PSJA Memorial 41, Brownsville Pace 38

PSJA North 55, Donna High 27

Rio Hondo 38, Sharyland Pioneer 20

Sharyland High 50, Brownsville Porter 34

Valley View 42, PSJA Southwest 38

Weslaco East 52, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 25

Weslaco High def. McAllen Memorial

District 32-6A

Brownsville Veterans 61, Harlingen South 47

Harlingen High 61, Brownsville Rivera 26

Los Fresnos 70, Brownsville Lopez 44

San Benito 21, Brownsville Hanna 18

DONNA NORTH 45, LASARA 13

Lasara 2 4 3 4 — 13

Donna North 11 14 13 7 — 45

Lasara (13) — Juanita Rojas 3, Corina Salinas 4, Priscilla Lipscomb 2, Diana Requena 4.

Donna North (45) — Tori Valles 4, Jackie Contretas 8, I’Dasha Sorell 7, Ana Tijerino 2, Jackie Trejo 1, Nicole Rodriguez 2, Evelyn DeLeon 8, Jenny Cavazos 3, Jasmine Trejo 2, Nallely Contreras 2, Kassandra Sanchez 2, Blue Cruz 4.
Lasara (13) — Not reported

RECORDS: Lasara 0-7; Donna North 3-7

EDINBURG NORTH 48, MERCEDES 40

Mercedes 9 12 9 10 — 40

Edinburg North 18 8 14 8 — 48

Mercedes (40) — Alyssa Marquez 12, Jackie Flores 12, Kysha Saldivar 9, Emily Ramirez 4, Victoria Anciso 2, Roslyn Ramirez 1

Edinburg North (48) — Klarissa Lopez 26, Tiffany Chapa 9, Brianna Martinez 5, Stephanie Flores 4, Melissa Mojarro 3, Fernanda Olvera 2

RECORDS: Mercedes 12-8; Edinburg North 11-8

MISSION VETERANS MEMORIAL 50 , LA JOYA HIGH 41

Mission Veterans 12 17 9 12 — 50

La Joya HS 8 16 10 7 — 41

Mission Veterans (50) — Ashley Smith14, L. Garza10, R. Silva7, A. De La Garza 6, J. Saldana 6, J. Howell 3, D. Ybarra 2, K. Perez 2.

La Joya High (41) — Ashley Olivarez 19, Daniela Cantu 9, Samantha Araujo 8, Karina Casanova 4, Monica Garcia 1.

RECORDS: Mission Veterans 13-9; La Joya HS 10-10

PSJA NORTH 55 , DONNA HIGH 27

PSJA North 18 11 16 10 — 55

Donna High 2 5 12 8 — 27

PSJA North (55) — Belle Palacios 26.

Donna High (27) — Bridgette Guillen 6.

RECORDS: PSJA North 15-0; Donna High 4-12

SHARYLAND HIGH SCHOOL 50, BROWNSVILLE PORTER 34

Brownsville Porter 7 9 9 9 — 34

Sharyland High 18 6 15 11 — 50

Brownsville Porter (34) — Marquel Rivera 3.

Sharyland High (50) — Anna Marshall 16, Sonia Trevino 11 , Maddy Garza 10.

RECORDS: Brownsville Porter 2-16; Sharyland Hig h14-6

RIO HONDO 38, SHARYLAND PIONEER 20

Rio Hondo 12 6 6 14 — 38

Sharyland Pioneer 7 6 3 4 — 20

RIO HONDO (38) — B. Leal 2, Z. Gonzalez, 4, V. Vasquez 3, A. Alvardo 3, L. Rodriguez 24, V. Aguilar 3.

Sharyland Pioneer (50) — A. Briseno 5, C. Chandler 2, D. Perez 4, C. Alonzo 2, M. Garza 2, M. Romas 2, M. De Leon 2, M. Aguilar 1.

RECORDS: Rio Hondo 14-6; Sharyland Pioneer 4-14

VALLEY VIEW 42, PSJA SOUTHWEST 38

Valley View 11 5 14 12— 42

PSJA Southwest 10 8 8 12— 38

Valley View (42) — E. Saenz 15.

PSJA Southwest (38) — Hanna Martinez 11.

RECORDS: Valley View 8-8; PSJA Southwest 2-14

WESLACO EAST 52 , LA JOYA JUAREZ LINCOLN 25

Weslaco East 10 14 11 17 — 52

Juarez-Lincoln 9 4 7 5 — 25

Weslaco East (52) — Gabriela Kirtley 11, Chylee LeFevre 7, Kimberley Charles 7, Mig Cepeda 7, Yaritza Marin 7, Gissel Reyes 6, Lauren Marquez 4 , Jennifer Charles 2, Cynthia Trevino 1

Juarez-Lincoln (25) — Abigail 9 , Maria 8, Mayda 4, Maria S. 4.

RECORDS: Weslaco East 12-12; Juarez Lincoln 7-14

BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — During the third quarter of Friday’s non-district game at Edinburg North High School, Klarissa Lopez connected from behind the arc for the fifth time. Though she would hit one more en route to dropping 26 points on the Mercedes Tigers, this moment was different.

After seeing the ball fall through the net once more, the senior guard got back on defense, but not before pumping her fist and biting her lip in an effort to hide a smile. The game was far from over, but it allowed Lopez a brief moment to gloat. After all, she was the linchpin to the Lady Cougar’s 48-40 win.

“She’s just had a great night,” North coach Jenny Rae Garcia said. “She’s a great shooter, and I know there’s more to come from her as well. The team distributes the ball a lot, but tonight was her night.”

Lopez shot 9-of-14 from the field, collecting four rebounds and committing just one turnover along the way. Whether she was all alone on the wing or hoisting away with a Lady Tiger in her face, she was near automatic.

“I was just relaxing,” Lopez said. “That’s all I keep telling myself when I’m on the court. I just relax and let the game go as it goes and try to keep up the same intensity.”

Intensity was the name of the game for the Lady Cougars from the get-go, especially on the defensive end. North pressed and trapped the under-sized Lady Tigers early and often, taking a 7-0 lead with six points coming off forced turnovers during the first quarter.

A Mercedes timeout proved fruitless as North (11-8) continued stretching the lead. Behind Lopez’s nine first-quarter points on 3-of-3 shooting from downtown, the Lady Cougars were up 18-2. Though the Lady Tigers (12-8) ended the first quarter on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to single digits, coach Monica Meza saw a continuation of an early-season trend.

“It’s kind of been this way with us all season,” the first-year head coach said. “There’s games where we’re moving the ball and playing well, and then there are games where we can’t get much of anything going. We’re just looking for that consistency.”

The first-quarter deficit proved too much for Mercedes, who outscored the Lady Cougars 31-30 for the remainder of the game. Though guards Alyssa Marquez and Jackie Flores each scored 12 points, the Lady Tigers continued to be plagued by turnovers and an inability to solve North’s interior size.

“We were trying to post them up and pass to the cutter, but we got away from that,” Meza said.
Though the teams played a more competitive game during the final three quarters, Mercedes’ offense was never able to match the efficiency of Lopez. Every time the Lady Tigers looked to cut the lead to one or two possessions, Lopez responded.

“She just had so much confidence out there tonight,” North guard Tiffany Chapa said. “She’s a really good shooter who can score in any given game.”

On several occasions in which Mercedes worked their way to the rim, they were met by Cougars post Fernanda Olvera. Though Olvera scored just one bucket, she grabbed 10 rebounds and anchored her team’s half-court defense throughout the evening.

And that’s the real focus for Garcia and her team, who have aspirations of a deep postseason run.
“We want to get to the Sweet 16,” guard Tiffany Chapa “And we know that our defense is going to be key. We just can’t be sloppy. We have to bring that consistency every quarter of every night.”

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La Feria 52, Weslaco High JV Dark 21

Raymondville 35, Alamo IDEA 23

Lyford 45, Santa Gertrudis 37

Grulla 44, Santa Rose 31

Raymondville 42, Weslaco High JV Dark 29

La Feria 46, Santa Gertrudis 26

Grulla 48, Lyford 46

Santa Rosa 37, Alamo IDEA 13

Friday’s Games

Raymondville vs. Santa Gertrudis, 8:30 a.m.

Grulla vs. Alamo IDEA 10 a.m.

Weslaco High JV Dark vs. Santa Rosa, 11:30 a.m.

Lyford vs. La Feria, 1 p.m.

Santa Gertrudis vs. Grulla, 2:30 p.m.

Alamo IDEA vs. Weslaco High JV Dark, 4 p.m.

Santa Rosa vs. LaFeria, 5:30 p.m.

Lyford vs. Raymondville, 7 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

La Feria vs. Grulla, 8:30 a.m.

Lyford vs. Alamo IDEA, 10 a.m.

Raymondville vs. Santa Rosa, 11:30 a.m.

Weslaco JV Dark vs. Santa Gertrudis, 1 p.m.

La Feria vs. Alamo IDEA, 2:30 p.m.

Grulla vs. Raymondville 4 p.m.

Santa Rosa vs. Santa Gertrudis, 5:30 p.m.

Lyford vs. Weslaco JV Dark, 7 p.m.

Red Ant Classic Basketball Tournament
At Progreso High School
Dec. 11 – Dec. 13

Pool A: Progreso, Monte Alto, Faith Christian Academy

Pool B: Brownsville IDEA Frontier, Santa Rosa, Brownsville First Baptist

Thursday’s Games

Pool A Game 1: Progreso 58, Faith Christian Academy 19

Pool B Game 2: Brownsville First Baptist 22, Progreso JV 17

Pool A Game 3: Progreso 45, Monte Alto 13

Pool B Game 4: Brownsville First Baptist 30, Brownsville IDEA Frontier 22

Pool A Game 9: Monte Alto vs. Faith Christian Academy, not reported

Pool B Game 10: Progreso JV vs. Brownsville IDEA Frontier, not reported

Saturday’s Games

Game 22: Pool A No. 3 vs. Pool B No. 3, 11:30 a.m.

Game 23: Pool A No. 2 vs. Pool B No. 2, 1 p.m.

Game 26: Pool A No. 1 vs. Pool B No. 1, 5:30 p.m.

BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

The Weslaco East Lady Wildcats demonstrated their ability to get stops throughout Tuesday’s game against Brownsville Rivera, limiting the Lady Raiders to just 26 points. But East’s offense was the antithesis of its defense, and the Lady Wildcats limped to just 13 points.

East coach William Kromer did not mince words after the loss.

“There is absolutely no excuse to play this poor,” Kromer said to The Brownsville Herald after the game. “And don’t think for one minute I’m not going to reassess what I’m doing and what this team is doing, to say the least.”

Kromer has calmed down since that time and watched film, looked at the stats and has a better understanding of what’s ailing his underperforming team.

“My girls are emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted,” said Kromer, whose team played back-to-back-to-back six-game tournaments. “I’m not trying to make excuses for their performances, other teams are in the same boat. It just seems like the more I requested their improvements, the less it was going to happen. (Tuesday) was as bad as it’s going to get.”

Wednesday’s practice was not one of punishment or anger for the Lady Wildcats (11-12), but one focused on rediscovering fundamentals and the purpose behind their play.

During Wednesday’s practice, the Lady Wildcats went back to the fundamentals.

“I took out a shoebox, turned it upside down and dusted everything off and put it back in,” Kromer said. “It was that kind of practice. We’re trying to figure out what we’re even doing here. The kids responded. I’m balancing the need to practice vs. the need to execute because we can’t run plays.”

Things are trending upwards for East regarding injury. Point guard Mig Cepeda returned Tuesday after a three-week absence from a broken wrist. Post Yaritza Marin returned as well.

“I expected them to be a little rusty,” Kromer said, “But I thought they would produce more than they did. I played them a lot of minutes and I’m not sure if either of them scored.”

With District 31-6A competition beginning Tuesday, East has little time to rediscover their offensive capabilities. But Kromer hopes a reduced workload resets his team’s mentality.

“It may kill me, but I’m going to rest my kids and hit the items that need to be addressed and get them home and get them rested,” Kromer said. “This has nothing to do with their bodies, and all with the mind.”

BACK TO LAREDO

The McAllen High Lady Bulldogs will travel to Laredo for a second time in as many weeks in order to round into shape for district competition. McHi will play Laredo United South on Friday at 7:30 p.m. before facing Laredo LBJ on Saturday at noon.

“We just try to get them to play as much as we can during the first game and then rest them up a little for the second game,” McHi coach Roy Gonzalez said. “We’re trying to get everybody healthy and do some fine tuning before the games start to count towards the postseason.”

The Lady Bulldogs (7-13) approach district play with one player suffering injury. Brianna Coffee is out with a concussion. Gonzalez says he hopes to have her back early next week. Though District 30-6A competition begins Tuesday, McHi will have an open date, meaning an opportunity to scout opposing teams.

“We’ve been watching some people and watching some film,” Gonzalez said. “We’re just getting ready game by game.”

PROGRESO TOURNEY

There is one upper-Valley tournament for girls basketball teams this weekend at Progreso High School. Eight Valley girls teams will compete, including Progreso, Monte Alto and Santa Rosa. Games begin 9 a.m. Friday.

The championship game is 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

[email protected]

BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — McAllen Memorial’s 62-55 win over Edinburg Vela on Tuesday was many things: sloppy, spirited, enthralling. What it was not, was pretty. Just ask Ebony Johnson.

The 6-foot-1 junior post scored a game-high 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Lady Mustangs at Edinburg Vela High School, doing so with her left index finger wrapped in powder blue tape for the bulk of the game. The ailment was a broken manicured nail suffered during the early part of the first quarter while fighting for a loose ball.

“My nails never break,” Johnson said. “It’s never been a thing until tonight. It hurt so bad. It was bleeding and everything. I had to wash it off on the sideline.”

Despite the busted appendage, Johnson was the lone constant for both teams during a game that featured its share of turnovers and foul calls. She scored in every quarter, including nine points in the second and five during the fourth to help put the game away.

“She does a really good job of penetrating, and if you give her space, she’s going to take it all the way to the rack,” Memorial coach Clarisse Arredondo said. “We really didn’t ask for her to post up and pound inside. It was more attacking the basket. Stop shooting and get into the lane.”

Vela matched size of Johnson with the speedy guard play and resourceful post performances. Though the Lady Mustangs (9-6) sport an athletic backcourt in Victoria Izaguirre and Tani Talamantez, they were outplayed by Vela’s Julissa Cuellar and Cynthia Hernandez for the first three quarters.

While Talamantez went scoreless and Izaguirre sat on the bench with three first-half fouls, Cuellar and Hernandez led the Lady SaberCats’ transition attack to give Vela a 23-22 halftime lead.

The two teams played to a draw during the third quarter with the score at 48. Vela’s Bianca Cortez scored six of her 10 points in that time. Tuesday marked Cortez’s first start since suffering an ankle sprain in the team’s third game.

“She played well for us,” Vela coach Lottie Zarate said. “She played for us last game, but she only got spot minutes. She’s still trying to get her feet back under her and know that she can make her cuts or play at the level she’s accustomed to playing at.”

During the final eight minutes, the scrappiness of Vela (7-12) gave way to error-prone basketball. Cortez fouled out as the team’s turnovers mounted, stalling the Lady SaberCats’ uptempo ways.
While Vela ran out of steam, Memorial’s Izaguirre demonstrated her potency, scoring nine of her 15 points in the final quarter, finishing strong in the paint and making three of her four attempts from the foul line. She did not commit a foul during the second half.

“(The officials) called hip-checks a lot,” Izaguirre said. “That’s something I struggled at last year. I just kept my head in the game and tried to keep my hands up as much as I could.”

Thanks in part to Izaguirre, Memorial outscored Vela 9-2 during the final three minutes.

With district play beginning next week, Arredondo says she wants to see a refocused defensive effort from her team. Zarate would be happy to have all hands on deck. The Lady SaberCats are still missing guard Jaida Muhammad, who suffered a high ankle sprain in November and is likely two weeks away from a return.

[email protected]

San Benito 34, Premont 32

Bruni 32, San Perlita 28
La Villa 49, Lasara 17

Brownsville Hanna 67, Grulla 27
Brownsville Rivera 26, Weslaco East 13
Edcouch-Elsa 43, Lyford 34
Edinburg Economedes 42, Mission High 41
Edinburg High 33, Sharyland High 22
Edinburg IDEA Quest 51, Port Isabel 39
Edinburg North 60, Donna North 25
Harlingen High 45, Brownsville St. Joseph 22
La Feria 42, Mercedes 37
La Joya High 38, Donna High 35
La Joya Palmview 66, Sharyland Pioneer 32
McAllen Memorial 62, Edinburg Vela 55
PSJA High 28, Juan Diego Academy 23
PSJA Memorial 48, Brownsville Lopez 46
PSJA North 75, PSJA Southwest 29
Roma 51, Zapata 40
Valley View 53, Brownsville Porter 17
Weslaco High 49, San Benito 36
Faith Christian Academy at Progreso, not reported
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at Rio Hondo, not reported
Mission Veterans Memorial at Hidalgo, not reported
Santa Rosa at Kingsville King, not reported

EDINBURG HIGH 33, SHARYLAND HIGH 22
Sharyland High 7 6 7 2 — 22
Edinburg High 8 9 10 6 — 33
SHARYLAND HIGH (22) — Nany Carretero 8; Maddie Garza 6; Anna Marshall 4; Ayde Hinojosa 2; Ania Pelayo Garcia 2.
EDINBURG HIGH (33) — Jayla Santamaria 10; Jenssah Santamaria 6; Jenifer Galvan 6; Mercedes Hernandez 4; Natalie Roxburgh 4.
RECORDS: Sharyland High 13-6; Edinburg High 17-6

EDINBURG IDEA QUEST 51, PORT ISABEL 39
Edinburg IDEA Quest 19 4 11 17 — 51
Port Isabel 6 10 7 16 — 39
EDINBURG IDEA QUEST (51) — Carolina Cantu 4, Tanya Reyna 4, Marbella Nunez 4, Ana Cantu 2, Esmer Rodriguez 7, Abigail Gonzalez 8, Dianna Martinez 10, Alyssa Cuellar 12.
PORT ISABEL (39) — Not reported
RECORDS: Edinburg IDEA Quest 3-7; Port Isabel 4-7

EDINBURG NORTH 60, DONNA NORTH 25
Edinburg North 13 10 20 17 — 60
Donna North 2 3 9 11 — 25
EDINBURG NORTH (60) — Klarissa Lopez 13, Tilly Villarreal 12, Nikki Rodriguez 5, Tiffany Chapa 6, Victoria Sanchez 3, Brianna Martinez 4, Melissa Mojarro 3, Stephanie Flores 6, Fernanda Olvera 8
DONNA NORTH (25) — Not reported
RECORDS: Edinburg North 10-8; Donna North 2-7

LA JOYA HIGH 38, DONNA HIGH 35
Donna High 14 9 8 4 — 35
La Joya High 8 11 14 5 — 38
DONNA HIGH (35) — Sarah Gonzalez 2, Melanie Arenas 6, Jody Epperson 1, Celeste Mata 6, Mercedes Castandeda 2, Alex Cantu 4, Laurynn Williams 10, Bridget Diaz 4.
LA JOYA HIGH (38) — Monica Garcia 19, Selene Alaffa 4, Sabrina Garcia 2, Clarissa Mendiola 1, Daniella Cantu 4, Ashley Olivarez 8
RECORDS: Donna High 4-11; La Joya High 10-9

LA JOYA PALMVIEW 66, SHARYLAND PIONEER 32
La Joya Palmview 12 13 17 24 — 66
Sharyland Pioneer 8 10 3 11 — 32
LA JOYA PALMVIEW (66) — Brittany Cano 6, Samantha Gutierrez 22, Renee Flores 16, Cyndar Magallon 12, Martha Bocanegra 10.
SHARYLAND PIONEER (32) — A. Briseno 8, D. Perez 1, C. Alanzo 6, M. Garza 4, M Romas 4, C. beltran 2, V. Mossman 4, M. Aguillar 3.
RECORDS: La Joya Palmview 10-4; Sharyland Pioneer 4-13

McALLEN MEMORIAL 62, EDINBURG VELA 55
McAllen Memorial 9 13 19 18 — 62
Edinburg Vela 11 12 18 14 — 55
McALLEN MEMORIAL (62) — Ebony Johnson 24, Victoria Izaguirre 15, Kailey Caldwell 8, Valeria Treviño 7, Sarah Smith 4, Draik Banks 2
EDINBURG VELA (55) — Julissa Cuellar 12, Emma Villarreal 10, Bianca Cortez 10, Kayleen Rios, Cynthia Hernandez 7, Brianne Matta 4, Terri Garza 2, Brittany Escobar 2
RECORDS: McAllen Memorial 9-6; Edinburg Vela 7-12

PSJA MEMORIAL 48, BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ 46
PSJA Memporial 12 14 11 11 — 48
Brownsville Lopez 10 10 14 12 — 46
PSJA MEMORIAL (48) — Monique Deleon 12; Kayla Anguiano 10; Violet Torres 9; Victoria Hernandez 5; Alex Soto 5; Madi Garza 4; Devi Martinez 2; Stephanie Martinez 1.
Brownsville Lopez (46) — Imelda Garcia 24; Yadira Mejia 14; Leyna Madrano 4; Brianna Matamoros 4.
RECORDS: Brownsville Lopez 4-12; PSJA Memorial 8-8

PSJA NORTH 75, PSJA Southwest 29
PSJA Southwest 7 4 6 12 — 29
PSJA North 25 11 16 23 — 75
PSJA SOUTHWEST (29) — Not reported
PSJA NORTH (75) — Belle Palacios 24, Arianna Medrano 11
RECORDS: PSJA Southwest 2-13; PSJA North 15-0

ROMA 51, ZAPATA 40
Zapata 8 9 11 11 — 40
Roma 10 11 15 14 — 51
Zapata (40) — Not reported
ROMA (51) — Denise Pena 15; Krissynthia Rocha 14; Samantha Alanis, 7.
RECORDS: Zapata 2-8; Roma 6-15

BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

The McAllen Rowe girls swim team placed fifth at Harlingen CISD Winter Invitational on Saturday with 169 team points. The Lady Warriors finished behind district rivals McAllen High (first place with 324 points) and McAllen Memorial (second place with 291).

As next month’s district meet looms, however, Rowe coach Amy Gallegos isn’t concerned about the possibility of missing the girls crown for the first time in four years.

“It’s all part of the process,” Gallegos said. “I know some of the other teams kind of view us as a mystery right now, because we’ve had some injuries, but I’m alright with that. I know that when the time comes, my girls will be ready.”

Ina Te is one Rowe swimmer who is working her way back into top form after suffering an injury to her biceps during a strenuous workout. Despite competing at less than full strength, Te won gold in the Girls 100-yard freestyle in 58.18 seconds after placing second in the 50 freestyle in 25.98.
Though she earned podium finishes, Te is aiming for improved times with an eye beyond the district meet.

“I’m working towards regionals,” Te said. “So I’m just working on getting any practice that I can up until then. I’m not totally worried right now. I just know what times I have to be at in order to get to the state meet.”

Te’s teammate Daniella Santos finished second in the 100 butterfly (1:06.10) and third in the 200 freestyle (2:14.49). Both Te and Santos participated in the Lady Warriors’ 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay, placing second in both instances.

YOUTH MOVEMENT

Santiago Destefano’s high school career started in intimidating fashion. The Edinburg Vela freshman made his swimming debut at Harlingen as a member of the boys 200-yard freestyle relay competing alongside McAllen High and McAllen Memorial.

“I was really nervous,” Destefano said. “I was going up against a lot of good competition, and I wanted to come out here and swim well. I didn’t know how well we were going to do, but when I got out of the pool and saw my split time, I knew we had a chance.”

And that chance became school history for Destafano and his teammates. The SaberCats relay team placed first with a time of 1:50.44, beating second place by just under three seconds and setting a new school record.

Swimming alongside Destefano was older brother Arturo, a sophomore, Justice Free and Eddie Velador. All four have been swimming for several years on various clubs, a rare trend for Edinburg teams which do not have middle school and club programs. Despite the budding youth for the SaberCats, coach William Oullette hopes the new faces bring more than fast times to a young program.

“It’s hard for a freshman to set an example for a junior or senior,” Oullette said. “But for those who are humble enough and who are egoless, they could hop on that bandwagon. I’m hoping that a lot of this youth tends to spread that discipline and spread that focus and spread that passion for us that we need to be successful and grow as a swimming family.”

NEXT UP
Two swim meets will be held in the Valley on Friday and Saturday. A pre-regional meet will be held at the Margaret C. Clark Aquatic Center in Brownsville while other Valley teams will participate in the Pharr invitational at the Pharr Aquatic Center.

[email protected]

Saturday’s games

Championship: PSJA North 58, La Feria 50

Consolation final: La Joya High 37, Rio Hondo 35

Third-place game: Brownsville Rivera 49, Edinburg Economedes 26

Fifth-place game: Mercedes 40, Rio Grande City 29

Guaranteed games

Game 25: Lyford 47, Brownsville Porter 24

Game 26: Raymondville 35, Port Isabel 24

Game 28: PSJA High 59, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 42

All-Tournament Team

MVP: Belle Palacios

Saturday’s Games

Game 9: San Perlita 39, Lasara 24

Game 10: Consolation Gold: Brownsville First Baptist 40, IDEA Dona 30

Game 11: Third Place Game: Juan Diego Academy 48, Monte Alto 20

Game 12: Championship: Grulla 52, San Isidro 22

Sharyland High 64, South San Antonio 60
Laredo Alexander 95, McAllen High 32

Sharyland High 52, McAllen High 45

McAllen Rowe 44, C.C. King 27
McAllen Rowe 46, Eagle Pass 26

Laredo Martin 56, Mission Veterans Memorial 46
C.C. Carroll 52, Mission Veterans Memorial 27

Weslaco High 56, Victoria West 48

Laredo Cigarroa 62, Roma 47
Weslaco High 68, Roma 50

Laredo United South 55, Edinburg High 49
Harlingen South 39, Edcouch-Elsa 32

Edcouch-Elsa 34, C.C. Veterans 30
Harlingen South 51, Edinburg High 49

Weslaco East 57, Alice 39
McAllen Memorial 49, Brownsville Hanna 34

McAllen Memorial 56, Laredo LBJ 49
Weslaco East 57, Laredo LBJ 39
Alice 46, Brownsville Hanna 44

Game 1: Juan Diego Academy 45, San Perlita 21
Game 2: Grulla 37, Brownsville First Baptist 34
Game 3: San Isidro 32, IDEA Donna 30, OT
Game 4: Monte Alto 29, Lasara 15
Game 5, Brownsville First Baptist 31, San Perlita 28
Game 6, Grulla 33, Juan Diego Academy 32
Game 7, IDEA Donna 58, Lasara 35
Game 8, San Isidro 40, Monte Alto 24

Game 9: San Perlita vs. Lasara, 9 a.m.
Game 10: Consolation Gold: Brownsville First Baptist vs. IDEA Donna, Noon
Game 11: Third Place Game: Juan Diego Academy vs. Monte Alto, 3 p.m.
Game 12: Championship: Grulla vs. San Isidro, 6 p.m.

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Gym A: La Feria High School main gym
Gym B: La Feria HS back gym

Game 1: Brownsville Rivera 44, Lyford 26
Game 2: Mercedes 59, Zapata 43
Game 3: PSJA North 69, Raymondville 19
Game 4: La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 44, Rio Hondo 18
Game 5: La Feria 50, Brownsville Porter 22
Game 6: Rio Grande City 66, Mission High 11
Game 7: Edinburg Economedes 47, Port Isabel 35
Game 8: PSJA High 50, La Joya High 38

Game 9: Brownsville Rivera vs. Mercedes, noon, Gym A
Game 11: PSJA North vs. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 1:30 p.m., Gym A
Game 13: La Feria vs. Rio Grande City, 9 a.m., Gym A
Game 15: Edinburg Economedes vs. PSJA High, 10:30 a.m., Gym A

Game 19: Winner 9 vs. Winner 11, 7:30 p.m., Gym A
Game 21: Winner 13 vs. Winner 15, 6 p.m., Gym A

Game 22: Loser 9 vs. Loser 11, 4:30 p.m., Gym A
Game 23: Loser 13 vs. Loser 15, 3 p.m., Gym A

Game 10: Lyford vs. Zapata, noon, Gym B
Game 12: Raymondville vs. Rio Hondo, 1:30 p.m., Gym B
Game 14: Brownsville Porter vs. Mission High, 9 a.m., Gym B
Game 16: Port Isabel vs. La Joya High, 10:30 a.m., Gym B

Game 17: Winner 10 vs. Winner 12, 7:30 p.m., Gym B
Game 20: Winner 14 vs. Winner 16, 6 p.m., Gym B

Game 18: Loser 10 vs. Loser 12, 4:30 p.m., Gym B
Game 24: Loser 14 vs. Loser 16, 3 p.m., Gym B

Championship: Winner 19 vs. Winner 21, 1:30 p.m., Gym A
Consolation final: Winner 17 vs. Winner 20, 10:30 a.m., Gym A
Third-place game: Loser 19 vs. Loser 21, noon, Gym A
Fifth-place game: Winner 22 vs. Winner 23, 9 a.m., Gym A

Game 25: Loser 18 vs. Loser 24, 9 a.m., Gym B
Game 26: Winner 18 vs. Winner 24, 10:30 a.m., Gym B
Game 28: Loser 22 vs. Loser 23, 1:30 p.m., Gym B