By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

LA FERIA — Senior Aaliyah Stewart is still getting her basketball legs under her after suffering a torn meniscus in her right knee that ended her volleyball season.

Stewart returned just in time for basketball season and delivered with a game-high 14 points as La Feria downed Edinburg Economedes 51-29 to kick off the 46th Annual Tommie Wiseman Tournament on Thursday in La Feria.

“This is how I wanted to start the tournament,” Stewart said. “It is a little difficult coming back from an injury. I have to be careful and I feel like I’m stepping out of my comfort zone. But today, I was able to put points on the board and help my team get the win.”

La Feria jumped out to a quick 17-8 lead in the first quarter and never trailed. Six different Lionettes scored in the opening quarter and then relied on their bigs inside the paint in the second..

“Today, I needed to come out and be a three, I’m usually a four or a five because we needed some guard play,” Stewart said. “It is new to me but I knew I needed to step up. Normally, morning games don’t go well for us but today’s game we were able to play well and as one, so this is a great way to start the tournament.”

Reanne Fraga, who finished the game with eight points, gave her team a four-point swing and a 23-12 lead in the final minutes of the first half.

In the third quarter, La Feria turned up their defensive play with the press and managed to outscore the Lady Jaguars 9-3 and take a comfortable 38-19 lead into the fourth quarter.

“Defensively, we started causing some turnovers and once we were able to force the turnovers and score in transition, it opened things up for us,” La Feria coach Angel Martinez said. “(Economedes) had a good 2-3 zone and if you are not hitting from the outside, it is tough and they did a good job on controlling our bigs inside. Lucky for us, we were able to hit from the outside.”

Sharp shooter Maggie Cavazos hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished with six points, while Grace Holmes also added six points and Kaitlyn Longoria scored seven.

In other tournament action, Sylvia Juarez led the way for Brownsville Pace with a game-high 16 points as the Lady Vikings outlasted Sharyland High 34-30 in their tournament opener.

After leading by three at the half, Juarez scored 13 second-half points to help push Pace to victory.

In another early game, Valley View’s Daniela Garza and Alexis Ortegon were on fire from 3-point range. The duo drilled a combined 11 3s as Garza scored a game-high 22 points and Oregon followed with 19 points as Valley View cruised past Brownsville Jubille 61-34.

For Jubilee, Faith Aldama scored six points and Julissa Garza scored a team-high 11 points.

By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — Harlingen South senior catcher Kike Alvarado secured his college future Thursday afternoon. The four-year varsity member signed on to play baseball at Texas A&M International University in Laredo.

“It means a lot to me, this is something I have wanted to do ever since I was little,” Alvarado said. “Now this is all a reality that I was able to sign that paper.”

Alvarado and the DustDevils had a mutual interest in each other dating back to Alvarado’s freshman year. That season, Alvarado played shortstop and moved back to his natural position behind the plate. As a sophomore, Alvarado received honorable mention and last year, as a junior, he received an All-District 32-6A first-team selection.

Third-year coach Chris Gracia, who has spent a lot of time with Alvarado on the football field and on the diamond says the senior catcher has excelled both as an athlete and as a student.

“I first met him through football as his position coach and then since I took over the baseball program, he has been one of our best players,” Gracia said. “He is what you want in an athlete. He is a multi-sport athlete who does great in the classroom and is a great leader both on and off the field.”

When Alvarado was in junior high, he made it a goal to play at the college level, but it wasn’t until his freshman year when he realized his potential when college scouts began to take notice of Alvarado.

“I made the choice when I was in middle school,” Alvarado said. “That is when I knew I wanted to play. Signing today that is a step.I had a few schools interested but I knew International was the place for me. I know I will do well there and it is a good spot for me.”

When Alvarado gets to Laredo, he plans to continue his catching career on a DustDevil roster that includes eight former Rio Grande Valley athletes.

Last year, Alvarado hit .240 with a .366 on-base percentage and a .373 slugging percentage. Alvarado collected 18 hits, 21 RBIs and 11 runs.

Alvarado has provided his best work behind the plate, catching 173.2 innings while throwing out 14 runners.

“The plan is probably catcher but they also want me to play shortstop,” Alvarado said. “Wherever they need me, I will be ready. Now that I have signed, I feel there will be a target on my back because I signed. It should be a fun year.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

MERCEDES—Harlingen South struggled on offense and coughed up an early lead but when it mattered, the Lady Hawks delivered.

After falling behind by three with 2:30 left in the game, South finished strong with 7-0 run and got some key free throws from Allyah Guevara and Odemarys Vidana and a late layup from Karla Reyes to help seal a 33-29 win over Mercedes on Tuesday night.

“We got a little stagnant on offense in the second and third quarter,” said South coach Kelly Garrett. “Shots weren’t falling when we had the opportunity. We didn’t look good on offense but we picked it up on defense in the fourth quarter and put some free throws in and made more opportunities for us.”

In the fourth quarter, Mercedes trailed 26-20, until Mallory Noriega drilled back to back 3-pointers to tie the game. The Lady Tigers later took the lead on their third straight 3 from Danielle Barroso to make it 29-26.

After taking the three-point lead with 2:30 left in the game, the Lady Hawks defense buckled down and forced key turnovers and a five-second violation to help seal the win.

“Their press kind of caught us off guard,” said Mercedes coach Santiago Rivas. “We kind of expected it but it caught us off guard. You can practice it all you want, but once you see it, it is tough but we were able to settle down. We hit some shots but they are a tough team and Karla Reyes, she is tough. We knew we had to take care of the ball.”

Harlingen South came out swinging and raced out to a 10-1 lead and later held a 15-7 lead after the first quarter. Alexes Rocha fueled the early run with all six of her points coming in the first quarter.

In the second quarter the Lady Hawks struggled on offense with 11 first-half turnovers and only scored two points in the period.

“We picked up the intensity on defense; we have some quick kids on defense,” Garrett said. “Odemarys did a great job tonight on Mika Vento, Bianca Gonzalez, too. She did well on defense and we stepped it up and that is what helped us at that time. Mercedes went on that run and it easily could have gotten out of hand.”

Reyes finished with seven points and Guevara netted five points in the win. The Lady Hawks improve to 8-6 on the year and will host Donna North on Friday night.

“Mercedes is a really good team and they are aggressive,” Guevara said. “It was a defensive game both ways. “Towards the end we knew we needed to pull through as a team and work together. We worked hard on defense and let the offense fall in its place.”

For Mercedes, Noriega led all scorers with 11 points. The Lady Tigers are now 9-7 and will now shift their focus to the Tommy Wiseman Tournament in La Feria.

By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

Brownsville Veterans Memorial coach Larry Gibson did not like how his starting five came out during the opening minutes of their game against Rivera.

Gibson pulled his starting five, as the Chargers were trailing at home to the Raiders, and the message was received loud and clear.

The Chargers responded to Gibson’s message, and after a three-point play from Damian Maldonado that gave them a lead, they never looked back. Brownsville Veterans was fueled by a 14-4 run in the second quarter that helped separate them in a 63-48 win.

“The momentum shifted in the second quarter, but I thought our kids came out flat,” Gibson said. “I don’t think we gave Rivera enough respect. They are pretty good and are going to be a good team. They are a young team with a new coach. They came to play. I pulled my starters out after the first two minutes and didn’t put them back in. I did not like the attitude they came in with.”

The Chargers trailed 18-12 after the first quarter and outscored the Raiders 20-8 during the second quarter. Lucky Edge finished with 12 points, and Damian Maldonado netted nine for the Chargers’ offense. Six of Maldonado’s points came in that key second quarter.

“I put them back in (in) the second quarter, and they turned things around and played the way they were supposed to play,” Gibson said.

The strong second quarter carried over into the third quarter, when the Chargers got hot from the floor and stormed out to a 14-0 run that pushed their lead to 43-26. The Chargers capped off the run with three straight 3s, two of them from Dax Delgado, who finished with 15 points.

Along with the hot shooting, Brownsville Veterans applied a full court press for which the Raiders did not have an answer.

“That second quarter was it right there,” Raiders coach Joel Guzman said. “They put a pretty good press on us, and we couldn’t handle it. It took us a while to get adjusted. This is only our third game of the year, but Vets is a well-coached team, hats off to them.”

The Chargers remain perfect on the young season with a 5-0 record and now hit the road for the Corpus Christi tournament, which will tip off next week. Brownsville Veterans opens tournament play with Corpus Christi Miller.

Meanwhile, the Raiders are 1-2 and will shift their focus to Edinburg High next week. Johan Galarza led the way with a game-high 15-points, and Jose Morales finished with 11 points.

By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

SAN ANTONIO — Separated by 28 miles and Highway 77, Santa Rosa and San Perlita have proven to be among the Rio Grande Valley’s premiere boy’s basketball program regardless of classification.

It starts in Santa Rosa, where the Warriors are the only team in the Valley with multiple trips to the UIL State basketball tournament.

In fact, Warriors head coach Johnny Cipriano is in his 18th season and already has three trips to the state tournament to along with 15 straight district titles and countless trips to the regional tournament. The only other RGV boy’s basketball team to reach the UIL state final four was Lalo Rios and the Edinburg Vela Sabercats during the 2015-16 season.

Last year’s run to the regional tournament was probably Cipriano’s best work yet. Despite not making the state tournament, he led the Warriors to the regional tourney for a third straight year and did it with a young squad featuring zero seniors.

Cipriano’s work speaks for itself and along with his success come those who he inspires and elevates, including San Perlita, the other small program making a big splash as it is led by fifth-year coach Nataniel Garza.

“ He (Cipriano) has made it to state and those are our goals,” Garza said. “Who more to go to for advice; he is a hell of a coach. Obviously, he is one of the coaches I respect the most with the job that he does — he has had a lot of success. He and I have a great relationship. He has a great passion for his job and I have the same passion for what I do and we can relate a lot.”

Under Garza, the Trojans have gone three straight years with trips to the third round and last year, the Trojans got over the third round blues and punched their ticket to the regional tournament.

“ Nate and I talk a lot, we will call each other and talk and try and feed off each other and give each other ideas,” Cipriano said. “He is a great guy and a great coach. He has done well for San Perlita and I wish them well.”

There is a lot that the Warriors and Trojans share. In case you don’t remember, San Perlita is down highway 186 east bound towards Port Mansfield, in a small tight knit community that thrives on their basketball, much like their friends across highway 77.

It is also safe to say that both Garza and Cipriano have proven that small basketball programs can produce results and that fact has never been more evident than in the last five years.

Both the Trojans and Warriors have the pieces in play for another long postseason run, much like last year, where both San Perlita and Santa Rosa reached the regional tournament.

With Cipriano and Garza at the helm, you would have to like their chances to make more deep runs down the stretch.

By KEVIN NARRO |Staff Writer

SAN ANTONIO —The game that was circled on the calendar year was worth the price of admission as two of the Rio Grande Valley’s top basketball programs took center stage at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

It was a little brother versus big brother affair and this time, it was the little brother who came out with the win.

San Perlita leaned on their seniors EJ Nieto who scored a game high 31 points along with teammate Tige Johnson who scored 26 points en route to an 88-76 win over Santa Rosa Friday afternoon in San Antonio.

The Trojans came out hot from the floor and hit four three pointers in the first quarter. Nieto scored 12 first-quarter points while Johnson added nine. The Trojans held a 31-21 lead after the first period.

“ I think this was one of the better shooting games we have had all year,” said Trojans coach Nataniel Garza. “We needed it; we needed to shoot the ball well especially against a team like Santa Rosa. Everyone knows who they are because of their state runs and they are well-coached. I have a lot of respect for them. I knew we needed to come out and play well and my kids came out with a purpose and came out with pride and they wanted to show what we are made of.”

The Trojans got help from senior Gabriel Lopez, who scored eight points and sophomore Ely Terry, who netted 12 points in the win.

San Perlita continued their strong shooting into the second quarter. Santa Rosa, which trailed by as many as 10 at that point, managed to settled down and get in a rhythm. David Bazaldua led the Warriors offense with 17 points, Chris Vela finished with 16 and CJ Olivarez followed with 14.

“ It was a combination of everything,” said Warriors coach Johnny Cippriano. “They shot well and we didn’t. We just did not shoot well and missed a lot of layups and when you don’t make the easy ones, the longer ones become harder to make. We missed easy shots and turned the ball over in critical times.”

For every right punch Santa Rosa threw, the Trojans had an answer and that answer was Nieto. The Warriors cut back into the lead in the third quarter and trailed by five. It was Nieto’s three-pointer that gave the Trojans a 10-point lead late in the quarter. Nieto would score 12 points in the third.

“ It was a great experience playing here at the AT&T Center,” Nieto said. The atmosphere was great and just the fact that NBA players play on this court it was amazing. It is an experience I won’t forget. When I hit the three-pointer at the buzzer to end the quarter, I knew I was feeling good and I feel this is the best we have shot all year.”

In the fourth quarter, the Trojans managed to pull away late with more timely baskets from Johnson, Terry and James Herrera, who scored six points in the win.

“ We knew Santa Rosa was going to go on a run, with our styles being similar,” Garza said. “Our focus was to make sure our run was longer than theirs, and for the most part, we were able to do so. We were up by 17 and one point then we were up by seven. I’m not surprised they went on that run but I’m proud of the boys, they stayed composed and the team stayed discipline and they did not get rattled. We got tested today by a great team and I’m proud on how we answered today.”

By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

SAN PERLITA — San Perlita senior Tige Johnson had a tournament to remember.

After battling through an ankle injury he suffered Thursday, Johnson missed Friday’s game but returned to the lineup Saturday.

With 1:31 left in their championship game against Port Isabel, Johnson held the ball and saw a lane in the Tarpon defense. Johnson took his shot and came down with an emphatic dunk that sent the Trojan bench and crowd into a frenzy.

That is when San Perlita knew they had their star back. Johnson netted a game-high 35-points en route to a 75-56 win over the Tarpons in the 10th annual Letterman’s club tournament.

“A couple possessions before I was talking with Gabriel (Lopez) and I had my ankle tapped up and I felt bouncy,” Johnson said. “I saw the opportunity and did a quick cross and got to the basket. I felt that put an exclamation point on my weekend and I wanted to help my team win. This is my senior year and I wanted for us to win that first place trophy here at our tournament and we were able to get it done.”

Johnson was named tournament Most Valuable Player.

“It feels good, we were motivated and coach had been wanting to win this tournament for five years now,” Johnson said. “We finally made it and P.I. beat us last year, so it was great being able to beat them and it is amazing to be able to win the MVP.”

Johnson left Thursday’s game against Macedonia with an ankle injury and missed Fridays game, but was able to return Saturday morning and score 28 points in a game against IDEA Edinburg.

“It wasn’t so much about the game but Tige had a rough start to the tournament,” said San Perlita coach Nataniel Garza. “He got hurt the first game and he was hard on himself because he wanted to be there for his team. He missed some time but him winning the MVP solidified what he was able to do and was unleashed and was able to seal the game by being aggressive.”

The Trojans got off to a hot start with Johnson scoring six first-quarter points and jumped ahead of Port Isabel 17-11 after a Johnson three ball. Johnson fueled a strong second quarter by the Trojans with 10 more points.

Fellow senior EJ Nieto finished with 12 points, while James Herrera also dished 15 points in the win. The Tarpons managed to cut the lead to 37-27 in the third quarter after a frustrating second quarter.

The Trojans brought home the tourney title for the first time in its 10 years and is also a first for Garza who has been the head man for five years. In fact, San Perlita lost to Port Isabel in last years semi finals. The Tarpons went on to win the tournament.

“We have always gotten really close and this tournament has a lot of really good teams,” Garza said. “This year we made it a mission. Especially for the seniors and juniors who have been with me. We wanted to win the tournament. It means a lot to me and the kids that we got over the hump and were able to win our tournament.”

Dennis Lozano led the Tarpons with 15 points and Daniel Rinza Jr. followed with 14 points.

“We are five games into the season and we need to work on our defense,” said Tarpons coach Mike Hazelton. “That was the main problem tonight we were not getting back in time and we would have liked to have run with them but we were not scoring early so we couldn’t set up any presses but that is basically it. San Perlita is a great team.”

By KEVIN NARRO, Staff Writer

RIO GRANDE CITY — Laredo United quarterback Wayo Huerta and wideout Ricky Chapa combined on three touchdowns and caused problems all night for the San Benito secondary, and the Longhorns held off a San Benito rally en route to a 45-28 win in the Class 6A Division I area round Friday night.

“This is Wayo’s third year as a starter, and we saw him play as a sophomore,” San Benito coach Dan Gomez said. “We knew that we were going to have our hands full, but our kids came out and played hard. They stepped up to the challenge.”

The Longhorns advance to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season and for the eighth time under coach David Sanchez. The ’Horns will meet Converse Judson at 8 p.m. Friday at the Alamodome.

“It is a tremendous feeling to make it back to the third round,” Sanchez said. “I’m really proud of these young men. They have worked extremely hard and fought till the end. San Benito made a run there towards the end, but we were able to answer.”

Laredo United came out swinging during the first quarter and used the home-run ability from Huerta and Chapa to jump out to a 24-0 lead in the second quarter.

The Huerta-Chapa combo shined. Their three scores came on throws of 70 yards, 48 yards and 41 yards. Leading 17-0, Tristian Vela intercepted a pass and returned it for a score, giving the Longhorns the 24-0 lead.

After a late-second-quarter Kyle Castelleja touchdown, the ’Hounds had some momentum heading into halftime, trailing 24-7. San Benito marched down the field on its first possession of the second half and trimmed the lead to 24-14.

On the next drive, Huerta fumbled and Aaron Reyes recovered for San Benito, setting up the offense deep in Longhorns territory. A few plays later, the ’Hounds got on the board and cut the deficit to 24-21.

That was as close as the ’Hounds got on the night. Huerta answered with his third score to Chapa that pushed the lead back to 31-21. After a Smiley Silva interception, Huerta tossed another score, this time to Luz Leal that gave United a comfortable 38-21 lead with 9:22 left.

Huerta finished the night with four passing touchdowns.

Silva answered with a 64-yard touchdown pass to Juan Constante late in the game that made it 38-28.

“We went in and talked to the kids at the half, and we felt they adjusted,” Gomez said. “We were able to get some drives going in that second half. I think there were a lot of moments in the game where it could have gone either way. They just had more positives that we did tonight.”

The Greyhounds end their season with a 7-5 record and a 4-1 mark in district play, along with a bi-district victory.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

SAN BENITO—Over the last few years, the San Benito Greyhounds have relied on a bevy of talent on both sides of the ball.

Each year, a crop of seniors graduate but that doesn’t faze them.

Rather than rebuild, they simply reload.

This year, the ’Hounds have put together another strong year under sixth-year head coach Dan Gomez and are back in the area round for a fourth straight season.

On defense, the Greyhounds returned four starters, including hard-hitting senior linebacker John Daniel Gonzales and utility man Hector Avalos, who have been on the varsity since their sophomore year and have been in big time games for the Greyhounds.

This year, the duo has been a key ingredient to the Greyhounds’ success.

The rare opportunity the two seniors have is a shot at the third round of the playoffs for a third straight season.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity,” Gonzales said. “My first two years on the varsity, I saw the seniors graduate and those guys were grateful for the time they had and that is what I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to take advantage of the time I have here.”

Gonzales has been a tackling machine for the Greyhounds with a team-high 109 tackles.

“He is the hardest hitter I know,” Avalos said. “AJ Garcia would hit hard to, but yeah, John can hit really hard.”

Gonzales and Avalos have played football together since they were six years old. The two went to separate junior highs but eventually teamed up again their sophomore year.

“We are aggressive,” Avalos said. “We are always flying to the ball, John and I. It felt good to see John again. I played freshman ball and he was on the JV, it was our sophomore year we teamed up again.”

Along with Gonzales is Avalos who is a true gamer. This year, he has played linebacker, outside linebacker and free safety.

Avalos is second on the team with 95 tackles.

“I just push through and play 100 percent all the time,” Avalos said. “It isn’t difficult to switch positions you just listen to the game plan and to what the coaches tell you and you just do it and be coachable.”

Since their loss to Harlingen High in Week 6, the Greyhounds got on a roll and won their final four regular season games and now have another bi-district title under their belt.

“Every year people doubt us; they always say the senior talent is gone,” Gonzales said. “But coach Gomez preaches to us to rise to the occasion and I feel we have done that. Every week we want to get better. Since that Harlingen South game we flipped the switch and turned it around.”

The duo will look to get pass a tough Laredo United team this Friday night in Rio Grande City.

“It feels good and for the last two years we have been going at it,” Avalos said. “We put in all this work from the offseason till now we earned this opportunity to still be playing.”

By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

WESLACO — All season, Weslaco High quarterback Jacob Cavazos made big play after big play.

On Saturday night, the senior may have made one of the bigger plays of his career.

On fourth-and-2 and his team trailing, Cavazos stepped back and hit running back Peyton Knaub on a wheel route. Knaub did the rest, sprinting down the sideline for a 30-yard touchdown. The late score gave the Panthers the momentum as they held off a late rally from Los Fresnos to win 35-28 in a Class 6A Division I bi-district game.

“We figured Los Fresnos was going to load the box and stop Peyton (Knaub),” Weslaco High coach Marcus Stroman said. “Our coaches saved that play in their back pocket, and we had seen it on film. Lucky for us it was a good toss, and he caught it and scored. We just wanted a first down, but we will take it.

“(Jacob) just came over and winked at me after he threw that touchdown,” Stroman said.

Weslaco High next meets McAllen Memorial at 7:30 p.m. next Friday at Bobby Lackey Stadium.

“Whenever you get a Weslaco-vs.-Los Fresnos matchup, this is what you are going to get,” Stroman said. “What we did as a team, there are so many highs and lows, and we didn’t press or panic. We stayed even-keeled. Hats off to Los Fresnos, they have a great football team.”

On the Falcons’ first pass attempt of the night, Adrian Longoria hit Nico Valencia for a 34-yard play that helped set up a Chris Resendiz touchdown, giving the Falcons a 21-20 lead with five minutes left in the game.

The Falcons had an opportunity for a game-tying drive and started at their own 32-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage and with 2:57 left, Los Fresnos fumbled the ball and Weslaco High’s Jesse Hernandez put the game on ice for the Panthers with a late touchdown.

On the next drive, Valencia found the end zone to cut the deficit to 35-28 during the final minute. Los Fresnos attempted an onside kick but did not recover.

“Our kids battled tonight, and if we take care of the ball a little better we have a chance there at the end,” Los Fresnos coach Patrick Brown said. “That is one me. Completely hats off to Weslaco. They did a great job tonight, and I think they will do a good job in the next round of the playoffs.”

The Panthers scored on their opening drive with a Jacob Cavazos rushing touchdown. The Falcons answered right back with a Adrian Longoria touchdown.

During the second half, the Panthers’ defense forced turnovers and came up with two key stops on fourth down.

“Our defensive coordinators did a good job on adjusting to what Los Fresnos was doing, and I’m proud of the way our boys trusted our plan and executed. Those stops were huge. We had to replace 11 guys on defense and they knew that, and they stepped up and forced those turnovers at a crucial time.” Stroman said.

The Falcons end their season with a 3-8 overall record and 2-3 district record.

“I think any of the last two or three teams we played will tell you the same thing,” Brown said of his squad’s play down the stretch. “We are starting to understand what we need to do in this offense, and our defense has been playing better. I’m just sad that our boys are not moving on for another game.”