VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

Monday’s Game

Non-District

Brownsville Hanna at Weslaco High, 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday’s Games

District 30-6A

McAllen Rowe at McAllen High, 7 p.m.

Mission High at McAllen Memorial, 7 p.m.

La Joya High at PSJA High, 7 p.m.

PSJA North at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

Brownsville Porter at Donna High, 7 p.m.

Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Lopez, 7 p.m.

Valley View at Mercedes, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans at Brownsville Pace, 7 p.m.

District 32-4A

La Feria at Progreso, 6 p.m.

Hidalgo at Rio Hondo, 7 p.m.

Zapata at Grulla, 7 p.m.

Raymondville at Port Isabel, 7 p.m.

Non-District

PSJA Memorial at Laredo Alexander, 5 p.m.

Lyford at Edinburg High, 6:30 p.m.

Brownsville Rivera at PSJA Southwest, 6:30 p.m.

Harlingen South at Los Fresnos, 6:30 p.m.

Harlingen High at Edinburg Vela, 7 p.m.

Roma at Edinburg Economedes, 7 p.m.

Weslaco East at San Benito, 7 p.m.

Sharyland High at Edinburg North, 7 p.m.

Feb. 28-March 2

Non-District

Brownsville ISD Tournament

McAllen High; McAllen Memorial; McAllen Rowe; PSJA High; La Joya High; La Joya Juarez-Lincoln; Mission High; Edinburg High; Edinburg Vela; Edinburg Economedes; Brownsville Hanna; Brownsville Rivera; Los Fresnos; San Benito; Mission Veterans; Sharyland High; Roma; PSJA Memorial; PSJA Southwest; Donna High; Edcouch-Elsa; Mercedes; Valley View; Brownsville Lopez; Brownsville Pace; Brownsville Porter; Brownsville Veterans; La Feria; Raymondville; Rio Hondo; Port Isabel

Seguin Tournament

PSJA North; Weslaco High; Weslaco East; Edinburg North

Mira’s Tournament

Harlingen South

Brenham Tournament

Sharyland Pioneer

Friday’s Game

Non-District

Hebbronville at Zapata, 7 p.m.

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BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER

LA JOYA — The biggest scare of Edinburg Vela’s weekend came Friday afternoon.

The SaberCats trailed Mission Veterans by a run and were down to their last out of the game. The Patriots muffed what should have been a routine, game-ending play. The error extended the game, allowing Edinburg Vela to come back and win.

Edinburg Vela entered its sixth and final game of the La Joya tournament Saturday with a perfect five wins in five games during the weekend, but closing out McAllen Rowe was far from a guarantee.

The Warriors got to SaberCat starting pitcher Felisha Guzman, tagging the sophomore with six of their eight runs in the second inning. The seasoned SaberCats were not deterred, stringing together 12 unanswered runs to down the young Warriors 17-8 on Saturday evening.

Edinburg Vela (12-1) won all six of its matchups at the three-day tournament in La Joya.

“At this point last year, we were rolling,” Edinburg Vela coach Jon Maples said. “We were completely healthy. That’s the one huge difference. Right now, we’re banged up. We’ve yet to play a game where we had all 16 girls healthy.”

Guzman only made it through 1 1/3 innings and was replaced by Brianna Salinas out of the bullpen.

Salinas, a sophomore herself, recorded an inning and two-thirds without a run or hit. She walked one batter and struck out three Warrior batters to earn the win in the circle.

“I had to come in and hit my spots,” Salinas said. “I missed on a couple pitches, but it was OK since I hit others.”

“The sophomores have come in and done well,” Maples said. “We had a different lineup in this last game (against McAllen Rowe). Our first baseman Monee (Montilla) hit the ball well and had some great defensive plays. We wanted to rest some of our seniors, but even if we make a change in the lineup, there’s no let up. Our level of play is just as high with our younger players. That’s what we’ve set here at (Edinburg) Vela.”

At the plate, Salinas recorded three hits and scored twice.

“I’ve learned a lot from our seniors already,” Salinas said. “I know it’s good for me to be up in the lineup with them. I can still get better as a player, but it’s good to know that I’m helping the team out.”

McAllen Rowe (4-6) took the lead on an RBI double from sophomore Ziomara Jasso. Pitcher Gabriela Garza brought Jasso home on a two-run shot to put the Warriors up 8-5 in the second inning.

“We had a tough loss earlier in the week to (Edinburg) Vela, so I wanted the girls to come out and compete today and they did,” McAllen Rowe coach Aissa Hinojosa said. “I was looking for the girls to be strong offensively and they came out with stronger bats. Our team knows the goals that they have for them and they know what they need to do to accomplish those goals.”

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCHEDULE

Saturday’s Games

Non-District

McAllen ISD Baseball Tournament

McAllen High 4, Brownsville Rivera 0

Sharyland Pioneer 8, Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 0

La Joya Palmview 6, McAllen Rowe 4

Corpus Christi Calallen 11, Harlingen High 0

McAllen High 8, La Joya Palmview 0

Corpus Christi Calallen 11, Sharyland Pioneer 7

Laredo Border Olympics Tournament

Laredo Alexander 6, PSJA North 2

PSJA High 7, Cibolo Steele 4

Laredo United South 8, Weslaco High 0

Edinburg North 8, Edcouch-Elsa 2

Edinburg High 8, Kingsville Santa Gertrudis 0

Edinburg Vela 3, La Joya High 2

Laredo United 9, San Benito 1

San Antonio Wolverines 10, Hidalgo 0

Brownsville Hanna 6, Robstown 5

Brownsville Veterans 2, Corpus Christi Winn 2

Los Fresnos/Port Isabel Tournament

Weslaco East, not reported

Donna North 5, Roma 3

Edinburg Economedes 10, Donna High 5

Sharyland High 12, Los Fresnos 2

PSJA Memorial 5, Mercedes 3

Rio Hondo 5, Corpus Christi London 4

PSJA Southwest, not reported

Bishop Tournament

Corpus Christi John Paul II 9, Grulla 3

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

Saturday’s Games

Non-District

La Joya Tournament

At La Joya Softball Complex

Field A

McAllen Rowe 10, Roma 4

McAllen Memorial 13, Rio Grande City 9

Edinburg Vela 14, PSJA North 6

La Joya High 13, Donna High 4

Edinburg Vela 17, McAllen Rowe 8

La Joya High 14, La Joya Palmview 5

Field B

Zapata 5, Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 1

La Feria 7, PSJA Southwest 4

Mission Veterans 6, Brownsville Lopez 2

Falfurrias 19, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 4

Rio Grande City 17, Brownsville Hanna 2

Mission Veterans 8, Mission High 7

At La Joya Palmview

Brownsville Lopez 9, La Joya Palmview 3

Brownsville Hanna 9, Donna High 5

Weslaco East 11, La Joya Palmview 1

Zapata 9, Mission High 3

Weslaco East 8, PSJA North 6

Zapata 7, Brownsville Porter 0

At La Joya Juarez-Lincoln

Weslaco High 10, Brownsville Porter 0

Falfurrias 18, Edinburg Economedes 3

Weslaco High 12, McAllen Rowe 0

McAllen Memorial 15, Roma 1

La Feria 17, Edinburg Economedes 3

Donna High 19, Donna North 4

At La Joya High

Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 12, Brownsville Porter 0

San Antonio Southwest Tournament

McAllen High 3, St. Anthony 2

Alvin Shadow Creek 12, McAllen High 1

San Antonio MacArthur 6, San Benito 1

San Benito 6, New Braunfels 1

Mercedes 5, San Antonio Edison 0

Laredo Border Olympics Tournament

Harlingen South 6, Alice 0

Harlingen South 16, Laredo Alexander 1

Laredo United South 7, Edinburg High 3

Edcouch-Elsa 17, Valley View 0

Edinburg North 2, PSJA Memorial 0

Brownsville Veterans 6, Pearsall 4

Medina Valley 3, PSJA High 2

Medina Valley 5, Brownsville Veterans 4

Corpus Christi Veterans 6, Edinburg North 2

Los Fresnos/Port Isabel Tournament

Los Fresnos 16, Rio Hondo 3

Sharyland High 9, Hidalgo 1

Lyford 9, Harlingen High 0

Dilley 5, Brownsville Pace 1

San Antonio Veterans 6, Port Isabel 3

Marble Falls Tournament

Sharyland Pioneer 14, Midlothian 9

San Antonio Churchill 8, Sharyland Pioneer 7

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL POSTSEASON SCHEDULE

Saturday’s Game

Area Round

Class 5A

Corpus Christi Miller 53, Sharyland Pioneer 35

Monday’s Game

Regional Quarterfinal Round

Class 5A

Brownsville Veterans vs. Corpus Christi Miller at Texas A&M-Kingsville, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday’s Games

Regional Quarterfinal Round

Class 6A

Edinburg Vela vs. Laredo United at Zapata High, 7 p.m.

Class 3A

Santa Rosa vs. Goliad at Texas A&M-Kingsville, 7:30 p.m.

Class 2A

San Perlita vs. Flatonia at Taft High in Taft, TX, 7 p.m.

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL POSTSEASON SCHEDULE

Friday’s Game

Regional Semifinal

UIL Class 6A

San Antonio Clark 64, Edinburg High 40

Saturday’s Game

Third Round

TAPPS Class 5A

San Antonio Christian 61, Brownsville St. Joseph 43

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BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER

SAN ANTONIO — The Edinburg High Bobcats didn’t have a firm handle of the basketball to start their UIL Class 6A Region IV semifinal against San Antonio Clark.

The Bobcats coughed up the ball six times in the first quarter. The six EHS turnovers led to four fast-break baskets for San Antonio Clark, who won going away 64-40 Friday at the Northside Sports Gym in San Antonio.

The Cougars (33-2) will advance to the UIL Class 6A Region IV final and meet Converse Judson at 2 p.m. today back at the Northside Sports Gym.

“We came out, I guess you could say, nervous,” Edinburg High coach J.D. Salinas said. “Our passes were very slow. We weren’t competing the way we should be. We tried to make those adjustments in the first half, but our halftime discussion was about how competitive we were going to play in the second half. We gave up around 12-14 points on breakaway layups because we weren’t careful with the basketball.”

“I don’t think everyone was on the same page. We had nerves, each of us,” Edinburg High guard Jenessah Santa Maria said. “I believe we could have come out stronger, but in the end, we still have each other and we’re proud to represent the Valley.”

A lot of Edinburg High’s first-half problems were exploited by San Antonio Clark senior guard Ta’Niya Jackson.

Jackson, who will stay in San Antonio to play college basketball at the University of the Incarnate Word this fall, showed off her quickness and defensive prowess. Jackson hounded Bobcat ballhandlers all night, jumping into passing lanes and converting one fast-break opportunity after another.

The senior scored 17 of her game-high 27 points in the first half.

“(Ta’Niya) Jackson is extremely fast and knows how to read loose balls,” Salinas said. “We played (San Antonio) Clark in November and we were missing some players. We knew what we were preparing for. When we were down 20, we started to second guess our own abilities.”

After breaking into the area round in 2017-18, the Bobcats defeated Brownsville Hanna, PSJA North and Harlingen High to advance to the regional tournament for the first time under J.D. Salinas.

“I came up with a lot of talented girls and each and every one of them pushed me to be my greatest,” Santa Maria said. “I had played with my sister (Jayla) and I tried to follow in her footsteps, doing what she did. This year, my senior year, I did my best to lead the team with the help of my teammates. It’s a great feeling to know that we made it this far.”

While seniors like Santa Maria, Alyssa Jade Salinas and Brianna Martinez depart, the Bobcats will bring seasoned starters A’nnika Saenz, Brianna Sanchez and Daysha Tijerina back into the fold. Sanchez will be a senior, while Saenz and Tijerina will both be juniors.

“We’ve got six out of 10 girls coming back,” J.D. Salinas said. “We’ve got some JV girls that came in second in our district and that’s not even talking about our seventh- and eighth-grade district champion teams coming up through our feeder middle school Barrientes. Whether we win or not, getting to the Sweet 16 is a great experience for these girls to go through. We’re excited about where our program is headed.”

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

Friday’s Games

Non-District

La Joya Tournament

At La Joya Softball Complex

Field A

PSJA Southwest 16, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 11

Weslaco East 15, McAllen Memorial 7

La Joya High 18, Edinburg Economedes 7

Weslaco East 15, McAllen Rowe 0

Donna North 16, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 7

Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 8, La Joya High 4

Field B

Weslaco High 16, Rio Grande City 2

Falfurrias 16, Donna North 2

Zapata 15, Donna High 6

Falfurrias 13, PSJA Southwest 1

Brownsville Lopez 9, Roma 8

Zapata 13, Mission Veterans 0

At La Joya Palmview

Edinburg Vela 7, Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 4

McAllen Rowe 9, Mission Veterans 5

PSJA North 18, Roma 0

Mission High 12, Rio Grande City 4

PSJA North 24, La Joya Palmview 0

La Feria 9, Falfurrias 8

At La Joya High

Weslaco High 4, Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 2

Edinburg Vela 4, Mission Veterans 2

San Antonio Southwest Tournament

Somerset 5, McAllen High 4

McAllen High 2, San Antonio Wagner 0

Eagle Pass 3, San Benito 2

San Benito 5, San Antonio Edison 1

Mercedes, not reported

Laredo Border Olympics Tournament

PSJA High 11, Laredo LBJ 2

Laredo Alexander 7, Edinburg High 5

Edinburg North 9, Laredo United South 0

Harlingen South 20, Robstown 2

Medina Valley 4, Harlingen South 1

PSJA Memorial 11, San Diego 3

PSJA Memorial 16, Laredo Nixon 0

San Diego 2, Edcouch-Elsa 1

Brownsville Porter, not reported

Brownsville Veterans 8, PSJA High 6

Alice 1, Brownsville Veterans 0

Valley View 7, Laredo Cigarroa 6

Los Fresnos/Port Isabel Tournament

At Port Isabel

Lyford 11, San Antonio Veterans 0

Brownsville Rivera 15, Hidalgo 3

Lyford 14, Port Isabel 0

San Antonio Veterans 16, Hidalgo 0

Brownsville Rivera 4, Port Isabel 2

At Los Fresnos

Rio Hondo 11, Dilley 2

Los Fresnos 10, Sharyland High 0

Rio Hondo 9, Brownsville Pace 5

Sharyland High 4, Dilley 0

Los Fresnos 12, Brownsville Pace 1

Marble Falls Tournament

Sharyland Pioneer 13, Lampasas 4

Sharyland Pioneer 12, Copperas Cove 7

Saturday’s Games

Non-District

La Joya Tournament

At La Joya Softball Complex

Field A

McAllen Rowe vs. Roma, 9 a.m.

McAllen Memorial vs. Rio Grande City, 11 a.m.

PSJA North vs. Edinburg Vela, 1 p.m.

La Joya High vs. Donna High, 3 p.m.

McAllen Rowe vs. Edinburg Vela, 5 p.m.

La Joya High vs. La Joya Palmview, 7 p.m.

Field B

Zapata vs. Corpus Christi Flour Bluff, 9 a.m.

PSJA Southwest vs. La Feria, 11 a.m.

Mission Veterans vs. Brownsville Lopez, 1 p.m.

Falfurrias vs. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 3 p.m.

Rio Grande City vs. Brownsville Hanna. 5 p.m.

Mission High vs. Mission Veterans, 7 p.m.

At La Joya Palmview

La Joya Palmview vs. Brownsville Lopez, 9 a.m.

Donna High vs. Brownsville Hanna, 11 a.m.

Weslaco East vs. La Joya Palmview, 1 p.m.

Mission High vs. Zapata, 3 p.m.

PSJA North vs. Weslaco East, 5 p.m.

Zapata vs. Brownsville Porter, 7 p.m.

At La Joya Juarez-Lincoln

Weslaco High vs. Brownsville Porter, 9 a.m.

Falfurrias vs. Edinburg Economedes, 11 a.m.

McAllen Rowe vs. Weslaco High, 1 p.m.

McAllen Memorial vs. Roma, 3 p.m.

La Feria vs. Edinburg Economedes, 5 p.m.

Donna High vs. Donna North, 7 p.m.

At La Joya High

Brownsville Porter vs. Corpus Christi Flour Bluff, 1 p.m.

San Antonio Southwest Tournament

McAllen High; San Benito; Mercedes

Laredo Border Olympics Tournament

Harlingen South vs. Alice, 11 a.m.

PSJA Memorial vs. Edinburg North, 1 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans vs. Pearsall, 1 p.m.

PSJA High vs. Medina Valley, 1 p.m.

Los Fresnos/Port Isabel Tournament

Brownsville Rivera; Los Fresnos; Sharyland High; Brownsville Pace; Hidalgo; Rio Hondo; Port Isabel

Marble Falls Tournament

Sharyland Pioneer

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCHEDULE

Friday’s Games

Non-District

McAllen ISD Baseball Tournament

Rio Grande City, 3, McAllen High 2

Harlingen South 4, La Joya Palmview 2

Corpus Christi Calallen 3, La Joya Palmview 1

Brownsville Rivera 7, San Antonio Holmes 3

Brownsville Rivera 9, Mission Veterans 1

Sharyland Pioneer 5, Valley View 1

Sharyland Pioneer 13, Orange Grove 0

Rio Grande City 7, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 4

Mission High 6, McAllen Memorial 3

McAllen Memorial 5, Harlingen South 1

Harlingen High 6, Valley View 4

Harlingen High 10, Orange Grove 2

Edcouch-Elsa, not reported

McAllen Rowe 7, Mission Veterans 5

Raymondville 12, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 2

Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 9, Raymondville 0

Laredo Border Olympics Tournament

PSJA North 9, Laredo Cigarroa 8

San Antonio Madison 4, PSJA North 1

PSJA High 6, Tomball 6

PSJA High 6, Brownsville Veterans 2

La Joya High 6, Houston Westside 5

La Joya High 4, Laredo LBJ 1

Weslaco High 10, San Antonio Wolverines 0

San Antonio Stevens 12, Edinburg North 2

Edinburg High 13, San Antonio Churchill 6

San Antonio Brandeis 7, Edinburg High 4

Argyle 10, Edinburg Vela 7

Alice 13, San Benito 10

San Benito 6, Beeville Jones 4

Weslaco High 10, Hidalgo 3

Corpus Christi Veterans 12, Hidalgo 3

San Antonio Madison 7, Brownsville Hanna 3

Brownsville Veterans 7, Cibolo Steele 6

Los Fresnos/Port Isabel Tournament

Mercedes, not reported

Roma 3, Weslaco East 2

Brownsville Porter 8, Edinburg Economedes 3

Brownsville Porter 4, Port Isabel 2

Sharyland High 11, Donna North 3

Sharyland High 10, Corpus Christi London 1

La Feria 10, PSJA Memorial 0

Brownsville Lopez 15, La Feria 1

Port Isabel 8, Donna High 7

Los Fresnos 9, Roma 0

Rio Hondo 8, Weslaco East 1

Corpus Christi London 1, PSJA Southwest 0

Bishop Tournament

Victoria West 8, Grulla 0

Bishop 10, Grulla 4

Saturday’s Games

Non-District

McAllen ISD Baseball Tournament

McAllen High; McAllen Memorial; Harlingen South; Brownsville Rivera; Sharyland Pioneer; La Joya Palmview; Rio Grande City; Mission High; Harlingen High; Edcouch-Elsa; McAllen Rowe; La Joya Juarez-Lincoln

Laredo Border Olympics Tournament

PSJA North; PSJA High; La Joya High; Weslaco High; Edinburg North; Edinburg High; Edinburg Vela; San Benito; Hidalgo; Brownsville Hanna

Los Fresnos/Port Isabel Tournament

Mercedes; Weslaco East; Donna North; Edinburg Economedes; Sharyland High; PSJA Memorial; Donna High; Rio Hondo; PSJA Southwest

Bishop Tournament

Grulla

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BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Though they share the same last name and are unrelated, Alyssa Jade Salinas and Brianna Salinas have had a sisterly bond that has lasted for most of their lives.

Alyssa and Brianna’s friendship dates back to when they met in elementary school.

“When they were in elementary, they met in the same kindergarten classroom at Canterbury,” Brianna’s dad and EHS coach J.D. Salinas said. “They’ve been really close friends since then through first grade and second grade up to middle school.”

“We (Alyssa and the family) moved to another part of Edinburg for middle school,” Alyssa’s mom Esmeralda Salinas said. “They were in separate schools, but they always kept in touch over the years.”

Brianna went to Barrientes and Alyssa went to South. But all the things kids normally did growing up, Brianna and Alyssa still did them: birthday parties, trips to the movies and everything in between.

When Alyssa and Brianna were incoming freshmen at Edinburg High, Brianna was planning to try out for the basketball team. She wanted Alyssa, who hadn’t played organized basketball before, to do the same.

“I was a cheerleader before and I had cheer practice,” Alyssa Salinas said. “The summer before school started, Brianna was telling me, ‘Just try it! Just try it! You’re tall. You can jump.’ I thought I’d give it a shot.”

“She did track and cross country (in middle school), so she wasn’t committed to those sports like she was with cheerleading,” Esmeralda Salinas said. “When she tried out for basketball, I said, ‘Are you sure, Jade? Basketball is a different sport. You run around, can push each other and get hurt.’ But she said she really wanted to play. That (her freshman year) was the first time she stepped onto a basketball court.”

Alyssa made EHS’ freshman dark team three years ago.

“She’s a smart kid, so she picked the game up quickly,” J.D. Salinas said. “She got a lot of playing time during her freshman season. She put the time in and played in the summer league so we moved her up to the varsity squad. She’s always progressed and progressed.”

“It was a little bit challenging. I wasn’t familiar with terms like double-dribbling at first, but I picked it up pretty quickly,” Alyssa Salinas said. “When I made mistakes, my teammates kept giving me confidence. ‘Oh, it’s all right. It’s going to happen. It’s just part of the game,’ they’d say. The coaches never underestimated me. They were always there for me. That helped me a lot.”

During a season marred by early-season injuries, Alyssa has been one of the fixed points in EHS’ ever-changing rotation. Alyssa is averaging 4.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in 41 games. Her 7.5 rebounds is the second highest average on the team.

“She always had an instinct to get a rebound,” J.D. Salinas said. “She knew where the ball was going to bounce, how it was going to come off the rim and react to get to certain spots on the floor. Because of her quickness, she was able to get to loose balls pretty fast. She reads those things really well. That’s (Alyssa) Jade.”

Along with fellow senior Jenessah Santa Maria and junior Brianna Sanchez, Alyssa was named as one of the Bobcat captains for the 2018-19 season.

“It was an eye-opener because it meant I was going to lead with Jenessah (Santa Maria) and Brianna (Sanchez),” Alyssa Salinas said. “I’m glad we’ve been able to grow a stronger bond between each other, help our team get better and pick each other up.”

“Over the years she’s been playing at EHS, Alyssa and her teammates have had this chemistry together,” Esmeralda Salinas said. “They have this special bond, and I think the coaches have a lot to do with also because the players bond with the coaches, too. It’s not easy to find a connection like the one they have.”

Edinburg High (33-8) turned on the jet skis and went on a 20-0 run against Harlingen High in their third-round game on Tuesday to help the Bobcats punch their ticket to the UIL Class 6A regional tournament.

After the celebration began in earnest on the Edcouch-Elsa campus, Esmeralda learned she needed to hop on US-281 out of the Valley and up to Pflugerville to see her eldest daughter and son-in-law.

“My eldest daughter was pregnant and her due date was Feb. 24, but she started dilating last Friday,” Esmeralda Salinas said. “I told her, ‘OK, you need to just hold off for a little bit.’ She said, ‘Really, mom?’ ‘Just until Tuesday.’”

Esmeralda packed a suitcase and left the Valley after midnight Wednesday morning and arrived in Pflugerville just before 5 a.m.

“Around 11:46 a.m., my daughter’s first child and my first grandchild were born,” Esmeralda Salinas said. “I’ve been full of emotions. There’s so much excitement. My grandson’s a big boy, but he won’t be a part of the Bobcat family, unfortunately.”

“My mom just wanted to me to focus on the game and nothing else, but I’m excited,” new aunt Alyssa Jade Salinas said. “This is the best part of the season. It’s exciting but also I’m like, ‘Aww,’ because I want to share this moment with my sister.”

The Bobcats will face San Antonio Clark at 6 p.m. tonight at the Northside Sports Gym in San Antonio.

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