Author: Nate Kotisso

McAllen Memorial; McAllen High; McAllen Rowe; PSJA High; PSJA North; Mission High; Edinburg High; Edinburg Vela; Weslaco High; Weslaco East; Brownsville Hanna; Brownsville Rivera; Harlingen South; Mission Veterans; Sharyland Pioneer; Roma; PSJA Memorial; PSJA Southwest; Mercedes; Raymondville; Rio Hondo; Zapata

Donna ISD Tournament

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln; Edinburg Economedes; Donna North; La Joya Palmview; Donna High; Edcouch-Elsa; Valley View; Hidalgo; La Feria; Port Isabel; Grulla

Corpus Christi Calallen Classic

La Joya High; Sharyland High; Brownsville Lopez

Smithson Valley Tournament

Los Fresnos

Texas A&M Softball Tournament

San Benito; Brownsville Veterans

Friday’s Game

Non-District

Edinburg IDEA Quest at Progreso, 6 p.m.

[email protected]

February 11, 2019 by Nate Kotisso

#RGVHoops boys scores and schedule 02.11.19

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Monday’s Games

District 32-4A

La Feria 47, Rio Hondo 37

Port Isabel 58, Progreso 42

Zapata 59, Raymondville 53

Hidalgo 59, Grulla 34

District 32-3A

Lyford 84, Vanguard Pharr 67

Tuesday’s Games

District 30-6A

Mission High at La Joya High, 7:30 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at PSJA High, 7:30 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at McAllen Memorial, 7:30 p.m.

PSJA North at McAllen High, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-6A

Weslaco East at Edinburg High, 7:30 p.m.

Edinburg North at Donna North, 7:30 p.m.

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

District 32-6A

Harlingen High at Brownsville Hanna, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Rivera at Los Fresnos, 7:30 p.m.

San Benito at Harlingen South, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-5A

Sharyland Pioneer at La Joya Palmview, 7:30 p.m.

Sharyland High at Roma, 7:30 p.m.

Mission Veterans at PSJA Southwest, 7:30 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at Rio Grande City, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-5A

Mercedes at Brownsville Porter, 7:30 p.m.

Donna High at Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Pace at Edcouch-Elsa, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Lopez at Valley View, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-3A

Vanguard Alamo at Santa Rosa, 6:30 p.m.

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February 11, 2019 by Nate Kotisso

#RGVHoops girls scores, box scores and schedule 02.11.19

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Monday’s Games

Bi-District

Class 6A

Laredo United 90, McAllen High 47

Edinburg Vela 41, Harlingen South 37

Harlingen High 54, Weslaco East 25

Weslaco High 38, Los Fresnos 34

Edinburg High 90, Brownsville Hanna 48

Class 5A

Donna High 60, Mission Veterans 38

Brownsville Pace 47, Sharyland Pioneer 46

Brownsville Veterans 49, PSJA Memorial 36

Mercedes 36, Rio Grande City 33

Class 2A

San Isidro 43, Riviera Kaufer 42

Tuesday’s Games

Bi-District

Class 6A

PSJA North vs. Laredo Nixon at Zapata High, 7 p.m.

McAllen Memorial vs. Laredo United South at Corpus Christi Veterans, 7 p.m.

PSJA High vs. Laredo Alexander at Corpus Christi Carroll, 7 p.m.

Class 4A

La Feria vs. Corpus Christi West Oso at Lyford High, 6 p.m.

Hidalgo vs. Robstown at San Diego High, 6:30 p.m.

Zapata vs. Orange Grove at Hebbronville High, 7 p.m.

Rio Hondo vs. Beeville Jones at Bishop High, 7 p.m.

Class 3A

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

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Monday’s Games

Bi-District

Class 6A

LAREDO UNITED 90, McALLEN HIGH 47

McAllen High 11 18 5 13 — 47

Laredo United 33 20 21 16 — 90

LAREDO UNITED (90): Ariana Garza 4, Evelyn Quiroz 16, Olivia Campero 9, Scarlett Garcia 2, Elisa Peralta 5, Ana Karen Cantu 3, Rebecca Banda 5, Lizeth Quiroz 12, Natalia Treviño 19, Audrey Batey 7, Karla Velasquez 7, Ileana Rodriguez 1.

McALLEN HIGH (47): Genesis Garza 8, Damaris Llanas 13, Zoe Peña 4, Natasha Butters 4, Kellsey Neumann 5, Addi Fleschmann 1, Valerie Cruz 1, Averie Moes 2, Celina Saenz 9.

RECORD: McAllen High 15-20.

Class 5A

BROWNSVILLE PACE 47, SHARYLAND PIONEER 46

Bro. Pace 18 3 14 12 — 47

Shary Pioneer 9 12 13 12 — 46

BROWNSVILLE PACE (47): Lexy Arce 10, Sylvia Juarez 4, Ashley Gonzalez 15, Sofia Espinoza 11, Jennifer Oliveira 5, Rosa Salinas 2.

SHARYLAND PIONEER (46): Danielle Rangel 6, Alexia Hernandez 3, Jordan Bravo 5, Audry Hornaday 10, Abby Jones 6, Natalie Reyes 5, Alicia Martinez 11.

RECORDS: Brownsville Pace 18-20; Sharyland Pioneer 24-14.

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February 11, 2019 by Nate Kotisso

Last-minute comeback carries Brownsville Pace into area round

BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — After shaking off some first-half nerves, Sharyland Pioneer seemed more ready and more poised to reward its home fans with a playoff victory late in the fourth quarter.

However, with Sharyland Pioneer leading by three points, two critical Diamondback turnovers left the door open for Brownsville Pace to alter the outcome of the game. The Vikings obliged, scoring on consecutive possessions to stun the Diamondbacks 47-46 in a Class 5A bi-district round game on Monday night.

“I told the girls to relax,” Brownsville Pace coach Eddie Lozano said. “Every time we rush, everything goes bad, so when we relax, we play well. I’m very proud of them. They did a great job today.”

Both Diamondback turnovers came on out-of-bounds plays where the inbounds passes were intercepted by Vikings. Junior forward Sylvia Juarez scored a basket to pull the Vikings within a point with 18.2 seconds left. Senior guard Lexy Arce made the game-winning layup with 8.6 seconds to go in regulation.

The layup was Arce’s fourth made field goal of the night. She finished with 10 points.

“We’re not a team of one. We’re a team where everyone can score and we’re good all the way around,” Arce said. “We’ve practiced situation basketball and we’ve had a lot of tough games in our district (32-5A) where we’ve been pushed to this point. We beat our first place and second place teams in our district. Sometimes we’ve prevailed and sometimes we’ve fallen short. This is a time where all of our seniors knew that this could possibly be our last game. It was now or never. We gave it all we got.”

Monday night marked a first for Sharyland Pioneer. The Diamondbacks (24-14) won the District 31-5A championship in addition to playing and hosting a playoff game for the first time in school history.

“You could see our youth in the beginning, because the playoffs were so new to them,” Sharyland Pioneer coach Nicole Villarreal said. “It took them a while to get going and get comfortable. We’re losing two girls, but we’re bringing everybody back. This wasn’t our time, but next year is going to be different. There’s no doubt that the kids are going to put in the work that’s needed. This goes back to a conversation we had as a team when we were one game short of making the playoffs last year. This is not going to be repeated next year.”

One of Brownsville Pace’s top priorities was slowing down Diamondback sophomore guard Audry Hornaday. Hornaday was Pioneer’s leader in scoring (13.9), rebounding (10.6), assists (8.4) and steals (5.1) throughout district play.

Hornaday committed two fouls in the first quarter and didn’t score in the first half of Monday’s game.

“With a player like that, the only thing you can hope to do is contain her and let everyone else beat you,” Lozano said. “I think we did well, for the most part, but she’s a great talent. And that team is going to be great for a couple more years, at least.”

Sharyland Pioneer could have iced the game at the charity stripe, but the team made only 2 of 10 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter. Still, the Diamondbacks had one last shot at a win.

Following Arce’s layup to put the Vikings ahead, Sharyland Pioneer’s tight defense forced Vikings senior Jennifer Oliveira to step on the far side baseline and turn the ball over with 2.7 seconds left.

But Pioneer junior wing Alexia Hernandez missed a 3-point attempt as the buzzer sounded.

“They put some extra pressure on Audry,” Villarreal said. “She had to work a little harder to get open, but for us, shots weren’t falling in the last minute or two.”

Brownsville Pace’s win capped off a dominant night for District 32-5A teams. Mercedes, Brownsville Veterans and Donna High all won first-round matchups Monday against District 31-5A teams.

“History proves it: a lot of our district teams hardly get out of the first round,” Lozano said. “I think the tides are changing. We’re putting in the work now. We think we’re starting to catch up to the Upper Valley.”

The Vikings (18-20) will face the winner of the Corpus Christi Veterans-Alice game, which will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

[email protected]

February 10, 2019 by Nate Kotisso

#RGVSoftball schedule 02.10.19

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

Monday’s Games

Non-District

San Benito at Corpus Christi Veterans, 5:30 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans at McAllen Rowe, 7 p.m.

La Feria at Donna North, 7 p.m.

Tuesday’s Games

Non-District

Progreso at Hebbronville, 4:30 p.m.

Brownsville Hanna at PSJA Memorial, 6 p.m.

Edinburg Economedes at La Joya Palmview, 6:30 p.m.

Port Isabel at Brownsville Rivera, 6:30 p.m.

Harlingen South at Weslaco High, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Pace at PSJA Southwest, 7 p.m.

Mission Veterans at McAllen Memorial, 7 p.m.

Edinburg North at McAllen High, 7 p.m.

Harlingen High at Mercedes, 7 p.m.

Rio Grande City at PSJA High, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Porter at PSJA North, 7 p.m.

Zapata at La Joya High, 7 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

Mission High at Sharyland Pioneer, 7 p.m.

Valley View at Edinburg Vela, 7 p.m.

Donna High at Weslaco East, 7 p.m.

Los Fresnos at Edcouch-Elsa, 7 p.m.

Roma at Raymondville, 7 p.m.

Lyford at Hidalgo, 7 p.m.

Rio Hondo at Brownsville Lopez, 7 p.m.

Feb. 14-16

Mission Fastpitch Festival

Donna ISD Tournament

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln; Edinburg Economedes; Donna North; La Joya Palmview; Donna High; Edcouch-Elsa; Valley View; Hidalgo; La Feria; Port Isabel

Corpus Christi Calallen Classic

La Joya High; Sharyland High; Brownsville Lopez

Smithson Valley Tournament

Los Fresnos

Texas A&M Softball Tournament

San Benito; Brownsville Veterans

Friday’s Game

Non-District

Edinburg IDEA Quest at Progreso, 6 p.m.

[email protected]

February 9, 2019 by Nate Kotisso

Scratching and Clawing: Edinburg High aims to separate itself in softball-crazed city

BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Softball in Edinburg can be a lot like musical chairs.

In recent years, three of the city’s four public high schools — Edinburg High, Edinburg North and Edinburg Vela — tend to be among the final Valley teams standing in the playoffs. Those three have become skilled at grabbing a chair whenever the music stops.

The Bobcats are expected to contend, but they will be without a few familiar faces. Outfielder/pitcher Amber Reyes, The Monitor’s 2017 All-Area Player of the Year, graduated and is now a freshman in the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball program.

Fellow outfielder Katy Truitt, a Monitor All-Area First Team performer last year who hit 11 home runs, transferred to Corpus Christi Flour Bluff. Catcher Shayla Garcia, who was a freshman last season, is now a sophomore at San Antonio Warren.

“We’re blessed enough to have (pitcher) Erika Cortez, (third baseman) Kristee Salas and (shortstop) Maya Zavala all returning, but we have a couple additions coming into our team this year,” Edinburg High coach Ramon Arciba said.

The Bobcats have a new second baseman and No. 2 pitcher with the arrival of junior Secilia Lopez. Lopez is no stranger to the city, having served in the same roles with Edinburg North as a freshman and sophomore. She went 9-2 with a 2.18 earned run average as a pitcher and hit .341 with 27 runs batted in and 24 runs scored for the Cougars last season.

Valerie Gallardo was McAllen Rowe’s slick shortstop who didn’t commit an error in 29 games last season. Gallardo will now be the Bobcats’ catcher, making up for the loss of Garcia. She will be the Bobcats’ third different catcher in Arciba’s three seasons at the helm of the program.

“Losing Amber (Reyes) is a big loss, but Seci Lopez is probably going to take over that leadoff spot in our lineup,” Arciba said. “She’s a slapper, can hit from the right side and brings a change of pace from Erika. Erika can hum that ball in the low-to-mid 60s, and Seci is learning new pitches and some mechanics. She’s a great kid. And Valerie’s come in and said, ‘Coach, if you need me to catch, I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever it takes to help us win.’ Now it’s all about repetition and getting the girls acclimated to the environment. The girls are getting along really well. We should be able to compete, just like we have the last few years.”

Cortez enjoyed a banner year individually in 2018. She hit .541 with 17 doubles, 10 home runs and 64 runs batted in while also bringing heat to the circle. Cortez went 15-4 with a 1.74 earned run average and had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5-to-1 (132 strikeouts/26 walks). She also signed a letter of intent to play softball at UTSA in January.

Cortez said she is becoming more comfortable with Gallardo, her new catcher.

“I like how (Gallardo) calls a game,” Cortez said. “Whenever she calls for a pitch and I shake it off, we always come to a good compromise. We don’t know each other on a personal level just yet, but I know we will as the season will go along.”

The addition of Gallardo isn’t the only positive for the Bobcats’ infield. Salas, who knocked in 51 RBI in 2018, is back for her senior season at third base. She was named as a District 31-6A co-Defensive Player of the Year award along with PSJA Memorial’s Kristy Alanis.

“Last year was my transition to third base. I had played it before, but I hadn’t played it for EHS before,” Salas said. “I saw it as an opportunity for me to step up. Our coaches have always told us that we don’t have to be one of the oldest to be a leader. I think I made my mark on it. I like to be the loud one on the team. I like to fire the girls up. I don’t think anyone will come to one of our games without hearing me yell. It’s fun to turn around and see someone like Maya (Zavala) make a diving catch or someone else to do the dirty work. That challenges me, which is the best part of all.”

The Bobcats won District 31-6A outright in 2017 and 2018, but they haven’t kicked down the door to the regional tournament in recent years. They came close in 2016 and 2017, qualifying for the third round, but they ran into Weslaco High, who defeated them both times. In 2018, Edinburg High lost a heartbreaking 7-6 sudden death game to Eagle Pass in round two.

Additionally, EHS watched sister schools Edinburg North qualify for the Sweet 16 in 2016 and Edinburg Vela make it for the first time in school history last spring.

The new district realignment also brings 2018 playoff participants Weslaco East and Weslaco High, a past thorn in EHS’ side, into the rotation of 31-6A.

“We approach the season the same way every year, worrying about what we can do and not what everybody else can do,” Arciba said. “I have a lot of respect for every team in our district, especially at (Edinburg) Vela because I know a lot of those girls from coaching them in junior high. They got hot at a certain time in the season, but they beat Weslaco (High) two out of three games which is big. We beat them (Vela) twice in district last season, so of course that leaves a bitter taste in our mouths. Our goal has always been to get to the state tournament, not only the Sweet 16, but further if possible. Another district title would be great, but a district title is not what we are aiming for.”

“We’re trying to go far this year,” Cortez said. “Hard work pays off, and we’re working hard during practices. Hopefully, we get there.”

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RGVSPORTS.COM 2019 SOFTBALL PRESEASON TOP 10

Team ‘18 Record

1. San Benito 28-9

2. Edinburg Vela 32-8

3. Harlingen South 27-9

T-4. Brownsville Vets 26-12

T-4. Edinburg High 28-8

6. Rio Hondo 25-9-2

7. Mercedes 23-10-3

T-8. PSJA Memorial 25-10

T-8. Weslaco High 28-7-1

10. Edinburg North 22-11

Other team(s) receiving votes: Sharyland Pioneer (1).

February 9, 2019 by Nate Kotisso

Free throws help Weslaco High exact revenge over Edinburg Economedes

BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — The second district meeting between Weslaco High and Edinburg Economedes came down to free throws Friday, much like the first go-round on Jan. 15, but the outcome wasn’t nearly as dramatic.

On that night, Economedes needed critical free throws from Angel Salinas with 1.5 seconds to go in regulation to snatch the game away from Weslaco High. This time, the shoe was on the other foot.

Weslaco High led the tight game through three quarters, but the Panthers widened their lead when the Jaguars’ jump shots weren’t falling and resorted to fouling. Weslaco High concluded its district schedule with a 48-37 road victory over Edinburg Economedes.

“The kids have played like that all year,” Weslaco High coach Gabe Valdez said. “We try to put ourselves in a situation to win, and tonight was no different. Economedes has a senior-laden ballclub. I talked to the kids about redeeming ourselves after the loss at our place. They fought and battled and came out on top.”

Weslaco High made 8-for-13 free throws in the fourth quarter. Edinburg Economedes were just 1-for-2.

“I’m not going to blame the officials because of the way we played. We had two of our kids foul out,” Edinburg Economedes coach Carlos Ramos said. “There were some missed calls, which always happens. I think that predicted the outcome of the game. We’ll take it and we’re going to move on.”

The Jaguars (24-7, 9-2) entered Friday shooting a mind-boggling 40.8 percent from the perimeter as a team, but they went 1-for-7 on 3-pointers in the final period.

“They locked us down on defense,” Ramos said. “They had a lot of ball pressure. They took No. 10 (Angel Salinas) from us. He’s our primary ball handler, so when we put the ball in someone else’s hands, the likelihood of us moving the ball as well is not as great. It is what it is.”

Weslaco High senior guard Caleb Ybarra provided much of the ball pressure, southpaw shooting guard Isaiah Garcia was reliable shooting from the outside and Safi Fino-A-Laself put the game out of reach with key free throws.

“That last game (against Edinburg Economedes) was a game that we shouldn’t have lost,” Fino-A-Laself said. “We were ready to fight. There was a lot of hustle from a lot of different players on our team. Our bench was great. Everyone really wanted this win.”

Ybarra, Garcia and Fino-A-Laself combined for 40 points.

“Those three have been our heart and soul all year long,” Valdez said. “They’re back from last year, and they’ve put the team on their shoulders. We won two tournaments in the Valley earlier in the year, and we played really well at times. We dropped a couple in district play that kind of hurt us a little bit, but we were in those ball games. That’s a tribute to those kids working hard in the summer to become the players that they are today.”

The Panthers (26-8, 9-3) ended their district slate on a three-game winning streak and officially tying the Jaguars in the win column in District 31-6A.

Edinburg Vela defeated Edinburg North on Friday to improve to 10-1 in District 31-6A. The SaberCats will end their season with the Jaguars, who are one game back.

“It’s a tough district,” Ramos said. “We had Weslaco tonight and Vela on Tuesday. We’re going to try to get them in a two-way for the district title.”

[email protected]

February 9, 2019 by Nate Kotisso

#RGVHoops boys scores, box scores and schedule 02.08.19

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Friday’s Games

District 30-6A

McAllen Rowe 74, La Joya High 40

McAllen High 103, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 48

PSJA North 82, McAllen Memorial 50

Mission High 57, PSJA High 41

District 31-6A

Edinburg Vela 65, Edinburg North 50

Weslaco High 48, Edinburg Economedes 37

Weslaco East 59, Donna North 20

District 32-6A

Brownsville Hanna 35, Brownsville Rivera 30

Los Fresnos 50, Harlingen South 48

Harlingen High 56, San Benito 42

District 31-5A

Roma 42, PSJA Memorial 40

Sharyland Pioneer 62, PSJA Southwest 36

Rio Grande City 52, Mission Veterans 43

District 32-5A

Brownsville Veterans 64, Brownsville Pace 60

Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Lopez, not reported

Donna High 61, Brownsville Porter 47

Mercedes 53, Valley View 43

District 32-4A

Zapata 47, Port Isabel 36

Rio Hondo 61, Progreso 51

Hidalgo 61, Raymondville 49

La Feria 59, Grulla 47

District 32-3A

Santa Rosa at Brownsville IDEA Riverview, not reported

Lyford at Brownsville IDEA Frontier, not reported

District 32-2A

San Perlita at Santa Maria, not reported

San Isidro at Lasara, not reported

Non-District

Macedonian Christian 77, La Villa 55

Saturday’s Games

District 31-5A

Sharyland High 48, La Joya Palmview 47

TAPPS District 6-5A

Victoria St. Joseph 81, Brownsville St. Joseph 46

Monday, Feb. 11

District 32-4A

La Feria at Rio Hondo, 7:30 p.m.

Progreso at Port Isabel, 8 p.m.

Zapata at Raymondville, 8 p.m.

Hidalgo at Grulla, 8 p.m.

District 32-3A

Lyford at Vanguard Pharr, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 12

District 30-6A

Mission High at La Joya High, 7:30 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at PSJA High, 7:30 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at McAllen Memorial, 7:30 p.m.

PSJA North at McAllen High, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-6A

Weslaco East at Edinburg High, 7:30 p.m.

Edinburg North at Donna North, 7:30 p.m.

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

District 32-6A

Harlingen High at Brownsville Hanna, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Rivera at Los Fresnos, 7:30 p.m.

San Benito at Harlingen South, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-5A

Sharyland Pioneer at La Joya Palmview, 7:30 p.m.

Sharyland High at Roma, 7:30 p.m.

Mission Veterans at PSJA Southwest, 7:30 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at Rio Grande City, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-5A

Mercedes at Brownsville Porter, 7:30 p.m.

Donna High at Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Pace at Edcouch-Elsa, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Lopez at Valley View, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-3A

Vanguard Alamo at Santa Rosa, 6:30 p.m.

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Friday’s Games

District 30-6A

McALLEN HIGH 103, LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 48

Full score by quarter not reported.

McALLEN HIGH (103): Dylan Suarez 5, Eric Ruiz 5, Matthew Ibarra 33, Quinn Canada Jr. 3, Jackson Helmcamp 7, Isaiah Rodriguez 5, Daniel Chiquito 2, Jacob Hansen 3, Malachi Dames 18, Bryan Argil 7, Jaden Conrow 15.

LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN (48): Kenneth Gonzalez 7, Josh Briones 3, Adan Alvarez 3, Robert Villasan 11, Manuel Martinez 2, Adan Torres 17, Luis Flores 5.

RECORDS: McAllen High 20-11, 9-4; La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 2-28, 1-12.

PSJA NORTH 82, McALLEN MEMORIAL 50

McMemorial 14 15 8 13 — 50

PSJA North 25 21 16 20 — 82

PSJA NORTH (82): Matthew Cantu 4, Arturo Beltran 8, Elijah De La Garza 14, Daunte Galvan 28, Ricky Garcia 2, Timur Lamb 1, Iziaah Rangel 15, Eram Beltran 10.

McALLEN MEMORIAL (50): Hugo Bazan 3, Javi Mendoza 2, R.J. Roth 6, Christian Espinoza 24, Kobe Gushwa 8, Nate Zuniga 4, Diego Perales 3.

RECORDS: PSJA North 27-9, 11-2; McAllen Memorial 10-22, 2-11.

District 31-6A

WESLACO HIGH 48, EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 37

Weslaco High 13 13 10 12 — 48

Edinburg Econ 12 12 9 4 — 37

WESLACO HIGH (48): Caleb Ybarra 11, Safi Fino-A-Laself 16, Joshua Rodriguez 2, Juan Balderas 2, Matt Casanova 4, Isaiah Garcia 13.

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (37): Trini Moreno 6, Angel Salinas 13, Johnathan Barrientos 13, Saul Alanis 1, Ricardo Chapa 4.

RECORDS: Weslaco High 26-8, 9-3; Edinburg Economedes 24-7, 9-2.

EDINBURG VELA 65, EDINBURG NORTH 50

Edinburg Vela 14 8 21 22 — 65

Edinburg North 12 15 9 14 — 50

EDINBURG VELA (65): Noah Sekinger 23, Austin Garza 7, Kaleb Coronado 13, Bobby Espericueta 10, Josh Diaz 10, Kobe Gipson 2.

EDINBURG NORTH (50): Andrew Nuñez 4, Ethan Garcia 3, Sergio Quintanilla 10, Aldo Reta 6, Frank Sumaya 11, Juan Vasquez 7, Anthony Jordan 3, Juan Garza 2, Moises Garza 4.

RECORDS: Edinburg Vela 25-9, 10-1; Edinburg North 19-16, 4-7.

WESLACO EAST 59, DONNA NORTH 20

Donna North 5 7 2 6 — 20

Weslaco East 9 12 22 16 — 59

WESLACO EAST (59): John Ramos 5, Sean Cortez 6, Caleb Casas 9, Gianni Barrera 4, R.J. Lopez 7, Gabriel Rivera 20, Aaron Gomez 4, Mario Treviño 4.

DONNA NORTH (20): Adam Rodriguez 9, Brue Treviño 2, Damien Gomez 2, Rigo Rodriguez 4, Juan Alvarez 1, Jose Casas 1, Alex Mendoza 1.

RECORDS: Weslaco East 11-21, 2-9; Donna North 0-22, 0-11.

District 31-5A

SHARYLAND PIONEER 62, PSJA SOUTHWEST 36

PSJA SW 5 1 17 13 — 36

Shary Pioneer 13 25 12 12 — 62

SHARYLAND PIONEER (62): Aaron Cuevas 13, Miguel Angel Gonzalez 11, Lavar Lindo 11, Taggart Chandler 7, Marco Treviño 7, Ethan Lee 6, Luke Padilla 5, Jared Suarez 2.

PSJA SOUTHWEST (36): Adrian Reyna 8, Carlos Hernandez 7, Juan Montes 6, Dawrell Robinson 4, Junior Garcia 3, Ivan Puente 2, Derek Cedillo 2, Alan Leon 2, Gerry Guillen 2.

RECORDS: Sharyland Pioneer 24-8, 12-1; PSJA Southwest 9-15, 6-7.

RIO GRANDE CITY 52, MISSION VETERANS 43

RGC 10 13 16 13 — 52

Mission Vets 2 13 14 14 — 43

RIO GRANDE CITY (52): Aaron Marroquin 9, Jaime Covarrubias 13, Raudel Solis 3, Michael Thomas 4, Mikey Compean 8, Dennis Treviño 4, Rudy Bazan 3, Josh Garcia 8.

MISSION VETERANS (43): Carlos Ramirez 3, Noe Cantu 13, Jose Muniz 3, A.J. Gonzaque 4, Ryan Acevedo 6, J.T. Lerma 14.

RECORDS: Rio Grande City 24-10, 12-1; Mission Veterans 15-17, 7-6.

District 32-5A

MERCEDES 53, VALLEY VIEW 43

Valley View 2 12 11 18 — 43

Mercedes 14 11 16 12 — 53

MERCEDES (53): Caleb Arthur 6, Alex Rincon 5, Jared Castañeda 9, Jesse Fuentes 2, Jordan Ovalle 8, Brandon Lozoya 21, Horacio Pequeño 2.

VALLEY VIEW (43): I. Lira 5, E. Camarillo 3, K. Diaz 14, A. Zapata 2, M. Flores 4, E. Treviño 4, D. Ortegon 8, A. Sepulveda 3.

RECORDS: Mercedes 27-7, 11-2; Valley View 13-18, 0-13.

DONNA HIGH 61, BROWNSVILLE PORTER 47

Bro. Porter 8 8 19 12 — 47

Donna High 11 19 14 17 — 61

DONNA HIGH (61): Derik Medrano 6, Eddy Epperson 16, Joshua Aguilar 2, Trey Rodriguez 5, Eric Garza 19, Brandon Chavez 7, Kobi Soto 2, Ty Howell 2, Justin Lopez 2.

BROWNSVILLE PORTER (47): Yair Torres 5, Mundo Martinez 4, Kevin Garcia 1, Juan Contreras 12, Benji Eckersley 17, Diego Rivera 2, Rocco Almanzan 6.

RECORDS: Donna High 12-17, 4-9; Brownsville Porter 13-18, 5-8.

February 8, 2019 by Nate Kotisso

#RGVHoops boys stats, standings and top 10 02.08.19

RGVSPORTS.COM BOYS BASKETBALL TOP 10

Team Record Prev.

1. McAllen Rowe 25-6 1

2. Edinburg Vela 24-9 2

3. PSJA North 26-9 3

4. Edinburg Economedes 24-6 5

5. Mercedes 26-7 7

6. Los Fresnos 22-8 4

7. Hidalgo 26-6 8

8. Sharyland Pioneer 23-8 6

9. Brownsville Veterans 19-7 9

10. Port Isabel 24-5 NR

District 30-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

McAllen Rowe 25 6 12 0 —

PSJA North 26 9 10 2 2

McAllen High 19 11 8 4 4

Mission High 17 15 7 5 5

PSJA High 11 19 5 7 7

La Joya High 12 24 3 9 9

McAllen Memorial 10 21 2 10 10

La Joya J-L 2 27 1 11 11

District 31-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Edinburg Econ 24 6 9 1 —

Edinburg Vela 24 9 9 1 —

Weslaco High 25 8 8 3 1.5

Edinburg High 16 12 5 6 4.5

Edinburg North 19 15 4 6 5

Weslaco East 5 18 1 9 8

Donna North 0 21 0 10 9

District 32-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Los Fresnos 23 8 7 1 —

Brownsville Hanna 17 11 6 2 1

Harlingen High 20 13 5 3 2

Harlingen South 11 14 3 5 4

Brownsville Rivera 7 20 3 5 4

San Benito 0 19 0 8 7

District 31-5A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Sharyland Pioneer 23 8 11 1 —

Rio Grande City 23 10 11 1 —

Mission Veterans 15 16 7 5 4

PSJA Southwest 9 14 6 6 5

Roma 14 18 4 8 7

La Joya Palmview 12 24 4 8 7

PSJA Memorial 13 21 3 9 8

Sharyland High 11 20 2 10 9

District 32-5A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Brownsville Vets 27 6 11 1 —

Mercedes 26 7 10 2 1

Brownsville Pace 22 11 9 3 2

Edcouch-Elsa 24 13 8 4 3

Brownsville Porter 13 17 5 7 6

Donna High 11 17 3 9 8

Brownsville Lopez — — 2 10 9

Valley View 13 17 0 12 11

District 32-4A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Hidalgo 26 6 12 0 —

Port Isabel 25 6 10 2 2

Zapata 16 9 7 5 5

Raymondville 16 11 6 6 6

La Feria 7 13 6 6 6

Rio Hondo 15 17 3 9 9

Grulla 5 27 3 9 9

Progreso 9 18 1 11 11

District 32-2A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

San Perlita — — 5 1 —

San Isidro 25 3 4 1 .5

Santa Maria — — 3 2 1.5

Lasara — — 1 5 4

La Villa — — 1 5 4

Individual Statistics

Points

Name G Tot. Avg.

D. Galvan, PSJA North 35 942 26.9

S. Fino, Weslaco High 30 636 21.2

A. Woodard, Edinburg High 24 508 21.2

G. Elizondo, San Isidro 29 613 21.1

D. Rinza, Port Isabel – – 19.6

J. Covarrubias, RGC 33 576 17.5

L. Yebra, McAllen Rowe 30 514 17.1

J . Barrientos, Economedes 26 439 16.9

N. Sekinger, Edinburg Vela 29 484 16.7

G. Sanchez, Hidalgo 31 507 16.3

J. Conrow, McAllen High 30 485 16.2

A. Flores, Hidalgo 31 516 16.1

E. De La Garza, PSJA N 35 608 16.0

M. Escobar, Edcouch-Elsa 33 523 15.8

A. Marroquin, RGC 33 513 15.6

I. Garcia, Weslaco High 32 436 14.8

M. Arellano, Harlingen High 21 308 14.7

B. Lozoya, Mercedes 31 442 14.3

A. Salinas, Economedes 30 414 13.8

M. Garza, San Isidro 23 317 13.8

M. Ibarra, McAllen High 28 388 13.8

N. Moore, Sharyland High 30 412 13.7

C. Ybarra, Weslaco High 32 408 12.8

L. Lindo, Shary Pioneer 29 363 12.5

A. Aguinaga, Edcouch-Elsa 32 396 12.4

I. Rangel, PSJA North 33 406 12.3

S. Quintanilla, Ed. North 31 369 11.9

K. Diaz, Valley View 21 248 11.8

J. Ovalle, Mercedes 33 386 11.7

J. Salinas, Mission High – – 11.7

J. Galan, McAllen Rowe 31 347 11.6

D. Guerra, San Isidro 25 288 11.5

B. Argil, McAllen High 13 149 11.5

D. Everage, McAllen Rowe 31 356 11.5

A. Gonzalez, Hidalgo 31 356 11.5

M. Villarreal, PSJA 28 315 11.3

Rebounds

Name G Tot. Avg.

G. Elizondo, San Isidro 29 387 13.3

L. Lindo, Shary Pioneer 29 287 9.9

J. Galan, McAllen Rowe 30 292 9.7

G. Uresti, La Joya High 22 208 9.5

A. Woodard, Edinburg High 24 222 9.3

I. Rangel, PSJA North 33 300 9.1

N. Sekinger, Edinburg Vela 29 261 9.0

J. Balderas, Weslaco High 31 279 9.0

J. Salinas, Mission High – – 8.7

D. Everage, McAllen Rowe 31 264 8.5

D. Rinza, Port Isabel – – 8.4

J. Gomez, Grulla 18 142 7.9

C. Arthur, Mercedes 33 256 7.8

J. Conrow, McAllen High 30 233 7.8

A. Flores, San Isidro 29 222 7.7

A. Gonzalez, Hidalgo 31 233 7.5

E. Gonzalez, Los Fresnos – – 7.3

R. Altamirano, Los Fresnos – – 7.3

A. Marroquin, RGC 33 225 6.8

A. Reyes, San Isidro 29 195 6.7

L. Garcia, Mission High – – 6.7

S. Arjona, Hidalgo 32 210 6.6

A. Rubio, Sharyland High 26 168 6.5

A. Salinas, Economedes 30 189 6.3

M. Longoria, Hidalgo 32 199 6.2

S. Fino, Weslaco High 30 184 6.1

A. Sepulveda, Valley View 30 179 5.9

Assists

Name G Tot. Avg.

L. Toledano, Hidalgo 32 199 6.2

G. Sanchez, Hidalgo 31 175 5.6

A. Salinas, Economedes 30 162 5.4

D. Everage, McAllen Rowe 31 158 5.1

M. Garza, San Isidro 23 109 4.7

T. Zurita, Port Isabel – – 4.6

S. Fino, Weslaco High 30 130 4.3

J. Covarrubias, RGC 33 138 4.2

C. Arthur, Mercedes 33 138 4.2

L. Yebra, McAllen Rowe 30 125 4.2

J. Castaneda, Mercedes 33 124 3.8

J. Solis, Valley View 21 80 3.8

D. Guerra, San Isidro 25 93 3.7

C. Ybarra, Weslaco High 32 117 3.6

M. Medrano, McAllen Rowe 31 111 3.6

B. Argil, McAllen High 13 46 3.5

T. Moronta, Mission High – – 3.5

E. Marburger, Pioneer 20 70 3.5

E. De La Garza, PSJA N 35 119 3.4

D. Galvan, PSJA North 35 116 3.3

I. Garcia, Weslaco High 32 106 3.3

N. Moore, Sharyland High 30 100 3.3

Steals

Name G Tot. Avg.

G. Sanchez, Hidalgo 31 170 5.5

A. Salinas, Economedes 30 141 4.7

T. Zurita, Port Isabel – – 4.4

C. Ybarra, Weslaco High 32 128 4.0

D. Everage, McAllen Rowe 31 118 3.8

A. Fuentes, Valley View 26 91 3.5

J. Covarrubias, RGC 33 100 3.3

I. Garcia, Weslaco High 32 106 3.3

S. Arjona, Hidalgo 32 102 3.2

A. Marroquin, RGC 33 102 3.1

M. Garza, San Isidro 23 71 3.1

L. Yebra, McAllen Rowe 30 90 3.0

N. Moore, Sharyland High 30 89 3.0

M. Medrano, McAllen Rowe 31 87 2.8

D. Rinza, Port Isabel – – 2.8

A. Salinas, McAllen Rowe 29 77 2.7

A. Reyes, San Isidro 29 79 2.7

M. Ibarra, McAllen High 26 69 2.7

J. Solis, Valley View 21 57 2.7

M. Escobar, Edcouch-Elsa 33 85 2.6

D. Galvan, PSJA North 35 91 2.6

C. Montelongo, Palmview 23 56 2.4

J. Vasquez, Edinburg North 21 50 2.4

C. Montelongo, Palmview 29 71 2.4

A. Gonzalez, Hidalgo 31 75 2.3

C. Pinkerton, Port Isabel – – 2.3

February 7, 2019 by Nate Kotisso

Tie broken: Edinburg High claims No. 1 seed in win over Weslaco High

BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER

DONNA — It wasn’t quite a playoff game, but with the postseason tipping off next Monday, Thursday’s seeding game between Edinburg High and Weslaco High was as close as it was going to get.

Edinburg High senior Jenessah Santa Maria wasn’t crazy about the idea of a seeding game right before the playoffs, but she went with the flow.

“I didn’t want to play (the game) at first. Not because I was scared of Weslaco (High) or anything like that. I didn’t want to risk anyone getting hurt. That was my main thing,” Santa Maria said. “After we found out it was happening, I knew I had to take advantage of it because it might be one of my last games. We tried to come out with a ‘W’ and that’s what we did tonight.”

Santa Maria led the Bobcats (30-8) with 20 points in Edinburg High’s 51-39 victory over Weslaco High on Thursday at Donna North. The win allowed the Bobcats to secure the top seed representing District 31-6A. Edinburg High will face Brownsville Hanna, the No. 4 seed from District 32-6A, in the first round of the playoffs but details for the game weren’t hammered out on Thursday night.

On the first possession of the game, Santa Maria curled around the perimeter and buried a 3-pointer to get the scoring started.

“I’ve been off with my outside shot lately,” Santa Maria said. “During warmups, I felt it. I was hitting consecutive threes back-to-back-to-back. When I made the first three, it felt good. It gave me confidence to keep shooting. Of course, my teammates were able to find me when I got open.”

“This is why we wanted to play instead of flipping for it (the No. 1 seed),” Edinburg High coach J.D. Salinas said. “Number one: We’re playing against a good team. It’s a playoff-like atmosphere. It’s exciting and it was the only girls basketball game going on tonight. Win or lose, you’re going to take the energy, the excitement and the pressure that comes with a game like this and take it into next week. All our players played well, including Jenessah. Daysha (Tijerina) hit a big shot. Leslie Martinez hit some clutch free throws. That helped us get the win.”

Edinburg High was up on Weslaco High throughout the majority of the game until the Panthers (26-8) started making 3-pointers of their own. Aleksa Gallegos’ third 3-pointer of the game gave Weslaco High its first lead heading into the fourth quarter.

“I told the kids that they only have a short amount of time to be upset about what just happened because we need to pick our heads up and figure out how to win some basketball games,” Weslaco High coach Griselda Fino said. “This was a great atmosphere. Both Edinburg and Weslaco wanted to do this to prepare for the playoffs, but the seeding was important for us. If I had to do it all over again, knowing the circumstances, I definitely would. I thought my kids showed a lot of resiliency and a lot of heart. It’s something that we can look at and fix for next week.”

Weslaco High will face off with Los Fresnos, the No. 3 seed from District 32-6A, in the first round on Monday night. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m. on the La Feria High School campus.

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